The legacy of a tooth brush…
At times, it can be somewhat tricky to visualize valuable development activities. While donors naturally want to see how their funds are utilised, quite often the most meaningful structural inputs in a society are impossible to immortalize in a photo.
However, when watching Alexandra Rogushina’s enthusiasm, your head fills with pictures.
– We can see how the needs are mounting. Even in poor communities, people increasingly are getting access to unsuitable food and consume more and more sugar – while still lacking the knowledge how to handle it, which ends in big dental problems.
Alexandra is deputy chairperson of TLUG, the Swedish section of Dentists Without Borders and she coordinates its support to Yennenga Progress. Since it started almost two years ago, two groups of volunteer dentists have visited Nakamtenga and set up a clinic.
– The main focus is information, to sensitise and educate. But we can also help people with fillings and acute problems.
While in Burkina Faso, the dentists also visited villages and schools, trained children in the art of brushing their teeth and monitored their dental status.
In a filmed interview with Röda Korset’s Folk High School, Alexandra summarizes results with.
– Strong bounds were established and there was a striking commitment from everyone involved not just to work on site during two weeks but really leave something behind. A sustainable improvement of dental health.
For more, watch the short movie (In Swedish):
and check also this report from TLUG's last visit in Nakamtenga: