While most students take a break from working and studying during
the summer, a group of University of Nebraska Medical Center College of
Dentistry students will do the opposite.
On July 28, 12 UNMC students and four sponsors will travel to
Nuevo Ocotopeque, Honduras, for a two-week volunteer mission. The students
will stay and work at the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging Center,
which is run by UNMC College of Medicine alumnus Hans Dethlefs, M.D.
Students will provide dental care to underprivileged children.
Services will include cleaning and removing teeth as necessary, providing
treatment for decaying teeth and offering general hygiene guidance. In
order to help as many children as possible, adults will only be seen on
an emergency basis.
This is the third trip for the UNMC College of Dentistry, yet
it is the first time the university is sponsoring the trip. UNMC will provide
supplies and equipment and the CFCA will provide housing and one meal a
day to the volunteers. Students are responsible for airfare and spending
money. Nels Ewoldsen, D.D.S., assistant professor of restorative dentistry
and trip coordinator, estimates that each student spends between $700 and
800.
Dr. Ewoldsen said that although the trip helps the community of
Nuevo Ocotopeque, the students benefit the most.
“Students come home feeling extremely lucky for everything they
have. The Honduran people would trade places with any one of us on our
worst day and never look back. It really makes us appreciate how much we
take for granted,” said Dr. Ewoldsen.
This year’s volunteer group comprises students from each level
of the College of Dentistry. A few seniors will receive credit for volunteering,
however, this is not the norm, as most students are strictly volunteering
for the experience.
“This is a great opportunity for dental students to learn alternative
dental techniques while offering their talents to others in need,” said
Jennifer Martin, a UNMC College of Dentistry student.
The CFCA built the center to help serve the high number of needy
people and homeless children in Nuevo Ocotopeque, which is located in western
Honduras only a few miles from the El Salvador and Guatemala borders. The
small, poverty-stricken town of approximately 7,000 may not be an ideal
vacation spot for all, however for this group, it is a worthwhile destination.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the
state. Through its commitment to research, education and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than
$27 million in research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists
annually. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for
training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other
institution.
Students volunteering in Honduras are listed below by hometown:
NEBRASKA:
· Arthur Keri Watson
· Elsie Brad Goings
· Hastings Michael Laun
· Lincoln Andrew Glenn, Scott Hamilton, Greg Weeder
· North Platte Joseph Hull, Jennifer Martin
· Omaha Zory Cacho
OUTSIDE NEBRASKA:
· Anaconda, Mont. J.P. Bartoletti
· Kearns, Utah Shawn Callahan
· Remington, Ind. Emily Kinsell