ICDGVF and HSCF Approves Grant Request for the Malvar, Batangas Dental Mission

In early spring, D4EVF received a letter in connection with the charity dental missions they conduct quarterly in the Philippines.  The letter was from a local pediatrician from the Province of Batangas, Philippines and it went as follows:

“I am Dr Roderick Macasaet, a pediatrician by profession, and is the incoming president of Rotary Club of Malvar, Batangas by June 2018”.

“Malvar is a 2nd class municipality with 15 barangays (villages) As a pediatrician practicing in the area, majority of the children here seldom seek professional healthcare due to financial constraints. I came across your dental program in the web, and it will be a great opportunity if we can invite you to hold a dental mission here with us. Our Rotary can spearhead coordinating with the local government, tapping the barangays, and supporting some details that your group might need”.

“As a Rotarian physician dedicated to improve community health, I am fervently hoping for your favorable response to help make our place a better home for families and the generation to come”.

The letter was immediately passed to the D4EVF point person in the Philippines, Dr. Amry Chavez so that a preliminary survey can be conducted in the area to determine what kind of impact a mission will have on the population. An ocular inspection was recently done and from the report of the survey team, a mission will do wonders for the population, particularly those in the poorest of the villages.

Thus a date was set and the mission was planned.

D4EVF will do a dental mission at Malvar, Batangas on September 1`-2, 2018. The date was picked to accommodate more children who are not in school on weekends as well as their parents who don’t work the farms on the same days.

A request for grants was sent to the ICD Global Visionary Fund (ICDGVF) and Henry Schein Cares Foundation. (HSCF) in June 2018. The request was positively received and a grant in form of dental supplies and small hand instruments was approved a few weeks later. ICD GVF forwarded the documents to Henry Schein Cares Foundation who will provide the supplies requested.  

The supplies were recently sent by HSCF and were received by the D4EVF Central Offices. 

The Project Malvar grant is the third time ICDGVF and HSCF had given a major donation to the D4EVF.

Grant requests were sent to many other prospective donors as well and contributions albeit small, had already started to arrive at the D4EVF offices. 

For instance, Dr. Grace Ogtong of Winnetka, California, donated a digital –x-ray sensor with software and various sensor holders. The set, albeit used is still functional and is a welcome addition to the recent x-ray sensor set donated by Dr. Lawrence Lozada of Valencia, California. The Foundation now has three (3) digital x-ray sensor units. Dr. Ogtong also donated a brand new Coltene Spec 3 light curing unit.

With some of the donations collected so far, two (2) micro-motors complete with a straight handpiece and a contra-angle were purchased. These units will be dedicated for “Sealant and Fluoride Application” purposes only, thereby freeing all the other portable dental units for restorative purposes. Two light curing units were also purchased and will be exclusively used in conjunction with the micromotors.

Three (3) 18L steam sterilizers were also purchased greatly enhancing the capabilities of the volunteers to practice dentistry under sterile conditions.

But in spite of the new additions to the armamentarium of the D4EVF, more contributions are needed to further increase the number of equipment thereby enabling the volunteers to see a greater number of patients.

Contributions to the D4EVF can be made through their website or by sending a check to their central offices located at 22114 Roscoe Blvd., Canoga Park, CA 91304.