Clowns and trip to the Dentist

Two of last weeks work highlights couldn´t have been more different. One brought tears the other smiles and laughter.

Our health team are currently implementing a dental programme with the help of a significant donation for this purpose. There is no access to dental care for the majority of Nicaraguans and combined with little public health education and the fact that the general Nicaraguan diet has a crazily high sugar content the childrens´ teeth need significant attention. I helped out last Thursday with another volunteer taking a group of 6 children to the dentist. For some of them it was a fairly traumatic experience being their first time in the dentists chair. In they went full of beams, out the came with swollen cheeks, red eyes and spirits highly bruised! Poor things. I expect most of us at least had our mums or dads with us for our early visits and these little mites had to do with the consolation of an international volunteer and a long dusty walk home. Still, all good in the long run, eh?

Later that day whilst in the office a French couple who are clowns came in asking if we would like them to come to the schools and entertain the kids for a day, no need to think on that one. Driving though the streets of Nicaragua with two clowns in the back of my pick-up certainly drew some stares and you can well imagine the screams as we arrived at school. ! I don´t think I need write more as the pictures below show for themselves how the day passed. (if ever you want to see the pictures larger just click on the image)












Finally a month and a half after the start of term the food has arrived at school. I believe the food comes as part of an aid package from the Japanese through the Nicaraguan government and it is most needed. One of the problems both teachers and volunteers face is a significant lack of attention by some children. The thing is however that it´s quite common for some of the children not to have eaten all day and they are simply hungry. This meal is often their only decent meal of the day. Now all they have to do is bring their plastic bowl and cup and they can have a full belly and hopefully be able to study a bit better too!