Every year, we partner with several organisations including Smile is a Foundation, Imvelo Safari Lodges and the D3 Foundation to deliver mobile dental and optometry clinics in rural and isolated villages around Hwange National Park. The Foundation's first contributed to the programme that ran in November of 2021 and, despite stringent covid-19 regulations and complicated logistics, the team on the ground managed to carry out over 4000 dental and eye treatments (including 751 fluoride applications), distribute over 2500 sunglasses and 1300 prescription glasses and hand out over 2000 toothbrushes.

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In December 2022, the Foundation contributed to another Smile and See programme, during which over 5000 patients were treated (including over 1400 dental patients, over 2100 eye care patients and 1480 school children provided fluoride applications).

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In December 2023, the programme treated over 5,200 patients, bringing the running total over the last 12 years to over 42,000 patients. Over 2,900 dental treatments were carried out and 1770 prescription glasses were given to people in need.

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The Smile and See Programme has been ongoing for a number of years around Hwange National Park. In these isolated areas, people do not have access to dental services and eye care is often overlooked; women cooking over open flames and in the smoke, community members working outdoors with eyes unprotected from the blazing sun. Providing much needed dental and eye care to the rural villagers living along the boundary is essential to their wellbeing, in turn this is fundamental if they are expected to take care not only of themselves, but also of the wildlife they live with. 

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The Smile and See Programme also identifies people needing cataract surgeries and is followed by a programme delivered by the Water4Wildlife Trust and Imvelo Safari Lodges, which has seen over 260 people receive free cataract surgeries. 

 

Stay tuned to find out how our 2024 programme goes!

 

Contact us to find out more or support this cause  here  

 

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