Aberdeenshire Dental Student Gives Kids Something to Smile About in Tanzania
A dental student from Aberdeenshire has been giving children in Tanzania something to smile about. Clare Lowe from Westhill has been volunteering in Africa as part of a programme run by the charity Go Make A Difference.
The first time Clare visited Tanzania, she was eager to help out with clean water projects and educate children, but since she started her dental studies at Aberdeen Dental School, she has become increasingly aware of the difference her skills can make. She has been volunteering for the charity for three years now, dedicating her summer holidays to supporting projects out in rural communities in Tanzania.
During her time in Africa, Clare has been actively involved in major building projects and has helped to create a new health centre. She was also part of a team who organised a national oral health survey and she has played an important role in raising awareness of oral health issues in the country.
Clare is now gearing up to visit Musoma to launch an oral health programme she helped to develop. Oral health is very poor in Musoma and children do not have access to dentists. Most use frayed sticks made from wood to clean their teeth because toothbrushes and toothpaste are too expensive. Clare started work on the Cheka Zaidi programme, which translates as ‘laugh more’, last summer and she has teamed up with the local government in a bid to improve education and make resources more accessible and affordable. Clare will be working with local teachers and parents and she will be staying out in Tanzania for longer than most of the volunteers from Aberdeen Dental School.
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