Projects Abroad Volunteers Help Launch a Dental Awareness Campaign in Sri Lanka

Last months outreach programme was based at Nigagaha Kanishta Vidyalaya School in Bulatsinghala. Ex volunteer Anne secured funding in the US to build a curry kitchen at this school in order to provide all students with a free and delicious school lunch every single day. Working
closely with the Ministry of Health, she also aims to create a greater awareness of health and dental issues in the underprivileged community.

With the help of Projects Abroad volunteers here in Sri Lanka, a dental awareness campaign was launched at the school where children and parents were all invited along to learn about the importance of dental hygiene. The skills and enthusiasm of the volunteers were key to making the day a success.

So, armed with boxes full of materials and a bus load of volunteers, we set off on the road for Bulatsinghala, arriving after a bumpy 1.5 hour drive where we were kept entertained by some keen gymnasts. When seeing the temporary leaking kitchen building on arrival, it became very apparent as to why a permanent kitchen building is needed here. Despite the obvious lack of facilities, the mothers did a grand job of cooking up a nutritious lunch for both the children and the volunteers.

Following our lunch, a spot of cricket got the children a little over excited but they soon settled down when Furqan began his talk on the importance of teeth and why & how we should keep them clean. Whilst the children were being screened by the mobile clinic, Furqan got to work on the parents. Meanwhile, the medical volunteers taught the older children some basic first aid. It seems that a lot of fun can be had with painting scars and bandaging each other up.

At the same time as all of this, all remaining volunteers got stuck into the ‘rather messy’ but
fun art and crafts competition with the younger children. This involved each group coming up with a theme and then using a wide range of materials to make a beautiful and creative collage. Flowers, butterflies and boats seemed to be the order of the day and despite the mess surrounding them, their artistic flare shone through in the finished collages. Most creative of all perhaps were the boys who decided to cover their faces and necks with coloured glitter (hilarious).

The day flew by and before we knew it, it was home time for the children. All the adults and
children were given free toothbrushes, toothpaste and mirrors that had been kindly donated. We
had a quick awards ceremony for the winning art & craft teams where prizes were awarded for the most inventive and beautiful creations. We then boarded our big old bus for our drive to a nearby hotel where our Projects Abroad Weekend began.

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