www.mddus.com


OOTH AT A TIME


“ We saw one clinic with just one dental syringe for 600,000 patients”


translator Lusekero Kyumba, a dedicated young man who is training to be a dental therapist at Lilongwe College of Health Sciences. Nigel and Vicky were so impressed with his desire to help people that they decided to fund his studies through Smileawi, helping him secure a permanent post at David Gordon Memorial Hospital on completion of his course. Vicky says: “It made it all worthwhile when


Lusekero’s wife asked to speak to us both. She thanked us so much for ‘saving her family’.” Nigel adds: “I don’t do ‘greetin’, but I was welling up.”


So how do the busy working parents


manage to balance their charity work, with running a busy practice, spending time with their children and enjoying the occasional skiing holiday?


Vicky laughs: “Well, our housework never


gets done, and neither does the garden!” It’s clear from meeting the Milnes that this is a labour of love, as Nigel admits: “I wouldn’t do it [dentistry] if I didn’t love it and I also wouldn’t be involved in a dental charity. “We manage to have a good balance


between running our practice and doing our charity work, and that’s largely down to Lynne, our practice manager, and our very understanding patients. Many of them have donated to Smileawi and always ask when we are going out next.” Vicky adds: “Our patients have


overwhelmed us with their generosity and support. Recently a group of local ladies knitted baby cardigans, so we will take them out with us this time.” Looking ahead, Nigel and Vicky will continue to send Smileawi volunteers out to treat those


in dire need of dental care, before eventually reducing the hours they work in Dunoon and dedicating more time to their charity. But as Nigel points out, doing 2,500


extractions in one visit is only the tip of the iceberg: “Malawi won’t be able to sort out its dental problems in our lifetime, it’s unimaginable, so we will do our best to continue to grow the charity.” It is a formidable task but they remain


determined and, as their charity slogan says, they hope to help Malawi one tooth at a time.


• To find out more about Smileawi, including how to volunteer, visit www.smileawi.com


Kristin Ballantyne is a freelance writer based in Glasgow


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