To sum up today in 3 words:
- Gruelling
- Rewarding
- Fun
It’s been a long and gruelling day for team DAN. We started early by visiting our clinics which were well below UK standards in terms of hygiene. Our entire team of 8 volunteers plus additional helpers spent over 3 hours disinfecting all surfaces and preparing our clinics with all of our dentists on their hands and knees scrubbing and mopping. A lot of our equipment will be disposable removing risk of cross infection.
After cleaning up we went to visit the kids at the current orphanage which is now too small for them. The children were divided up into groups and the DAN volunteers gave them all interactive oral health seminars covering tooth brushing and dietary advice. It was inspiring for all involved as the kids clearly loved it. We also drove out of the city to see the magnificent new complex being built to cater for their needs. Once complete this will be the biggest orphan centre in south Asia.
On our return we had a glorious meal with all of the children, which was exactly what we needed after a long gruelling day. After finishing the meal the children showed off their sporting abilities by beating us at table tennis and cricket. Everyone had a great time.
Time for bed now so that we can be fresh fo our first day of check ups tomorrow. Can’t wait..!