Page 25 - ICD Newsletter November 2022 Final Draft6

This has been such a genuinely enriching experience,
I came away with a lot of inspiration, many new ideas
and a very full heart. I couldn’t be more grateful
for the opportunity and I promise to use it as a
springboard to accomplish bigger and better things.

Thank you again to all who were involved in making
this happen. Until next time - Bula Vinaka!

To read the full report, CLICK HERE.

Timor Leste Dental Program

Ana Paula is a hard worker and deserves every
After the hiatus of the pandemic, Rotary’s Timor Leste
Dental Program (TLDP) is pleased to be getting back success. She is most appreciative of the continuing
to the job. During the height of the pandemic in 2020 support from the ICD. She is looking forward to
and 2021, our outreach teams were unable to visit returning home in the December holidays this year to
Timor Leste (TL). Instead, we focussed on supporting reunite with her family after three years.
our program’s full-time Timorese clinicians who,
between lockdowns, treated patients in our fixed 2022 also saw the resumption of TLDP outreach
clinic in Maubara. dental teams into Timor Leste. Post-pandemic chaos
and a new government have resulted in a loss of
Our other objective was to support Ana Paula structure to rules about professional registration of
Salgado, who started the Bachelor of Oral Health overseas clinicians and confusion about the carriage
Program at Fiji National University (FNU) in January of dental materials and equipment into TL. As a
2020. Ana Paula’s education is sponsored by the TLDP result, the three dental teams sent over this year
and is supported by grants from Section VIII of the faced a much more onerous task, with a seemingly
International College of Dentists (ICD). endless parade of meetings with officials that one
team leader described as “more painful, and far

COVID restrictions were imposed in Fiji soon after less productive, than a surgical lower 3rd molar
Ana Paula’s arrival. The students were moved to extraction without LA”. Nonetheless, our teams were
a “safer” campus where all instruction was done able to treat communities in the districts of Liquiça,
online, via problem-based learning, which Ana Bobonaro, Aileu and Ainaro, examining patients and
Paula was unfamiliar with and found difficult. Like carrying out many items of treatment. We are now
many overseas students, Ana Paula struggled with looking forward to streamlining the new processes
isolation, uncertainty, and homesickness. Due to the for 2023.
travel restrictions, she was unable to return home to
Timor Leste in 2020 and 2021. She was unable to help Blanche Tsetong, timordentalprogram@gmail.com
her family when they caught COVID; in particular, her
father, who was gravely ill. This caused her a great 35 Years in Africa
deal of distress. Nevertheless, she passed her first
year overall, but had to repeat one subject in 2021.

In February, ICD Fellow David Sheen was able to visit
Ana Paula in Fiji. He also met with Dr Osea Dukuno
(Head of the School of Dentistry at FNU) and Dr Leenu
Maimanuku (Senior Lecturer and ICD Fellow) and was
happy to see that Ana Paula had made good friends
with other overseas students and was well regarded
by the University staff. CLICK HERE to view the ICD Inc. interview with
Section VIII Fellows Graham and Wendy Toulmin.

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