Students help teach good oral health in South Africa

The two students helped deliver oral hygiene instructions on behalf of the Dental Wellness Trust, a charity that aims to promote general dental wellness to less fortunate communities in both the UK and abroad. They visited a number of small townships outside Cape Town with the goal of teaching children the importance of brushing their teeth and washing their hands.

“The people living in the townships suffer extreme hardship and poverty at a level which we in the UK can hardly comprehend,” explains Karolyn. “They use water and soap sparingly as it is seen as a luxury”.

The local children attend an after school programme which is run by trained volunteers known as “Mamas”. Unfortunately, there are not enough volunteers to reach all the children, but Karolyn and Jack wanted to help spread messages to more of the children in need.

Initially, only 4 classes of approximately 48 students were being targeted the area Karolyn visited, but by the end of her trip they managed to get 12 classes involved by spreading the word and recruiting more volunteers.