- UWC Dentistry students, in partnership with Islamic Relief SA, provided free dental services to the Gugulethu community.
- Islamic Relief SA highlighted the importance of addressing inequalities and pledged to expand the project to reach more marginalised groups.
- The project, praised by Gugulethu Dental Clinic staff and patients, alleviates the clinic’s workload and provides essential dental care to residents from Gugulethu and neighbouring areas.
In an effort to give back to the community the Faculty of Dentistry from the University of Western Cape (UWC) together with the Islamic Relief South Africa held an outreach project where the dentistry students rendered free services to the community on Friday 7 February at Gugulethu Dental Clinic.
The services included oral health and dental treatment among others.
Prof Jeff Yengopal, who is a Dean at the Faculty of Dentistry in UWC, said besides assisting the communities, the project gave their students an opportunity to get real life experience of a South African. He described the project as not only helpful to their students, but to the entire community.
He praised the Islamic Relief SA (a humanitarian and development organisation dedicated to fighting poverty, alleviating the suffering of people globally and overcoming all kinds of injustice) for fulfilling their dream through funding.
“We want the kind of students who are willing to serve. They must have warmth and ability to make a difference. The Islamic Relief SA has given us an opportunity to achieve that ideal because the work that the students do here is part of the training,” said Yengopal.
The Chief Executive Officer of the humanitarian organisation Yusuf Mohamed said they have been working with the university for two years. He stated that many communities are still living in the legacy of apartheid. He raised concerns about inequality in the country.
“The project can look small in the eyes of many people, but the impact that it has on the lives of the people is phenomenal. If you cannot change the world, you can change the life of one person. One person can make a difference in this world. One person can effect change. For us as Islamic Relief, we are very honoured and privileged to be part of this project,” said Mohamed, adding that they are intending to extend the project to reach more marginalised communities, particularly disabled people who are often overlooked. He stated that there are people who are unable to go to health facilities and it is their responsibility to reach them and make a difference to their lives.
Mohamed emphasised that hygiene and dental health shouldn’t be considered as a privilege but a fundamental right.
Gugulethu Dental Clinic operational manager Mirriam Pienaar described the project as a relief from the clinic as it alleviates the burden from them. She said the students only come on Mondays and Fridays. “I want to express my gratitude to all the stakeholders who made this project successful. We have a good relationship with the UWC and we thank them for their support. Ever since this project started last month, we never turned back a patient,” she stated, adding that the clinic does not service people from Gugulethu only but also from the neighbouring areas.
Patient Nwabisa Jwacu from Delft, who came for oral health, praised the students for doing a great job. She said it’s been a while since her teeth were last cleaned. “It is important to look after our bodies and teeth as well. I can sense that my mouth is fresh. They did flossing and clean my mouth,” she said.