Making a difference, one smile at a time

In 2019 my wife, Jody, and I led a dental team to the Masai Mara in Kenya to provide oral health care to the Masai people. Access to dental care in this region is limited, difficult and expensive. The average annual income is only $1000. During our four days we saw 191 patients and performed 252 procedures. The opportunity to help relieve people of dental pain is what drives us.

One of the patients served, a young woman of 20, shared she could no longer smile; visible on her front tooth was a large cavity leaving her feeling insecure and ashamed. The team was able to restore her tooth to health and equally important, her beautiful smile. The following day she rewarded us with a hug and a huge smile stating, “It was a miracle!”

Teachers’ dedication to student success appears to be a universal trait. A local teacher, concerned for his student’s potential for success when preparing to take her national exams while coping with severe tooth pain, brought in his tearful student. The dentist was able to extract an infected tooth providing physical and mental ease enabling the young student to study for and complete her exams.

Our team will be returning to serve again in February 2022.  Preparing and planning for that return requires the hands and hearts of many.  We transport all supplies and equipment needed to perform dentistry in places that we convert into pop-up dental clinics.  We are seeking support in the form of supply, equipment and financial donations.  Our intention is to own rather than rent the larger equipment items needed for care, leaving them stored in Kenya year after year saving us the expense of transport.  The people of Masai Mara would be grateful too. We invite you to visit our website at hardwickdentalteams.org, to see our videos, photos and articles.  Perhaps you too will see the same beauty in these people that moved Jody and I to act and serve. Donations will be accepted via our website.

To serve others is as humble a calling there is. The need for safe and experienced dentistry is vast. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to traveling the path with you by our side.

Thank you,
Jim Hardwick

Board member
Basecamp Foundation USA