| 1000
Smiles 2006 Volunteer Information
Dates for 2006 Click here for more info about dates.
Project 1 Ocho Rios: September 22nd - October 9th
Project 2 Negril: October 13th - Octover 30th
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Read all the information below to learn what is involved to volunteer in Jamaica with Great Shape! in the 1000 Smiles Dental Project 2006.
Overview
| The Work | Equipment & Supplies | Locations & Accomodations
Airfare & Travel Documents | Water,
Food & Shots | Checklists & Deadlines
| Registration | Dates Costs & Itineraries | Contact
Us
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Overview: It's all about "One Love"
Each year, over 80 humanitarian heroes go to Jamaica to help those in great need. In the process, we find that we the volunteers get far more out of the project than we could ever give. We ask each volunteer to join with an open heart, a good sense of humor, a willingness to learn and the ability to "go with the flow". The purpose of this project can be spelled out in four letters: L-O-V-E !
In Jamaica, they have a saying: "One Love" - which simply means that we are all brothers and sisters in highest spiritual sense. That is why we care - that is why we come.
Past Volunteers
We are repeatedly told by our past volunteers that their lives have been changed positively forever by the 1000 Smiles Project; that this is one of, if not the most rewarding experience of their lives. Volunteers make new friends, learn a lot about Jamaicans, learn a lot about themselves and have a chance to act from the heart to become that highest person within.
Leadership
The 1000 Smiles Project is co-directed by Joseph Wright, Executive Director of Great Shape! Inc. and Dr. Sherwin Shinn, President of International Smile Power Foundation. Joseph, better known as "Papa Joe" by the kids of Jamaica, is the primary organizer and administrator of the project. He has spent 15 years volunteering with Great Shape, 11 of them as it's director. He is an expert in Jamaican culture and speaks fluent Patois. Sherwin, our head dentist and inspirational leader, travels the world with his wife Jerri, doing remote dental work for kids in great need. He is a recent recipient of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award known as America's equivelent to the Nobel Prize for public and community service.
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The
Work
Each project is 2 weeks long and combines hard but rewarding work assisting Jamaicans in rural communities with fun comraderie in the relaxing luxury of Sandals and Beaches All-Inclusive Resorts in Negril. Some volunteers choose to come for just one week.(See Itinerary and Costs). While the primary purpose is to help those in great need, there is plenty of cross cultural interaction, learning and free-time built in. In general, work is 9-5 M-F while most other times are your free time.
Clinical Services
Four teams, each typically consisting of dentists, assistants,
hygienists and other helpers are assigned to a Jamaican
Ministry of Health clinic or nearby school in the beautiful
lush and green parishes of Hanover and St. Ann. Children
and adults in need of services come to us for
basic dental services including cleanings, fillings and extractions.
While we want to save every tooth possible, the reality is that
often the greatest need is an extraction. Jamaicans are a strong people
with stong bones and deep root structures that are often challenging
to extract. Some specialty dentistry is done, such as root canals, depending on each volunteer.
Education
An education outreach team visits schools in the area promoting
healthy preventative oral hygiene. Toothbrushes, paste and floss
are also distributed. In addtition, Hygienists travel with the education
team to apply sealants and/or flouride on teeth of appropriate aged children.
Ministry of Health
We
work side by side with Jamaican Ministry of Health dental professionals
including dental nurses and assistants. These professionals are
very well educated and are experts in working on Jamaican teeth. We
can learn as much from them as they do from us.
Work Conditions
Dental
work in rural Jamaica is very challenging. You will be working in the humid, tropical heat, often in rudimentary buildings, sometimes with bugs and always with portable equipment
that is less efficient than what you are used to. Sometimes the equipment breaks down altogether. However, these challenges are all part of the adventure of international humanitarism, and we support the teams as best as possible to keep things flowing and going.
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Equipment
The delivery systems and chairs, a combination of
portable and traditional equipment, are organized by Great Shape and
Smile Power. If you have access to any portable equipment or know
of good quality used equipment to donate for this trip, please let
us know right away as we are always looking to add to our stock. NOTE: Electricity in Jamaica runs at 110 Volts at 50 cycles, whereas in USA it runs 110 volts at 60 cycles. We have found the compressors
to be underpowered, and therefore often make procedures more labor intensive and difficult.
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Tools
and Supplies
All hand tools and supplies needed to perform the
work are the responsibility of the dentist, hygienist & assistant.
Each Volunteer will work with Dr. Shinn to correctly estimate the amount and
kinds of disposable supplies, medications and hand tools needed.
Most
volunteers work with their suppliers to get donated supplies and
pharmaceuticals. All items to be used in (or donated to) Jamaica
will be collected, boxed up and shipped to a location in the USA by each
volunteer ahead of the project. Great Shape will ship all supplies from the USA to Jamaica,
clear them through customs and have them available to you before
work starts. You will be given more instructions on this process.
Hand tools and
any other items that you intend to bring back to the USA with you
must be carried with you in your check-in luggage.
All items to
be left in Jamaica such as supplies and medications and all items
that you will bring home with you such as hand tools, must be processed with us so we can obtain appropriate approval in advance
from the government of Jamaica for importation and tax waivers.
This does not include personal effects like clothes, etc. More information about supplies and tools will be given to volunteers after registration.
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Locations, Schedule
and Accommodations
The work clinics are scattered throughout the beautiful green Parishes
of Hanover (town of Negril) and St Ann (town of Ocho Rios) (Map of Jamaica). They are located in health clinics, churches, schools and other local facilities. All clinics are at a maximum of 60 minutes
from the hotels. Each morning M-F, volunteers leave the hotel at 8am
and start work by 9am and return by 5pm. (See Costs and Itineraries for more detailed information on schedule).
The
accomodations are first class all-inclusive resorts donated Sandals
Resorts International. They are free to our volunteers and include
all you can eat, drink and play. Both areas are within 2 hours drive of Montego Bay where
the international airport is. Each volunteer will share a room with two
other people. Each person who wants a their own bed will have one.
Volunteers will be matched with roomates by request or in the
most compatible way, whenever possible. We recommend organizing your group into 3's or 4's so you can be roomates with those you know.
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Airfare
and Travel Documents:
The airport you should fly into is Montego Bay, Jamaica or "MBJ". Each volunteer makes their own travel arrangements
but must arrive at the airport by the timeline assigned (see Itinerary).
Airfare to Jamaica can vary from $300 to $850 depending on location,
airline and availability. From the west coast, if you find airfare
below $500, you should buy it. If over $650 you may wish to wait
a while and continue to check prices at least once a week. Check
Expedia, Orbitz etc, as well as the websites of airlines that serve
Jamaica including, Air Jamaica, Northwest Airlines, US Air, Continental
and American. Please contact us if you need some help with looking
for the best airfare.
Travel Documents
All Americans
are recommended to carry a current passport to and from Jamaica.
It is possible to use a current valid state driver's lisence AND
a copy of your birth certificate issued by the state you were born
in as long as it has a raised seal. It must be an original copy
from the state and not a hospital document. Having said that, the
US State Department recommends using your passport. US Citizens
are not required to use a VISA to enter Jamaica. If you are not
a US Citizen, please contact us to make sure you have the correct
documentation for entry and return. You should always carry a photo copy of your travel documents separate from the originals in case the originals are lost or stolen, you will have some documents to work with.
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Water,
Food, Shots & Health Concerns:
One of the really nice things about travelling
to Jamaica is that there are very few travel health concerns. The water
is treated and safe to drink from the tap. Bottled water is also readily
available. The food is plentiful, delicious, fresh, varied and safe
to eat. Stomach disorders in Jamaica are rare. No shots are required
to travel to Jamaica, but we highly recommend that you consult your doctor before
travelling to Jamaica or any foreign country. There are doctors and hospitals
in Jamaica, but services and equipment can be less than what we
are used to or expect in America. Transport
to the USA for medical attention may be advised, depending on the severity and urgency of the situation.
HIV
Jamaica has an HIV rate of 1.2% of the population as of 2003 according to the CIA world factbook. This is far below many countries in Africa and other places, yet the risk of infection by an accidental poke with a sharp instrument or needle remains. We spend a great deal of time coaching our volunteers to take the greatest of cares in the opertory to prevent any kind of accident. Testing for HIV is possible in Jamaica, but sometimes not available at a place and time you need it to avoid taking medications.
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Volunteer
Checklists & Deadlines:
- Check back for this information.
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How
do I sign up or get more information?
To apply for the 1000 Smiles 2006 Dental Project click here. Once your application has been approved you will return to the site to register.
For more information please call Joseph
Wright at 415-235-6207 or email us at great.shape@sbcglobal.net
Dates, Costs and Itinerary
See Itinerary
and Costs by clicking here. Read about how you can raise money to help offset your project fees and airfare by clicking here.
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