One more thing...........

Before I sign off I'd like to thank certain people. 

             The 2016 Dental Team 

First thank you to Bob and Purobi. Their tireless energy, absolute commitment and financial support has created KIDS and infuses the organization through example with a "can do attitude," which helps us soar above the countless obstacles that we encounter on these trips. 

                          Bob

                      Purobi 

(Sitting down on the job?Guess again! She's preventing a jail break from a patient with an abscess who NEEDED the treatment)

Thank to all the doctors, who man and woman, the treatment room. This is where the magic occurs. Special thanks to Rich and Kei, who flawlessly and selflessly led the treatment team. 

                       Rich (middle)

                           Kei 

And thank you to the support team, who approach their tasks with the same professionalism as any doctor. Of special note are Barbara and Bernie, who like Bob and Putobi, give selflessly, and are role models for Jamie and I on what a great impact you can have on the world in your retirement years. 

                      Barbara

                        Bernie

And then there is Fifi, who now must be waking in a storage closet in Phnom Penh, wondering why no one woke her for the flight to Bangkok. She was a terrific help this week, demonstrating oral hygiene and allaying children's fears; our oversight by no means is an indication of her perceived value. Don't worry, as soon as we land we'll make special arrangements for her to travel with someone else. Who knows, she may hitch a ride with someone going to Vietnam or Korea. She'll be back in NJ in no time. 

                             Fifi

Ok, for real this time. Goodbye from somewhere at 20000 ft between Cambodia and Thailand. 

About COLT and Cambodia

Today is our final day seeing patients. We are located at the COLT orphanage near the new dump site in Phnom Phen. COLT stands for the Cambodian Organization for Life Training. And they do that well. 

This is a highly successful, we'll run organization that prepares their charges for all that life will throw at them. The children are taught to be polite, respectful and inquisitive as well as being prepared for life after the orphanage. 

We have spent the week working with the older COLT students as our translators. 

Stella is running this orphanage until the spring when the new director arrives. She replaced  Frida and Wilco who returned to Holland after leading COLT for 5 years. Stella is a terrific combination of nurturing and toughness. She is currently in charge of 520 students. 

There is a local school sending their children to this site. We're not sure how many kids we'll see today- the school holds 1000 students. Our patients today are bright eyed and helpful. Most are wearing dirty uniforms, but they seem nourished and able to follow our instructions. There is a feeling that we can make a difference here. 

When we first arrived, we treated the 22 children of COLT. All had perfect teeth other than 1 of the 2 new arrivals at the school. When we finish our work today we are going to spend time with the COLT kids looking at their artwork and watching them play football (soccer). 

Yet the week is ending, and I haven't told you enough about Cambodia. This country is a quasi-communist country. Like Vietnam or China, it embodies the new communist/capitalist philosophy. Historically, there were a succession of Kings who established Angkor Wat as their local kingdom. The main religion switched between Budhism and Hinduism. 

Eventually the country fell into disarray. The surrounding countries claimed territory within Cambodia. 

During the 1950's the French colonized This country. Much of the architecture in Phnom Penh reflects this influence. Of course during the 60's and 70's Cambodia was secretly bombed by the U.S. And in the 70's the Khmer Rouge took over the country. They, of course, rounded up the educators, religious leaders and other intellectuals and either killed or imprisoned them. 

Today Cambodia struggles with its tumultuous past. It is a very poor country that like so many others in this refgion, is at the financial mercy of China. 

The average factory worker earns a bit more this year than last, but it is only about $180 to $200 per month. Interestingly, teachers are among the lowest paid jobs. They earn as little as $80 per month. 

While the economic future of Cambodia is uncertain, the personality of the population continues to thrive. They are some of the most friendly, kind and genuine people that I have ever met. Perhaps that's why this volunteer trip is filled a year in advance. Cambodians are special. 

As for Fifi, she too fell in love with the COLT kids. In fact, we had to pry Tuf, our big strong translator out of her arms. He is a special young man, we agree, but Fifi is part of our team and she'll have to return to the States like the rest of us, and  be sure her life is in order, and prepare for the next trip in May. 

Goodbye from Cambodia. 

And herein lies the problem

And herein lies the problem...... Not every village is organized enough to be able to take advantage of our skills. Today we are in the countryside, not far from Vietnam. I have been to this monastery three times before, the school sits across the street. 

But we have been here for four hours and only seen a few children. The school, and teachers specifically, are having a difficult time organizing the students and bringing them across for treatment. Very few children will acknowledge their name and pick up their dental chart. In fact, the children are running wild in the schoolyard and the teachers don't seem to care. Most of the children that we have seen are wearing very dirty uniforms and, though we realize that children will be children, these guys are particularly poorly behaved. One boy tore up his chart in front of us and ran away. Strange. 

Thus, we've taken time to explore the monastery grounds. Each year the large temple gets a bit more work done. When we first came to this monastery only the foundation was complete. Now there are several beautiful murals adorning the walls. 

And a spectacular altar. 

But Cambodia is a complex country.........From one perspective it can be beautiful.

While if you change your perspective and view the same thing from a different angle, it can appear quite changed. 

And that sums up Cambodia. It's too complex to begin to understand. 

As for Fifi, she has taken to wearing a hard hat. The drivers here do not follow rules. Today, one crossed the median strip and our mirrors collided at high speed. She is a bit traumatized, and has decided you can never be too safe. Tomorrow we visit the COLT orphanage, our old friends. She whispered to me that she will be sad to leave Cambodia but she's exhausted. 

The Denzel Sprague Pichey Rangsey School.

Today we visited a school about an hour outside Phnom Penh. The school has a special and very interesting history. 

In 2000, Denzel Sprague (shown above), an Australian, started an airline in Cambodia. As a pilot, he organized his company, shuttling business people and the occasional tourist between Phnom Penh and Taiwan. Then came SARS. No one wanted to travel with such a severe health risk in Asia. The company went belly up. 

The picture above is a hint of where this story is going, but hang on, we're not there yet. Denzel met a businessman who was selling his brick factory in this village where the school sits today. The factory employed five families, none of which sent their kids to school because they couldn't afford the uniforms. 

The solution was simple, Denzel bought the children uniforms and enrolled them in the monastery school. 

When the monks learned of his generosity, they approached him with an offer. Across the street from the monastery sat a rice patty.

The monks offered to donate the property if Denzel would build a new school. He did, with his own funds. The school opened in 2009. 

Today there are 600 children enrolled in this primary school. We have just finished the morning group (it's 10:30 am) but that's what happens when you start soooo early. We saw 280 children. We are hoping the afternoon students can come early. 

An additional success story: when Denzel opened the school he had all the students visit a local medical clinic. 65 percent of them were below the average weight and height of a Cambodian child their age. Denzel deduced that the farm animals which are kept below the raised houses were a source of parasites for the children. The children were treated for the parasites and given vitamins. Today, only 38 percent of the children are below the average height and weight. 

Though we hoped that the school would be able to bring the afternoon students earlier to minimize our down time, as so frequently happens in Cambodia, the 'same old way' won out over our attempt at efficiency.  So we occupied our time playing soccer in the courtyard (full disclosure- only Zach and EY did that), playing charades and just enjoying the very rare breeze. 

Around 1 pm the afternoon students arrived and we returned to our examinations, education, fluoridation, varnish, and treatment where treatment was due. 

Rather than tell you how tired we are, I'll give you our numbers for the day. Our 8 treating dentists, 2 examining dentists and 12 support staff saw 503 patients, did 135 fluorides, 248 varnishes and extracted 250 teeth. Not a record, but definitely a busy day!

Lest I forget, Fifi is quite well. She doesn't  get car sick and therefore chose a seat in her van that offered a great view. 

My name is Srey

Hello, my name is Srey. I am a 9 year old girl from Tongrong Village in  Champung Chan Provence. In English, my town is referred to as the town of tall houses. Each house sits up high on stilts because from August to October the village floods.  My parents are farmers who grow rice. 

 

Today is special because KIDS dental services is coming to provide my school with dental care.  Some of my friends are happy about this because their teeth hurt, others are scared. There is an old belief in my town that if a tooth is taken out, you could become blind. 

My school is very big with hundreds of primary school children.  When it was our turn to see the dentist we picked up our dental paperwork.

 

Then we waited in line to be examined. 

Dr. Bob did my exam. He used a flashlight to see my back teeth. I overheard Dr. Jon trying to speak Khmer. His accent was very funny. 

After Dr. Bob's exam, I had fluoride placed on my teeth. Robyn timed the fluoride to be sure it stayed on my teeth the right amount of time. 

Next, I moved to an area while I waited for a doctor to come get me. I have a baby tooth with a cavity that has to be taken out. I watched a movie on an iPad. 

I try my best to clean my teeth and remember that sugar can cause cavities. But my family is very poor and toothpaste and toothbrushes are hard to get in this part of the country. The doctor who treated me was Dr. Jamie. 

My extraction was easy. Afterward I sat with the other children in the recovery area. 

It is now the early afternoon and school is finishing. As I do everyday, I will ride my bike 5 km back to my household . There I will help with my brothers and sisters, do my chores, and eventually help prepare dinner. 

The KIDS dental group has been coming to my village for the past 8 years. They seem very proud of the fact that the number of cavities is dropping every year.