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By the Dart • Dart Notes Local Dental Charity sets up mobile dental clinics in rural communities in Kenya
Dr Mitesh Badiani of Riverview Dental, totnes, along with a team of smilestar Ltd volunteers recently travelled to Kenya to provide dental treatment and oral health education to the rural villages in Laikipia and samburu. Many of the rural areas in Kenya
have no dental service. Kenya’s population of 44 million has only 1000 dentists (1 dentist to 44,000 people) compared with the uK’s 41,000 dentists (1 dentist to 1,560 people). the samburu have poor access to clean water and they use a twig from “the tooth brush tree” to clean their teeth. Dr Badiani, founder of the
smilestar charity, took with him a team of three highly skilled dentists,
children’s teeth. GP Dr Ciara McKay was also kept busy running a general medical clinic including on one occasion where she saved the life of a little boy samuel, approximately 3 years old who was rushed to the clinic with convulsions. Certainly an emotional and deeply rewarding day.
Dr Badiani and smilestar Ltd
three dental nurses, a general practitioner, and two support staff all of whom paid their own fares. they bought all the dental equipment and materials with them from the uK. the team visited many areas of the
conservancy allowing all community members to attend for treatment. Word soon spread that pain free dental treatment was being carried out .the two week trip was split between the area of Laikipia and the samburu. over the two weeks the team saw over 1250 patients and extracted over 600 teeth. they gave away hundreds of toothbrushes and educated mothers on caring for their
st Peter’s Church, stoke Fleming receives vital lottery funding for renovations
st Peter’s Church has received £39,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards an exciting project to renovate the 13th century bell tower and 18th century bells in stoke Fleming. Led by volunteers from the local community, the project will replace the corroded roof girders and bell frame, and renovate the bells and the Victorian tower clock. the tower is historically significant as an aid to navigation for seamen looking for the hidden entrance of the River Dart. While the stonework remains sound, the steel girders used to strengthen the masonry structure have now seriously corroded. the historic set of six tower bells
(dating from 1777) will be taken to Whitechapel bell foundry for complete overhaul and a new eight bell frame will be manufactured allowing two new lighter bells to be added which will be easier to
ring for learners and young people. Access to the ringing chamber will be improved and a set of ellacombe Chimes restored to enable the bells to be “rung” from the ground floor. the tower clock marks the passing hours with chiming bells. It is a highly
valued feature of the community and as part of the project it will be converted to electric auto-winding, removing the need to be manually wound by volunteers. the funds for this element of the work have been raised through the local secular organization, Friends of st Peter’s. the restoration work started in February and it is expected to take about 6 months. When the project is complete the bells will ring out again and the public will be able to see the heritage at first hand on special tower open days and at other times by appointment. John Dietz, Churchwarden and tower Captain said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the HLF and are confident that once this project is complete the church tower, bells and clock which have served the church and local community for 100s of years will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.”
organise two dental charity trips per year to remote disadvantaged communities where basic dentistry
is not available. If you would like to get involved or would like more information please contact smilestar on 01364 654070
www.smilestarcharity.co.uk
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