Elmsleigh House

In Partnership with Bridge2Aid

Who are Bridge2aid

Bridge2Aid (B2A) is a charity working in the Mwanza region of North West Tanzania. They work closely with the Tanzanian Government to deliver aspects of their dental strategy, operate a not-for-profit dental clinic in the city of Mwanza, and run a community development programme for a leprosy care centre.  All their programmes are set up to meet the needs of indigenous groups in a long-term and sustainable way.

The main focus of the work is the Dental Volunteer Programme.  Dentists and nurses from the UK spend 2 weeks in Tanzania, training a group of Clinical Officers in Emergency Dentistry – a vital service in the rural areas of a developing nation. B2A was first set up in 2005 by their Clinical Director – Ian Wilson. He had visited Tanzania and saw that although 75% of the population lived in the rural areas, 90% of Tanzania's dental personnel lived in cities! Staggeringly, there was also only 1 dentist to every 300,000 people – compared to 1 dentist to every 2,100 people in the UK. Those in rural areas had no access to safe dentistry, resulting in long-term dental problems and severe pain, leading to an inability to work and feed their families, and in some cases – death.

The Tanzanian government solution is to train their Clinical Officers in Emergency Dentistry, and B2A are helping to achieve that. Clinical Officers are responsible for around 20,000 people, and are responsible for all their medical needs. In the past, their training hadn’t included any dentistry. Since 2005, B2A have hosted over 250 volunteer trainers who have in turn trained over 130 Clinical Officers. So far, they have increased access to Emergency Dentistry for over 1.3 million people. In 2011, they aim to provide access for another 500,000+. They can only do this with the support of our Unity Partners.

The Unity Partnership

The Unity Partnership involves a select group of dental practices and businesses recognised by Bridge2Aid for their support of the dental training of a Tanzanian Clinical Officer. We are proud to say that here at Elmsleigh House, we were one of the first four practices to sign up to the partnership, making us "Founder" members.

The Partnership is  a perfect way for us to be involved in this work. In January, we sponsored the training of a local Tanzanian health worker in emergency dentistry through Bridge2Aid’s Dental Volunteer Programme - as outlined above. As a Practice, we wanted to be involved in helping others around us – in our local community and in the wider world. We didn't just want to have a collecting box on our reception desk and raise a few pounds, but wanted to make a sustainable difference to the lives of real people.

We have funded the training of Renatha Ludubi from the Zongomela Dispensary in the Kahama District of Tanzania.  Renatha was keen to get down to work and demonstrated a careful and thorough manner which made it possible for her to learn all the necessary skills to pass the programme.  Renatha said: “Making dental services available at every dispensary in rural areas is something to be appreciated. Thanks Bridge2Aid and Elmsleigh House...for  what you have done.”

Shaenna - Bridge2aid's Unity Partnership Co-ordinator said "it was great that you decided to come on board so early on in the programme. We wouldn't be able to do the work that we do without such fantastic support from practices like Elmsleigh House back in the UK. The training that you have sponsored will make a difference to the lives of thousands of people. On behalf of the Zongomela District, and Bridge2aid I'd like to say a huge thank-you."