- 01. September 2024
Smiling Gecko Campus
"We have to start with the children to change the world".
Once again, a team of current and former students from the University of Zurich Dental Center is visiting us on campus. They treat all of our children in a veritable marathon. In between, however, they took at least three minutes of their time and we were able to ask them about their impressions.
This is your first time at the Smiling Gecko Campus, Aldin. What are your impressions?
When you just walk around the campus, you don’t feel the poverty in the countryside. When the children come to school in the morning, they are already wearing school uniforms. But from their knees down, you can see the conditions they come from. Their legs are bruised and scarred. Instead of shoes, they usually wear flimsy slippers.
As far as dental hygiene is concerned, the drastic difference between the older and younger children is particularly striking. Between those we have been treating for some time and those who are new. It is clear that what we are doing here, i.e. the treatments, the education and certainly the good nutrition, is bearing fruit. The longer we have each child in the program, the less work we have to do. Many of these children have excellent oral hygiene and we don’t have to do much. They come in for a checkup and are sent back.
You mentioned the maltreated legs. What do you notice when you compare the children here with those in Switzerland?
The children come from very difficult backgrounds that cannot be compared to life here. That’s why it’s so nice to see how grateful they are. It’s fascinating: compared to Switzerland, where people have everything in terms of health and access to education, they are much less satisfied than here.
What was your first impression, Annika?
I actually found a very well-equipped clinic with a high standard of hygiene. And of course friendly children, exciting children, crying children. It was all there.
Where do you see the difference between the dental status of Swiss children and children here?
Basically, of course, all children are different. But I would say that here in Cambodia, of course, there is less oral hygiene and therefore the teeth are in a worse condition. But that doesn’t stop us from doing our best to treat the children as well as we can. Unfortunately, not all the treatments we would like to do are possible. Or could be done in Switzerland. But the kids are great. They know what it’s all about and they’re totally involved.
What does it mean to you personally to come here to Cambodia? To such a poor country. It’s quite extraordinary, isn’t it?
Maybe I should start by explaining how I came to the Gecko Smile project. A very good friend of mine helped to set up the project and she always told me about it. But I could never really imagine it. So I decided to go and see for myself. And then I came here and it was very overwhelming. It’s a totally different world. It takes a moment to get here and settle in. But it’s spectacular. The kids are just adorable. They come everywhere with us and look at us and hug us. It’s a matter of the heart for me. I think we have to start with the children to change the world. We have to teach them good oral hygiene so they can carry on what they have learned. They have their whole lives ahead of them.
Sandra, this is your second time with us. What are the differences from your first visit?
It was incredible the first time I was allowed to be here. I had heard a lot about it, but you still can’t really imagine it. You just have to see it. It’s very impressive. First of all, how well equipped we are here in terms of what we can offer the children. But at the same time, the differences compared to Switzerland. Be it in terms of treatment standards, oral hygiene or the dental status of the children. Now, the second time around, it’s really nice to see the progress we’ve made. In terms of teaching the children how to brush their teeth. How the school is supporting them, so these are real changes. We can see that we are really making a difference.
What does it mean to you personally to give up your vacation to be here with us?
It’s just something you can’t experience anywhere else. It’s not something you can buy that you would otherwise experience on vacation. It is truly unique here. During the treatments we experience what it means to live here. And that is very beautiful.
What is your impression of the country?
It’s hard to understand the general state of emergency here. But that’s what makes it so nice to be here. We can give back some of the wealth we have in Switzerland. We can really try to give something along the way. In the sense of giving children something they can do themselves to take care of their teeth. Prevention is a big part of our work, which is also very important to us because it is sustainable. Something we have to remember: These children have a lot of problems and issues that need to be addressed. Teeth are just a small part of it, but toothache is such a bad thing. If we can eliminate it, the children will have so much more potential in other areas of their lives. For example, they can study again without pain. That helps a lot, of course.
This is your first time with us, Sina. What were your expectations?
I was very pleasantly surprised. I was a bit skeptical at the beginning as to whether I would like it, because we will be here for a whole month and I haven’t had much to do with children before. But on the very first morning, the children came up to us and were extremely friendly and warm and hugged us. The work here is extremely rewarding. Everything is well organized and we are a really cool group.
How else do you notice the children?
We can tell immediately if children have been to us before. For one thing, they have better teeth, and for another, they are less scared than those we treat for the first time. But even the most anxious children open their mouths willingly and try to be brave because they are just happy that we are taking care of them. Sometimes there are a few tears, but as soon as the treatment is over, their smiles quickly return. And they are so grateful.
So would you come back?
Yes. (Laughs)
It’s also a first for you here on the campus, Suzana. What did you expect before and what did you find in the end?
Of course I had heard a lot about the students and dentists who have been here, but you really have to experience it. Otherwise you can’t imagine how beautiful it is. My expectations were exceeded. I had and still have a great time.
What do you think of the children?
It is very impressive how brave the children are here. So far we have been treating the children between 2nd and 7th grade and we clearly see much more need for action with the younger ones. They have more cavities and more broken teeth. But for the fact that they have bigger cavities, they are doing really well. And I’m happy when we can convince children of the benefits of treatment. It’s wonderful when we can allay children’s fears.
Do you see a difference in the teeth of the children who have already benefited from the Gecko Smile project?
Absolutely. With the older ones, we only need a few minutes each time because there is very little for us to do. They have better teeth that are very well cleaned. That is something we can be really proud of. You can just see the impact of what we do here at the clinic. Also on the parents. There is even more uncertainty with the younger ones. With them, we have to build a fundamentally positive relationship with the dentist. They have to learn to relax and let go.
This is your second time with us, Nadine. What have you experienced? What does it do to you?
The children are very uncomplicated and very welcoming. And they are very brave. Most of them are great. It’s no problem for them if we have to fill five or six teeth at the same time.
I appreciate the gratitude of the children. They give us a lot in return. At the same time, we see things here that we don’t see in Switzerland. The depth of the caries, for example, or the remains of the roots. You really don’t see that in Switzerland.
That must be very painful for the children.
It certainly is. Unfortunately, pain is the order of the day here.
