Local fundraising efforts cover dental expenses of children in need in Armenia

More than 200 children of Aragats community in eastern Armenia, between the ages of 6 and 12, are receiving dental treatment thanks to donations raised through World Vision Armenia’s Local partner, HSBC Bank of Armenia. Each child is receiving check-ups, preventative care and as well corrective treatment, when necessary.

Aragats community is located near Mount Aragats, where drinking water is derived from natural sources. The lack of fluoride in the water affects the oral hygiene conditions of children in this community. Water, however, is not the only problem. Across Armenia, oral hygiene practices are rarely prioritized by parents.

"One child needs to have more than four teeth removed"

“Not one of the 50 school children we have seen already have had healthy teeth,” says Gegham Grigoryan, the Aragat community dentist.  “We record everyone’s status, which makes it obvious that each of these kids have various issues. One child needs to have more than four teeth removed; another child needs to have their stained and blackened teeth cleaned, this comes mainly from not keeping the proper hygiene and eating too many sweets,” he adds.

In cooperation with HSBC Bank in Armenia, World Vision has been partnering with the local population to raise funds to support the organization’s work through the “Im Luma” (My Penny) campaign, which raised funds to pay for the treatments of children’s teeth in the Aragatsotn area.

Over the last 12 months, staff from the local branch of the bank in the capital city donated small amounts of money from their salaries each month towards the project, collectively raising 1,190,000 AMD ($2.600 USD). The money will be used to cover all preventative treatments as well as necessary procedures, including teeth removal ($7 USD), fluoride treatments ($11 USD), as well as the treatment and filling of cavities ($22 USD).

Various awareness raising campaigns will also be organized by the local dentist while visiting the two schools of the community, where the specialist will share his knowledge about keeping teeth clean and oral hygienic care. 

After the initial visits and any necessary procedures, the dentist will fill out individual forms for all of the children examined or treated so that they can be checked again in six months.

"We will promote the importance of the oral hygiene culture among the families"

“It is very vital to have good oral hygiene from the early ages,” says Liana Sargsyan, Manager of World Vision’s programme in Aragatsotn.  “This will prevent other illnesses from entering the organism. We will promote the importance of the oral hygiene culture among the families and communities of this area so that good oral hygiene will become a habit for everyone to care for their health,” she adds.