Yesterday Bridge 2 Aid launched their Big Skill Share Appeal. It’s the next milestone in their work to provide access to safe emergency dental care to over 4 million people in Tanzania.
They have managed to do this with volunteers from the UK dental community training rural health workers, saving lives and freeing millions more from the prospect of misery and pain at the same time. Bridge 2 Aid has already taken a massive step in the right direction, but they need to take a great leap forwards because the rural population of Tanzania alone is 35 million people.
Their Big Skill Share is a game changer. In essence it goes back to the story about the man and the fish. “Give a man a fish and you’ve given him a meal – teach a man to fish and you feed him for life. We’re just taking it one step further – teaching the ‘fishermen’ how to teach others too!”
The Big Skill Share is Phase 2 of their model – where they have returned to the District Dental Officers who they’ve been working alongside with during their training programmes, giving them the skills to teach emergency dental skills themselves.
Each Phase:
PHASE 1 – Groundbreaking: UK dental volunteers begin training Tanzanian health workers in emergency dental skills
PHASE 2 – The Big Skill Share: UK volunteers teach District Dental Officers how to train in emergency dental skills – ‘training the trainer’
PHASE 3 – Sustainable Change: Tanzanian trainers train Tanzanian health workers emergency dental skills supported by Bridge2Aid expertise.
This unique model means that training in emergency dental skills can become a rapid roll-out where millions and millions of people in some of the poorest parts of the world have access to vital treatment. As the programme takes off in Tanzania they are then able to offer training into more countries where there is an urgent need.
With your contribution they can build on the training programmes they’ve already started. Find out about it here: www.bridge2aid.org/big-skill-share-appeal/