A discussion over a cup of coffee has grown and morphed into something that has a life of its own.
A discussion over a cup of coffee has grown and morphed into something that has a life of its own. Whether its dental projects abroad or building schools and community centres in isolated and far-flung locations, dreams are turning into reality for one St. Paul-based organization.
Kindness in Action, a group that provides and promotes oral health care in seven developing countries, is now undertaking its latest project to bring a dental clinic to Uganda.
Frank Bessai, brigade coordinator for the NGO Change for Children, was the team leader for a medical/dental brigade that traveled to Uganda in February. In the region the team visited, there are two million people with no access to a dentist, so the need is "extremely" large for dental services, said Bessai, noting people suffer everything from mouth infections to abscessed teeth and much more.
"Sometimes, people would walk for six hours to be able to come and see us," he recalled. Those on the brigade were warmly welcomed, with children coming out of schools to sing to them. The people were "astonished" that volunteers would pay out of their own pockets to provide dental or medical services, free of charge, for them. "They're extremely gracious and extremely grateful," said Bessai.
Amil Shapka, a St. Paul dentist and founder of Kindness in Action, notes the idea for a dental clinic in the region just came together. "It was kind of a happy accident how this whole thing started." A dentist colleague in Edmonton was retiring and was unable to sell his practice. "He came up with the idea of donating his entire office, lock, stock and barrel, to Kindness in Action." It was an "incredible gift," said Shapka, but the question remained as to what to do with the donation.
Change for Children, a project partner for Kindness in Action, was working on a health project in Uganda and offering a medical clinic there, and it was suggested that a dental clinic and oral health promotion would be a good fit.
"What we decided to do is join forces," said Shapka. While Kindness in Action often does dental projects abroad, one of its goals was to create something more permanent, where people could access services on a year-round basis, he said. The goal is to establish a clinic, get a local dentist in place, and train others to help act as oral health promoters in the area.
Kindness in Action received a Community Spirit grant of $16,400 from the province, which will help push along the dental clinic agenda. Shapka calls the grant the "spark that got this whole fire going." Now, the organization will have to fundraise for more funds to ensure the project stays on track.
A dentist and hygienist from Calgary will be heading down this summer to do some preparation for the clinic, but with the challenges of getting supplies out to Uganda, it will probably be a year before work commences on building the extra rooms to an existing community hospital to offer dental services, said Shapka.
But in the meantime, he's thrilled with the growth and strength of the organization that started with his promise, over a cup of coffee nearly 20 years ago, to help the poor of Honduras in bringing a dental team of four to the country. Since then, Kindness in Action has grown to more than 250 volunteers strong, mostly from Alberta.
"It's had a mind of its own," he said. Someone will come up with an idea, everyone will get out of the way, "the universe supports it and we're off and running."
While the group still provides dental health services abroad, many other projects have sparked along the way, says Shapka, giving the example of one individual raising between $100,000 to $150,000 largely on his own to help build a community centre in Cambodia. An anonymous donation from someone in the local area helped create a computer room in Guatemala, while another dentist from Rocky Mountain House is spearheading efforts to build a school in Nicaragua.
"I think it's very life-affirming," he said, explaining the organization's popularity. "I think people are genuinely good and genuinely care, and I think this is an opportunity for people to work from the heart.
"You can't buy this. You have to go down and get dirty."
