Volun-Tourism
Since 2006, I have had the opportunity to volunteer overseas in my off-season for a dental organization: Global Dental Relief (GDR). I am a "trip leader” for GDR; one who facilitates the work of volunteers who participate abroad in a dental outreach program for children.
Through volun-tourism, combining volunteerism with tourism, I've been able to travel internationally and cultivate community in developing countries while utilizing my skills to help others, help others.
In some ways, volunteering as a trip leader for GDR is similar to being a fishing guide. Organizing and facilitating experiences and guiding people through unfamiliar places while keeping them safe, comfortable and happy. And answering all those questions!
Global Dental Relief
Global Dental Relief (GDR) is a U.S., non-government organization (NGO) based in Denver, Colorado. What began as a grass roots dental organization in 2001, expanded in 2003. Through outreach projects and volunteerism GDR has grown to where, currently, “more than 2,600 volunteers have provided over $35 million in donated care to more than 170,000 children.”
GDR’s mission is “to bring free dental care to children around the globe.” They recruit volunteer dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, and general volunteers and organize dental outreach programs to deliver treatment and preventive care to children in schools and remote villages in Nepal, India, Cambodia, Kenya, Guatemala, Mexico and the US.
Their vision of volunteerism can “… transform lives and cultivate community…”.
My story
It all began as an experiment… It was 2005 and I had been backpacking throughout Southeast Asia during my off-season for the past several years. I was well-travelled by now and feeling the need for a different experience. Seeing the sights and travelling the tourist trails was wonderful but I was now looking for a deeper, cultural and community experience. I researched several NGO's before choosing Global Dental Relief's dental outreach program in Vietnam.
That fall I met a group of nine dental volunteers and two coordinators in a small town in central Vietnam, Hoi An. The dental clinic was set up in a local school and I was immedietly impressed with its organization and the volunteers' compassion for care. We worked in tandem with a Vietnamese dental team sponsored by local partners; an NGO called “East Meets West”. The local team was invaluable to us with their hard work, translation skills (they all spoke English) and their local knowedge.
That week, I was managing lines of Vietnamese children, working chair-side assisting dentists, administering dental charts, teaching brushing and applying fluoride to children’s teeth. Everything but the dentistry! By the end we had provided some 800 children with dental care. It was truly remarkable!
Afterwards, I was approached by the organization’s directors and co-founders, Laurie Matthews and Kim Troggio, who offered me a coordinator position to help them run their outreaches in Vietnam, Nepal and India. I was completely floored! I saw how hard they worked and the responsibility was substantial. I felt pressed for an answer and recall the conversation:
To date with GDR, I have helped lead over 450 volunteers through 30 outreaches in 5 developing countries; Nepal, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Guatemala. These outreaches have provided more than 25,000 children with dental care.
Of course, it’s not me who does the actual dental work. I am merely a small cog in a much bigger, working system that helps guide, organize, implement, facilitate…and answer a lot of questions!
See my “Blog” for more about my volunteer adventures!