Volunteering in Tanzania with Bridge2aid

I first heard about Bridge2aid as a trainee dental nurse—my tutor had been on a dental volunteer programme (DVP) with them. I remember thinking how amazing their work sounded; I loved my work, but sometimes it felt like I was not doing anything that was making a difference, which made me feel deflated and frustrated. I did some initial research, but I was only 16 at the time and was not in a position to go. Time went by, I got distracted by day-to-day life and I confess I almost forgot about what I wanted to do.

A few years later, I came across a stand for another dental charity, which reignited my desire to get involved. As I began to do more research, I came across numerous charities involved with dental work in developing countries, but it was Bridge2aid's ethos that really interested me. Bridge2aid work to not only provide emergency dental care in Tanzania to those with no access to a dentist, but also to provide a sustainable solution to this problem. They do this by training clinical officers who work in remote communities to take teeth out safely, and that is what happens on a DVP.