Friday, March 12, 2010

So, it´s all abowt the teeth, eh?

Once again, Dr. Bill Kerr´s Canadian dental team has come and gone, leaving a trail of clean healthy teeth and encouraged kids with toothbrushes in hand. The team did a wonderful job and actually saw some improvements from one year ago when they were here last. This year we really concentrated on including Hondurans more with this project so that they can continue assisting the team as they return every year. We trained the high school students to give lectures on dental hygiene and a bit on the environment to the grade schoolers while they were waiting to get their teeth cleaned. The local dentist was also very involved, learning new techniques from Dr. Bill and taking up some slack where she was able.

The sugary pop and candy continues to exist, no matter how much floride you give them. As you can see, the culture here as far as dental hygiene goes leaves much to be desired, leaving our Canadian friends with a tough battle. I commend them for tackling this issue with such gusto and I hope I can assist the team again in the future.


The coconut robbers have become my friends. I caught them one day and told them that I would be happy to share as long as they knocked on my gate and asked my like a civilized human being rather than jumping my fence. We make an event out of it now. They come, very politely, and ask if they can go into the back yard and eat, drink and be merry. I join them and they cut open as many coconuts for me to drink as I can handle. We all walk away with full bellies and as many coconuts as they can carry.

The library is done! We had the inauguration recently and lots of students attended as well as the core group if people who had their hand in the project (from left to right, Iris (Honduran community member who helps with Anne´s projects), Oscar Funez, high school teacher and small business owner, some crazy American girl looking to make a difference, the ex-mayor Rene Lozano, and the infamous Anne Fowler. Thanks to Ames, Iowa Rotary Club for making it happen. The kids are thrilled to have computers with internet, a projector and a ton of books.