Intrepid Dentist to Swap West Lothian for the Amazon to Help People in Need
An intrepid dentist from Queensferry, West Lothian, is preparing to down her drill and depart for the Amazon to help people in need.
Maria Papavergos, from Ferryburn Dental Practice, will be travelling to Lima, Peru, to help out as part of a volunteer project organised by the Vine Trust. The team will be travelling down the Amazon River by boat, stopping off to provide dental treatment to indigenous tribes. Maria will be spending two weeks aboard the Amazon Hope, navigating the waters of the Amazon River and providing treatments such as fillings and tooth extractions.
Maria will be part of a team of around eight healthcare professionals aboard the boat. The team will be travelling to various stop-off points and they will use their expertise to provide a host of treatments, from dental care and eye checks to vaccinations and pain relief treatment.
Maria is funding the trip herself and she is planning to take supplies, including toothbrushes and toothpaste, to hand out to the local people. She heard about the work of the Amazon Hope and was instantly intrigued. After further investigation, she signed up and is now looking forward to getting out there and using her skills and training to help others.
Maria said she is prepared for a culture-shock and is looking forward to experiencing a completely different world to the one she is used to. Many of the patients the team will see will never have seen a dentist or doctor before, and the volunteers won’t have access to the state of the art kits they use at home.
The Vine Trust was established in 1985, and the Amazon Hope programme helps more than 10,000 people in Peru every year.
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