March 2007

ICD Helps Refugees in Tanzania

In the last months of 2006, the ICD-USA Section was made aware of the desperate need for dental equipment by Tanzanians serving groups of Burundian and Congolese refugees living in two camps in northwestern Tanzania. Earlier that year, a small team from the ADA, CDC and Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) visited Tanzania to assess the need for a dental volunteer program. They found that the need for assistance was great and they recommended a program in four phases. The second phase involves partnering with a group which could provide some financial assistance.

The guidelines of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees do not include dental care. However, as refugees are not allowed to leave the camps except for emergencies, and since some refugees have resided in the camps for up to ten years, the lack of adequate dental care is now viewed as critical by the Tanzanian Red Cross Society.

The Burundian camp has a population of over 81,000. There are over 59,000 in the Congolese camp. A medical assistant and two nurses have been providing extractions on a limited schedule. Those in need of more involved dental care due to pain, infection, trauma or tumors are either transported to the dental school in Dar es Salaam, which is on the other side of the country, or to one of two local hospitals in the towns of Kasulu or Kabanga, which are located an hour south of the camps.

The ICD-USA Section was able to participate in this effort through the donation of $22,000 from its Humanitarian Outreach Program which was used to replace the two manual dental chairs at the Kabanga Catholic hospital. This allowed the old equipment to be transferred, one each to the Mtabila II camp and to the Nyaragusu camp. The upgrade in equipment at Kabala has allowed for better care for referred cases from the camps.

Please watch your mailbox for an opportunity to participate by making a contribution to this worthwhile project.

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