Smiles & Hopes - Tanzania

Smiles & Hopes Tanzania supports a small number of orphanages in Mwanza, in the north of Tanzania just below Lake Victoria.

Mwanza is a big city, which sadly is home to many street children, partly due to the transient nature of this port and transport hub and partly because of the HIV/AIDS spread. A lot of these children are taken in by orphanages around the city who seek to care for the children and have reunited some with their own families and others with new ones.

Prue Preston, who works at the Harley Street Dental Clinic as a paediatric dental technician, has travelled to Tanzania several times where she has visited care homes for orphaned children. During her time there she has trained staff and worked with children.

The Smiles & Hopes programme aims to provide:

• Toothbrushes and toothpaste for babies and children
• Fluoride varnish
• Access to dental clinic care
• Educational resources and training for orphanage staff on the importance of good oral hygiene and nutritional health

In February 2012 Prue will be going out to Tanzania to treat and protect more children in two other orphanages. We are very excited to be working with more children in the area, many of whom have lived on the streets to try to earn money for their families or have lost their families due to AIDS or disease.

• £11.50 Sponsors one child on the programme for one year

Please support this work that allows children to be cared for in ways that we take for granted here. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are luxury items, but necessary none the less to give children a fighting chance in education, nutritional health and development.

We are only able to help 200 or so children at this stage. How great it would be to be able to care for more.

If you would like to support Smiles & Hopes Tanzania please visit our donate page in order to make your gift. Please send us an email (info@gcdfund.org) with your name and confirmation that you would like your donation to go to the Smiles & Hopes Tanzania programme.