Mission Trips to Peru Improve Healthcare Standards

As a mother or father of a young child, you might be surprised to discover that many in this world are forced to live without healthcare professionals within a short distance from their homes. Sadly, the reality is that in many third world countries, there is a lack of medical and dental care, not only due to insufficient funding, but a lack of trained providers especially in rural areas. Peru, a multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic country located in the central-western part of South America is one country that struggles with providing quality dental care for kids.

The health indicators of Peru are slowly improving, but there are still many persistent problems, particularly in rural areas. Poverty and low education levels contribute to the health problems. The hospitals are full of patients who have illnesses that could be prevented through basic hygiene and healthy practices. Given that the medical facilities are underfunded and understaffed, it’s difficult to provide preventable medical care.

Intervention by Missionaries

Although many people associate missionaries with evangelical activities, this dental student, Bari Levine, at Temple University has a desire to improve the oral health of orphans in Peru. Instead of proselytizing, this student took a trip to Peru to organize a culturally sensitive dental program for children at an orphanage. On her first trip to the country, she brought in toothbrushes, toothpaste and fluoride rinse to open the door to quality dental care for the kids in Peru.

Subsequent years were spent screening and providing oral health education. Levine also had education in public health, as well as a dental degree. She not only took mission trips to Peru, but raised the money to bring other students and supplies to the country. Levine didn’t want to just start pulling teeth when she went to Peru, but to prevent kid’s fear of dentists by beginning with education and relationships.

Growing Smiles Foundation 

Levine founded a 501c(3) non-profit organization called Growing Smiles Foundation. Last year, the team provided over $130,000 in dental services. The foundations partnered with a local dental school to provide follow-up care, which keeps the program sustainable. Their mission is to continue to provide quality dental care for kids in Peru, not only for health reasons, but for self-esteem and confidence. The healthcare problems in Peru might seem overwhelming, but Levine’s efforts demonstrate that change is possible through small steps. She is tracking her efforts in hopes of creating a model that can be replicated to help orphans around the world. For Levine, dental care is an outreach that can change people’s lives. During her time at home here in the states, Bari provides dental services for children in Bucks County with the rest of the team at Growing Smiles in Floralvale.