Overseas aid
of Chernobyl Helping the children
Galway dentist Cíara Houlihan travelled to Belarus recently with humanitarian aid agency Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International. Here, she describes her experience
A
s a dentist, Cíara Houlihan had never experienced gratitude and affection like she did in her week volunteering in a children’s
mental asylum in Belarus. Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum
is an orphanage for ı73 children suffering from both physical and mental disabilities that range from mild to very severe. She said: “Sinéad O’Brien [a dentist
from Dublin] and I travelled to Vesnova, which is situated in a rural area at the end of a road. This is symbolic because most of the children will stay here or be moved to an adult mental asylum until the end of their lives. “Working in Vesnova was a highly
rewarding experience. There are over ı70 children in the orphanage all looking for our affection. Their eyes would light up when we gave them stickers and a toothbrush at the end of their treatment. Some children tried to return every day. They would run up and hug you as you walked down the corridor, shouting our praises. “Patients frequently reported pain and
swelling and we did everything we could to help them in the limited time we had. This mainly consisted of scaling, restorations and extractions. Unfortunately, the patients who were severely disabled could not communicate their needs, but we worked hard to ease their pain and did our best to treat those who were able for it.
20 Ireland’s Dental magazine “The response from these children was
staggering. It made me value my profession in a new way – the universal skills and ability to help ease the discomfort of others made me proud to be a dentist.”
Breaking the chain of infection Cíara travelled to Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum as part of Chernobyl Children International’s Dental Programme, which was set up in 2006 by dentist Marcas Mac Domhnaill and dental nurse Mary Sugrue after seeing the poor levels of oral care and maintenance in the region. Chernobyl Children International continues to develop the programme and the dental team focuses on raising the standard of oral hygiene to ensure the children are not in pain. Mary Sugrue said: “I have been going
to the region for the last 17 years. I remember seeing the local dentist extract a child’s tooth without using anaesthetic and that experience stayed with me. “On each dental mission to Vesnova, we
examine every one of the 173 children. Our main aim is on preventative maintenance as much as possible in an effort to break the chain of infection. That’s a massive priority for us. Scalings, cleanings and polishings are essential and we try at all times to get them out of pain. Gingivitis is
quite prevalent and a massive priority for us is educating the carers and the children on the correct brushing techniques.” Dentist Marcas Mac Domhnaill said that
it was a privilege once again to work in the dental clinic at Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum during his latest visit this Easter. He said: “While much has been done,
there is much still needed. I would encourage any dentist to offer their time and skill to help these children. You certainly receive much more from these children than you can give.”
About the charity In almost 30 years, Chernobyl Children International has delivered nearly €ı00 million in medical and humanitarian aid to the Chernobyl regions of Belarus, Ukraine and Western Russia and almost 25,000 children have been flown to Ireland for rest and recuperation holidays. Since 200ı, volunteers and donors from Ireland have invested more than €ı.5 million in upgrading the building of Vesnova, which has received Excellence Awards in Belarus for delivering high-quality medical care.
® For more information about,the charity, visit
www.chernobyl-international.com
Cíara and Sinéad with a young patient
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56