DENTAID Project:
LAUK is working with Dentaid UK through a fundraising drive to ship portable dental equipment capable of setting up a single dental surgery all packed in a DentaidBox. It includes a fully adjustable dental chair, a pressure cooker for sterilising instruments, a range of instruments, and oral health education resources. For a £1,500 sponsorship excluding shipping, Dentaid will support LAUK to supply a Dentaid Box for shipping to Lira, Uganda. We will raise funds for shipping the donated equipment from Dentaid, expected to cost £1000 with an additional £500 to help set up the distribution unit in the designated location in Lira.
Dentaid Boxes have been used for clinics in refugee camps across other countries, including Malawi, Zambia, Guinea, Cambodia, Cameroon and Vanuatu. Help us make this project a reality by donating today.
Uganda is ranked among the world’s poor nations. With the current population of 45.57 million (Worldometer, 2020), 38% of the population is living on less than $1.25 per day; 65% of the entire population under the age of 24 years faces complex challenges such as lacking healthcare, hygiene, and clean water; facing unemployment, food insecurity, and a high rate of maternal child death. With your help, LAUK can alleviate some of these struggles by providing affordable dental care.
Dental care is one of the most urgent unmet healthcare needs among the local population in Lira, Northern Uganda. This is due to a lack of facilities and equipment, a lack of qualified providers and carers, and general poverty, among others. There has been no concentrated support in the region aimed at improving this aspect of health, which has resulted in a high incidence of dental and oral diseases. The local clinic under the District Health Services does not meet the population’s growing need.
LAUK has, on a small scale, operated outreach camps mostly providing dental education to local schools and the neighbouring population with the aim of early intervention. This has involved interns from Mulago Dental School and friends of LAUK providing financial support. We aim to set up comprehensive and preventive dental care that meets all the guidelines set by the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council. This should improve access, reduce the rate of diseases (especially among the younger population) through preventive health education in remote villages. This project is supported by the government’s early intervention program.