The project is promoted by the SMOM non-profit association
Dr. Pasquale Rubino as a co-worker responsible on the spot for the training of 2 dental operators for 6 months.
The attached articles summarize the progress of the first phase of the project
The SMOM association 'Solidarity Medical Dentistry in the World' based in Milan, which is requested for technical collaboration, was formalized as a non-profit organization in 2004, born from the contribution of citizens and professionals who have been involved in bringing medical and dental assistance in communities that do not have one.
The Barefoot College of Tilonia is an Indian lay NGO that has been operating in the territory for over 35 years. It is inspired by Gandhian principles of life, and today it is a cutting-edge training center, which opens its doors only to those who have not received any official education and teaches "skills" to be shared with the communities to which they belong. In spite of illiteracy, his students become architects, solar and water engineers, agronomists, health workers, renewable energy or conservation experts, thanks to a method based on the immediate practical application of the knowledge acquired. What one learns serves to develop skills and self-sufficiency, not only for oneself but also for one's village, and the former student of the Barefootcollege in turn becomes a teacher of emancipation and development. Born as an experiment, Barefoot today is a network that includes 22 locations and 250 evening schools, but above all a model to which the world looks with admiration and hope and the Tilonia campus is the place where the "miracle of the barefoot" began. and thousands of children of the poorest India have rediscovered their sense of self, along with a place in the world.
Preparation of a dental office with related equipment and the training of four 'Barefoot Dentists' over a period of approximately 2 years, according to a study and work program that will be defined according to the operational protocols approved by SMOM.
The Barefoot College undertakes to provide free of charge the premises that will be set up according to the specifications of the SMOM and supplied with running water and electricity. He also undertakes to obtain the minimum legal and / or health permits to have Italian doctors operate in the facility, to whom he will provide free room and board for the duration of their stay. The project will be considered concluded with full sustainability which will allow the autonomous management of the structure by the Barefoot College and the training of at least two trainers among the participants, so that they may be able to activate a simplified process of preparation / training of other dental practitioners in other Barefoot centers in India.
Simultaneously with the training phase, when not engaged by the educational missions, the premises and equipment can be used for the care of the population also by hiring a local part-time dentist who can continue in the training work according to the protocols decided by the SMOM and supervise the curative activity together with the dental students of Barefoot College. Even if a real needs analysis can only be done after the epidemiological investigation, it is now clear that the Indian state where Barefoot College is located, one of the poorest in India, can barely provide for minimal primary health needs, and this too with serious operational gaps, so that the dental program is practically totally uncovered, both towards children and adults. It is therefore already intuitive how an intervention of this kind can have a very important and decisive effect on the oral health of the population of the region. It is also essential to consider that a child prevention / education program could have even a greater impact on the population, considering that the College already provides primary education to 3200 children in the area and the College's business, through its various childcare programs. awareness and organization, covers a geographical area of about 500 km2 with over 700,000 people living in various neighboring villages, where the activity of the Barefoot College is operational and strongly rooted in the territory.
In summary, this project will be divided into three complementary directives to form a complete project of dental cooperation:
1) Childhood dental prevention.
2) Training of four dental operators as per FDI (Barefoot Dentists) proposals
3) Assistance service to the population. First through a part-time dentist assisting in the training of operators, and then directly through the Barefoot Dentists
Attached
Technical Project Data
Continent
ASIA
village
INDIA
Location
TILONIA
Project start
2009
Duration
YEARS
Project status
CONCLUDED
Project manager
PAOLO MONTECUCCO
Project Cost
€ 00,000
Contact