Recent Brigades

Participation in a dental brigade means providing dental services in communities in which Change for Children is working to promote health and human rights and to create solutions to poverty through sustainable development.

The people in the communities we visit do not have access to dental or health care. These communities are often remote and sometimes hard to reach, but always extremely welcoming. Our relationship with local partners and communities is such that we are received like family. We seek to connect communities in the South with communities of like-minded people from Canada who desire to share their skills, time, and service to help build a stronger global community.

(Payments/Donations made to Change for Children to facilitate the working days on this brigade are tax deductible but are non-refundable if you must cancel for any reason)

Dental Brigades:

Bosawas, Nicaragua

March 10 - March 25, 2018

This trip to the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve in northern Nicaragua, where Change for Children has been working for many years with the Miskito and Mayagna people, brought dental services to indigenous populations facing high rates of extreme poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy and marginalization by the Nicaraguan government.

Participants travelled to this remote area by boat (approx. 9 hours) and stayed in a combination of Change for Children’s field house and in schools (hammock accommodation) while in the Bosawas. This trip included 5 clinic days in the villages along the banks of the Coco River. Upon return from the Bosawas, the team enjoyed a visit to Selva Negra, an organic coffee farm in Matagalpa, and to Suyapa Beach in Las Peñitas.

 

Comitancillo, Guatemala

February 9 - February 19, 2018

ea797a3e-35a0-4c8f-9bdf-239ae8ec0329This ten-day trip to Comitancillo in the western highlands of Guatemala, where Change for Children has been working for over twenty years, brought dental and optometry service to indigenous populations facing high rates of extreme poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy and marginalization by the Guatemalan government.

This trip included 4 clinic days in the villages surrounding Comitancillo. Participants also visited Panajachel and kayaked Guatemala’s spectacular Lake Atitlan, on the way to Comitancillo. The return trip included a visit to historic Antigua and a half day clinic serving the special needs centre run by CIPECADI, before returning to Canada.

This team also fundraised for school construction as part of their commitment to addressing emergent needs of individuals while in-country while also banding together on a project that will impact the greater community at large long after departure.

 

Accommodation guide: 

Hotel – Hotel accommodation in major centres is typically the equivalent of a 3 to 4 star hotel. Rooms are double occupancy with a private bathroom.

Basic Accommodation – Basic accommodation in smaller centres ranges in standard; however, is typically the equivalent of a 2 star hotel or to that of a hostel. Rooms are typically double or triple occupancy. Private bathrooms may or may not be available.

Field House – Field House accommodation includes shared sleeping quarters (2 to 4 to a room) or open-air hammock accommodation. Bathrooms are shared, with bucket-flush toilets and bucket showers. We like to think of it as rustic and charming!

Hammock – Hammocks are used when visiting remote communities where no other accommodation is available. Hammocks are typically strung in schools or community centres.