We are People of Action.
Lewisville Morning Rotary Club members Jeff Seibert, DDS, Carolyn Wright and Frances Al Waely went to Costa Rica to participate in the AWOW Light-up Smiles program there.
“AWOW Lights Up Smiles” (ALUS) are among the charitable programs and many ways that A-WOW International Girls Leadership Initiative participates as an active organization in the communities where we serve. Its primary areas of focus are leadership, education, health, and human services.
AWOW partnered with La Fundación Curridabat, Clinica Dental Loma Verde, Campbell & Williams Family Dental, Club Rotario San Pedro Curridabat, Club Rotaract San Pedro, LaCometa, and Lewisville Morning Rotary Club and has put together a dental team and volunteers from Lewisville and Curridabat, San Jose Costa Rica. The Team will travel to San Jose from October 1 – October 8, to assist and provide oral health care and education to families in need. Future Without Poverty - University of North Texas an AWOW affiliate will help distribute Shelter Solar Kit for lighting and power source to families in remote areas.
PRIMARY DENTAL HEALTH AIDE - ALUS oral health program will provide education on oral hygiene, “toothbrush” prophylaxes, topical fluoride applications, dental sealants, oral screenings; and assistance to dentist during visits to the village when dental treatment is provided. Dental health professionals will provide oral services to families. These professional are key components of a long-term comprehensive plan to improve the oral health of residents in rural and tribal regions.
THE PROGRAM AIMS TO – Increase awareness, education, and the presence of appropriate dental personnel in remote villages in order to sustain a preventive dental programs. Increase the availability of experienced dentists to treat the existing disease. Improve the physical infrastructure in the villages that hinder good oral health practices.
GOALS - The collective goal of all parties involved in ALUS is to bring the oral health status of the villages to a level of good health for all residents. This mission will be achieve by the commitment to long-term efforts, and insisting on and working toward the same level of good oral health care for the communities, notwithstanding existing barriers to accessing dental care.
Through education and the active prevention of oral disease we can offer hope for improving the oral health status of Tribal Costa Ricans over time. There will always be physical challenges to providing care; therefore, it’s practical to plan to prevent oral diseases. The beauty of a well-run educational and
preventive program is that it can be effective, is far less costly than providing therapeutic treatment, and can be implemented by lower level providers with minimal supervision by dentists. Visit A-WOW Light Up A Smile Project Web Page