Our Crowdfunding Groups
WHO WE ARE
The WVU Global Medical and Dental Brigades are two student organizations that work together to provide free healthcare, medical access, and education for under-served populations and indigenous communities of developing countries.
As students in these organizations, we have the opportunity to shadow rural healthcare professionals in Medical and/or Dental clinics while simultaneously learning to adapt to different environmental and cultural surroundings.
WHAT WE DO
As a group, our overall mission is to work with these rural communities to improve the quality of life in their regions through preventative medicine practices, employing the holistic model, and assessing the needs of citizens through accessible resources in order to give them the tools they need to continue healthy practices after we leave.
We achieve our goals by focusing on three different sectors:
Medical Brigades
Dental Brigades
Public Health
To give you an idea of our efforts, last year we traveled to both Honduras and Ghana. In Honduras, we were able to provide free healthcare to 1,652 patients in a community over the course of 4 days. In Ghana, we provided free healthcare to 665 patients in a matter of 3 days. In both Ghana and Honduras, we assisted in the construction of septic tanks and washing stations. We taught children that visited the clinics proper oral hygiene and the difference between good and bad health habits.
WHERE WE ARE GOING
This year we have decided to set our sights even higher – we will be embarking on two Brigades during the spring 2020 semester!
Fifty-five of us will be travelling to rural Honduras for 11 days, where we will be working in a rural region of the country for 9 days.
Twenty-five of us will be traveling for our organization’s first-ever Brigade to Greece for 12 days.
For both service projects, we are be responsible for collecting and funding the purchase of all the medical and dental supplies necessary to run our clinics, as well as pay the local medical professional who will work with us. Along with the clinic supplies, it is our responsibility to buy the building materials needed for the construction of sanitation stations, septic tanks, and cement flooring.
However, we cannot do this work if we are not there! For both trips, we will travel by bus to Dulles International Airport where we will board airplanes to our destinations. Once we arrive, we will travel to the rural areas we will be serving to stay in camp-style settings and undertake the tasks necessary to accomplish our goals.
To learn more about the Global Medical and Global Dental Brigades visit, https://medicaldentalbrigades.orgs.wvu.edu/home.
$26 is what it takes to purchase 100 Bulk Standard Toothbrushes, individually wrapped.
This donation provides 75 containers of dental floss for patients. Dental hygiene is essential in improving overall health.
$100 can purchase 575 EcoShampoo Containers to provide to locals in need.
This will provide 8 stethoscopes to use in Triage. Our blood pressure readings are dependent on good quality stethoscopes. The stethoscopes will be donated to the community center.
This is what it takes to supply toothbrushes for all 4 days of our clinics in both countries. Last year, we assisted over 2300 patients.
This is the funding it takes to provide one student’s room and board, transportation and medical supplies for the week.
Cost of 1 days hygiene packets to a WHOLE COMMUNITY, which includes soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, combs and combs. This will serve approximately 325 individuals!