Riverside Farm Institute had begun advertising in the nearby villages prior to our arrival, resulting in no shortage of patients. The patients were already lined up Monday morning before we got the clinic up and running. People came from villages far and wide. The main mode of transportation for those coming was to walk to the clinic, but a few of the lucky ones were able to get rides from the very limited cars or trucks. One staff member on site gave out numbers to patients on a first-come, first-serve basis, and most numbers were given out before we even started our day. We started seeing patients around 8:30 a.m. every morning and worked until about 5:30 p.m. We would work to see as many patients as we could each day and usually averaged between 30 to 50 patients per day. We did take at least a 30-minute lunch break every day, very similar to the way most people practice at home. We saw all kinds of patients, ranging from 4 years old to 84 years old with a variety of concerns. Originally our plan was to do extractions as well as fillings, but because of the demand for extractions, we were never able to place any restorations or do any cleanings. Our final day was definitely the most difficult. When it came time to close the clinic, a number of the people who had been waiting all day in hopes of receiving a number and being seen continued to stay. We worked well into the night, but no matter how hard we tried, we were not able to see all those who stayed. It was heartbreaking to hear them ask, "When will you be back?" Lucas said this might be the only opportunity for them to ever get any dental work done.
My husband and I stayed in our own little guesthouse with running water and a bathroom attached. We were staying in a very nice place. We were even able to drink water from the tap, although we did buy a lot of bottled water when we arrived. It is so important to stay hydrated. We stayed at Riverside Farm Institute, which is a Seventh Day Adventist outreach education community and farm. Riverside Farm Institute has several hundred acres of farmland and education centers along the river in Kafue. It was wonderful to be a part of the community while we were staying there. We felt very safe at all times, and even took walks around the beautiful grounds in the evening after dark. The community is very interested in health and nutrition and fed us delicious homemade vegan food while we were there.
While in Zambia, we were able to borrow a car from the site where we worked to travel to the southern part of the country to see Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. It was so nice to be able to combine mission work with a vacation. On our drive to Livingstone, we saw many villages along the road, as well as some monkeys. The majority of the people lived in mud huts with thatched roofs. We were able to tour one of the local villages and even experienced a herd of elephants coming through on their way to the river. It was quite an experience!
This trip was rewarding in so many ways. The people were so grateful and willing to do whatever was needed so that they could get this service. Mission trips really put our life in America into perspective. We have so much more than we need, and we were reminded of that every day while we were in Africa. It was wonderful to know that we were able to get many people out of pain, but there are still so many more people who need access to care. I am looking forward to going back in the future to serve this wonderful community again and am so very thankful for this opportunity.
Rachel Hymes, DMD, practices at an FQHC in Mountain City, Tennessee, and enjoys serving communities in need in other countries. She is also active in the ADA New Dentist Committee. Dr. Hymes can be contacted at [email protected].