By Sandy Kemper | Smiles Forever Founder
Thanks for Two Decades of Memories as Smiles Forever giving dental care to thousands in Bolivia.
Welcome to the new decade 2020, as Smiles Forever transitions our at-cost clinic into more of a partnership of training for the career of dental hygienist with UPAL, a privately run technical university. The future will bring an opportunity to provide scholarships to indigenous women, like those we have helped in the past.
2020 will be an exciting year, and look for us to expand the reach of our clinic into some other under-served rural areas. Bolivia is the land of "Sugar, Sugar Everywhere," where children are brought up drinking sugary beverages in part because of the lack of safe drinking water. In Bolivia, chocolate is a favorite treat, and there are so many other native traditional sugary selections. Children's tooth decay can be rampant. We now have the SDF product to treat teeth that halts the spread of tooth decay. Smiles Forever has been fortunate to spearhead the research on this product, and the results confirm the early promise that this treatment is effective.
2020 will find Smiles Forever, still backed by some funding from World of Children, educating school children about good dental habits. Our Tooth Fairies, an organization based in the United States, supplies the program with toothbrushes. We do twice yearly screenings and provide emergency dental care as necessary. Providing dental care alleviates much suffering.
2020 will launch a decade where Smiles Forever can reach 50,000 children and needy adults like the blind group we serve. You can still be a part of this effort by supporting our active project Provide Dental Care for 44,000 Bolivian Children.
Many of you have supported Smiles Forever for twenty years, from when we began serving the indigenous Bolivians in 2000. We say thank you to you all.
Now you can join us with upgraded and expansion efforts for the next decade. As our plans unfold, you'll be hearing from us with further details.
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