During the week of the 19th to the 23rd March, Dr. Hudson, the dentist of Pepe Fanjul along with 10 dentists and surgeons from the Columbia University in New York, came as volunteers to offer dental services to the pupils of the Fundación MIR schools in La Romana.
The dental operation performed in the front fields of MIR Esperanza, the boys vocational school, is the second mission undertaken by Dr. Hudson in the Dominican Republic, who visited for the first time in 2009 invited by his patient, Pepe Fanjul, the brother of Lian Fanjul de Azqueta, who is the founder and president of the Fundación MIR.
With 10 volunteers, who are teachers and students from the University of Dentistry in New York, the “smile” operation not only relied on the expertise of a team of trained professionals, but also a wide range of equipment and modern facilities, such as a fully equipped mobile unit, where doctors were able to examine the children, take x-rays and perform other necessary proecedures in order to boast the dental health of the many children who attend the Fundacion MIR schools in La Romana.
“A couple of the kids have broken teeth, so we need to repair those – and some even need root canal, now I know that next time we come we will need different tools to treat these cases. We are also educating the children on dental higiene, this time we gave out toothpaste to every child and soon we will start a scheme to give each child a toothbrush as well.”
——— Dr. Hudson.
This activity was not only helpful to the students of the Fundación MIR, butwas a memorable experience for the volunteers involved in it – many of who attended as part of an internship program at the university, which allows them to do practices in different countries like Jamaica, the Phillipines, the Dominican Republic and others.
“Overall I’m very impressed, and I’ve enjoyed the experience here. I hope I can come back again, I’m not sure when that will be, but I’d definiteyly like to come back in the future.”
—————– Ryan Maneevese, Dental Student of the University of Columbia
“We are trying to help them with every area, in fact, one of the kids couldn’t walk because he cut his ankle really bad it was sutured poorly and bleeding. So one of the surgeons know how to suture really well, he cleaned it out and did his foot too. We try to help them as much as we can.
—————- Stacy Spizuoco, Dental teacher at the University of Columbia
According to Dr. Hudson, in the near future, these dental operations could be held twice a year, to help both the children of the Fundación MIR schools as well as hundreds of other people living in the greater la Romana area, who are unable to fund dental treatments.
Many thanks to each one of the specialists involved in the operational dental care for the children of La Romana!
The Fundación MIR
The Fundación MIR is a non-profit organization which works to provide education to the children of the greater La Romana area, who are most in need. They run 3 schools; the MIR Esperanza (boys vocational school), the Escuela Tecnica Vocacional Fundación MIR (girls vocational school) and the Primaria MIR (infants school).
For more information on the Fundación MIR and to make a donation, visit their website: www.mirinternational.org
To make a donation contact the MIR office in Casa de Campo (809-523-8270) or in West Palm Beach (561-366-5095). Donations are tax deductible for US Citizens!
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