Making all the right dents
KNYSNA - The Knysna Rotary Club invites the public to take part in its first fundraiser in support of the 2023 Rotary Dent project - a quiz night next week.
The Rotary Dent initiative is one of the key projects among Knysna Rotary's many community health initiatives.
In 2018, it was held in partnership with the Rotary Club of Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal. Knysna Rotary organised the week-long initiative, whereby a team of international dentists provided free dental treatment to disadvantaged local children.
In 2019 the Rotary Dent project was held in Dundee and it was scheduled to take place in Knysna in April 2020, but was called off
due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Knysna 2023
But, it is Knysna's turn to welcome the international dental professionals in April 2023.
So far, five international dental professionals - four from USA and one from Finland - have been confirmed to be part of next year's project, under the umbrella of the international charity Med Arm in Arm.
According to its website, Med Arm in Arm is "a group of caring dental professionals that perform on-site clinical expeditions to serve several places around the globe to better the overall health of children in poorer areas of the world through restorative dental services".
Screenings
Before any dental work can be done on local children, Knysna Rotary will screen thousands of children from six local schools to determine who will be beneficiaries of the project. On the day of their treatment, school children who have been chosen and whose parents have granted permission, will be transported by Rotary from their schools to Knysna Provincial Hospital, which will be the base of operations.
As part of Rotary Dent, Knysna Rotary will also purchase mobile dental equipment on behalf of the Knysna Provincial Hospital that could be transported to clinics that are overseen by the hospital and Western Cape Department of Health, wherever dental equipment is needed.
Quiz night
Due to the nature of the project, quite a bit of financial support is needed and this is why Rotary has already begun it fundraising projects.
The first will be a quiz night at the Knysna Yacht Club next Tuesday, 30 August. The evening will begin at 18:00 while the quiz itself will start at 18:30. It will feature four different subjects (known only to the quiz convenor) and participants will take part in teams of six.
Dinner will be provided by the Knysna Yacht Club halfway through the evening.
If you would like to be part of the evening or show your support for the project, you can contact Clive Reed on nici.clive@ worldonline.co.za.