Hi guys!
This is Dawit, an 11th-grade student at Catlin Gabel and a member of the Project32 team sharing some of what we’ve been up to this summer. On July 31, Avi and I went with Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center to a farm camp where they provide health care services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Virginia Garcia is an established community health center that works to promote overall health and wellness to the underserved communities in Washington and Clackamas Counties. At the camps, we worked to educate the children of migrant farm workers on dental hygiene. We focused specifically on how to properly brush your teeth, and we worked side-by-side with a professional hygienist.
Before we got to the camp Avi, the founder of Project32, and I met the VG team at their office to help pack the donations and supplies into a van. Once we arrived at the camp we helped to set up the equipment before the children and their families arrived. After doing so Avi, and I set up our own table which contained Project32 dental kit donations and a chess board to attract and entertain the kids. When the workers started to arrive, the children flooded our booth, drawn in by our chess board. However, before playing we taught kids how to brush their teeth with the toothbrushes we handed them. I was surprised with the joy it brought to the younger children. There was a particular pair of siblings that laughed and smiled while we taught them how to brush their teeth. I think this was a great experience for us because we got to directly work with the children we are serving. I’m excited to continue working with youth in the future!
Until next time,
Dawit
