August 2007 saw a new party of dental volunteers carrying out basic dentistry in a number of temporary clinics at various locations.
Barbara’s Dental Diary Aug07
- Expert dentistry under crude conditions in temporary clinic 2007
Uganda, Africa by Katie
Jambo Muzungo ! – the call that rang out wherever we went; combined with frantically waving and jumping children. There were ten of us altogether, a mixture of dentists, hygienists and nurses all working with Christian Relief Uganda. As a student dentist, this was a great opportunity to combine experiencing another culture with learning new skills.
We drove into outlying areas of Uganda, where bazungos (white people) are rarely seen, along kilometres of red, bumpy, dusty roads. On arrival we set up dental clinics, extracted teeth educated on oral hygiene and handed out toothbrushes and toothpaste.
There was a lot of work to do at a three-day clinic near a sugar cane plantation. Chewing chunks of sugar cane forms part of their diet, leading to decayed front teeth. However, none of us refused the chance to try some when offered a piece one lunchtime!
In the UK, parents often face the problem of what to do with children when at the dentist. We found the answer to this problem one day when a lady continued to breastfeed her baby throughout her extraction.
Driving also takes on a new slant in Uganda, as we discovered on a drive in the city of Kampala. Instead of giving way to the right on a roundabout, the fastest driver gets the right of way. This led to some interesting driving experiences.
Approaching one of our dental clinic sites (via boat), we were told, Try and stay close to the clinic and don’t wander off as tribes in this area still practice cannibalism. This was no joke. We were then carried off the boat by local men to avoid us getting wet feet. Slightly unnerving, having just learnt of the local customs!
A few days of our trip were spent living on Bavuma Island, which is located in Lake Victoria. No electricity means evening entertainment is sparse – however, one night we found ourselves learning traditional Ugandan dancing under the instruction of several local women. This is harder than it looks with the movement all in the hips which have to be accentuated with a scarf. When asked to perform a typical English dance in return we all immediately broke into Saturday night moves and the Macarena!
The last few days of the trip were spent on safari in north Uganda,
Here is an extract from my diary:
At present I am sitting on stilted decking, in an armchair, outside our canvas tent. In front of me there are a few trees and bushes leading down to the Nile. On the opposite bank is the safari park, Murchison Falls, where last night I could see hippos and water buffalo. The storm has just broken so there is rain dripping through the trees around me, with thunder rolling in the background adding to the croak of bullfrogs and the hiss of crickets. Every now again a flash of lightning illuminates my page. It’s dusk.
Uganda, Africa was for me an indescribable experience. On more than one occasion during my trip, I was told that I would never know or realise the impact of the dental work we had done on peoples lives. But I think that I may never realise the impact that Uganda has had on my life. All I know is that I learnt a huge amount, have wonderful memories of welcoming smiles and that I enjoyed every minute.
