Healthy Smiles Society Newsletter 2014
Welcome back home Healthy Smiles Society from your Dental Mission, to Rusitu Mission – Zimbabwe, July 2014.
Healthy Smiles Society would like to first, take this opportunity, to thank all its supporters whose generous contributions made this mission possible. HSS was very excited to go on your behalf. The desire of our donators to help those, wherever they are at in the world, gain access to basic dental care, made HSS’ mission to Zimbabwe a success. Kindness in Action (KIA) is certainly a testament to their name. KIA’s contribution towards the equipment and supplies, for the dental mission, was a key factor for HSS being able to go forward, and help hundreds of people in need of dental treatment.
The mission was very successful, but also very expensive as we had to transport the equipment back and forth. It was also painful to experience the suffering of both young and old due to prolonged dental diseases without help. Most of the clients we treated had never seen dental personnel rolex day date mens m228236 0012 rolex calibre 2836 2813 automatic in their lifetime. Some were as old as 60-70 years. The chief of the area also came for treatment, and I had the honor of taking care of his dental health.
During the mission, we experienced numerous dental infections, severe gum disease, and rampant decay in both the young and old. These conditions were made worse due to a lack of dental services in the rural areas of the country.
Our work was very taxing, being on our feet from 8:00 am until 6:00 or 7:00 pm each day. One of the team members developed blisters on his hands due to the demands of the work.
Each day hundreds and hundreds came from miles around on foot, seeking help, knowing that HSS was the only chance they would ever get to see dental personnel. Unfortunately we could not see them all. We worked hard, but the work was overwhelming. At the end of the day we asked ourselves what more could we do to see every one during our short visit. On our last day of work some of our team members worked from 8:00 am till 11:00 pm.
We were requested to come back as soon as we could, but due to our financial situation this would be a great challenge. (Luke 10:2 “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.”)
HSS still values and needs your continued support in order to fulfill our mission: “To provide and promote mobile dental services in rural developing countries.” Your ongoing support will enable us to continue on your behalf, to help those who are less fortunate to have never experienced dental care in their lifetime. Here we are, send us and we will go on your behalf.
It was hard to come back knowing how much suffering we had left behind. One lady had a small cavity (decay) and wanted the tooth extracted before it got worse, as there would be no one to take care of her tooth in the future. Upon examining the tooth, I saw it was not for extraction but for filling. I told her I could restore her tooth, and that it did not have to be removed. But she insisted on it being pulled out. We came to a compromise. I would do a filling now and if it did not improve, I would take it out. After completing the filling I asked her to see me in two days. She came back and the tooth was OK. That was a very rewarding experience.
In conclusion may we continue our work together to improve the quality of life and make a difference for our neighbours, though they are miles and miles away.
Thank you
Sincerely,
Simon Jozzy
Founder/President
Healthy Smiles Society
