A partnership of SAKKA and 121
Background
Happy Tree Dental Clinic is established in April 2011, it is located on the ground floor of Rainbow Bridge Building, that raise and look after HIV infected children/orphans, who are abandoned from the slum communities.
This dental clinic was started by One-2-One Cambodia to provide free dental service to children from many disadvantaged orphanages, such as Friends, Cambodia Children Found (CCF), Care for Cambodia (CFC), Fleur De Jamin Organization (FJO), Hope Transition Cambodia (HTC), Bloom Girl (BG), Transform Cambodia (TC), Empowering Youth in Cambodia (EYC) and Happy Tree orphanage. Having identified this need, thank you SAKKA for partnering with 121 to share helping hands to our many children to put big smile of their faces. During these eight months period of time, we have provided dental treatment, dental education, toothbrushes and toothpastes providing better oral health care among the children from these orphanages. Emergency as well as preventative care. If we can continue to provide this desperately needed care then the children will eat better, study and sleep better. What a way to make a difference.
Activities
In the last eight months, SAKKA/121 clinic has been very busy, providing supports to various orphanage across Phnom Penh city and big thank you for your partnership so that we can all participate and protect the health and future of the children.
Everyday Ms. Rany who is dental nurse, works at Happy Tree Clinic. She manage the clinic to ensure appropriate treatment is given to each child. We focus on cross infection control and provide a warm and friendly environment for the children, with good documentation. Oversea volunteer dentist also help in special case for the most serious oral problems. Otherwise, we refer them to International University clinic where have advanced dental treatment.
Opening the clinic with child friendly and safe toys and reading materials; to provide a happy environment, a fun place with us. Children are happy to come and have teeth check and treatment without fear of the clinic or of the staff. It also helps the children to get good basic oral health education. It is always lovely to see the children engaging well with peers and having fun with the toys we provide.
The most common services provided are:
· Dental restorations
· Dental sealants (protective coatings on molar teeth)
· Dental extractions
· Fluorides (to arrest and prevent dental caries)
· Scaling
· Dental health education
After each treatment our dental assistant provided basic dental educations to children by teaching them how to brush their teeth properly and explain them to avoid some kinds of food that cause bad damage to the teeth. Then to ensure daily teeth brushing program, One-2-One Cambodia also provided toothbrush and toothpaste to all children who came to our clinic.
Summary
Happy Tree clinic plays essential role in providing oral health care and education to children from many difference orphanages around Phnom Penh city. This clinic helps children with emergency care as well as preventative care. This is especially important for those who are vulnerable and /or HIV infected children. Thank you for this partnership to help these underserved children, with your help they have a bright future and a chance at normal life.
Challenges
We also face many challenge. Children are scare and don’t want to come and see our dentist. So our staff work extra hard to befriend the children, and with patience and kindness to make them feel comfortable to receive this treatment. Rany is now on maternity leave for three month. So, during this time we ask other staff to assist. We are committed to ensure good cross infection control; our team is strongly committed to helping each of the children.