Karius and Baktus

Today we are going to Phum Champuh K’aek, a small village south of the city. Together with Rii and another helper from our project, we start from the clinic. Our means of transport is probably the most unique tuk-tuk in all of Phnom Penh. According to the motto "pimp my tuk-tuk", the pink vehicle is equipped with a fan, a double seat arranged as a staircase, flashy decorative accessories and a box attached with cable ties, which is connected to a mini tablet - it plays loud Khmer pop/techno mix. During the ride, we can't help but sing along loudly when, for a change, the very popular Ed Sheeran blasts from the box, making our tuk-tuk, loaded with 6 people, soon become the attraction of other road users. Of course, there must also be a coffee stop along the way, where our Cambodian companions enjoy a kind of shake. After a long but very funny ride, we reach the little village.

Today we are treating at a school with the two mobile units from minimolars. In the schoolyard, we set up a small practice with simple means that, however, serve their purpose. The children are not there yet, and Steve, an Englishman who teaches English at the school for a year, shows us the village. He tells us about the fate of the people who live here. They were robbed of their houses by a Chinese investor and have now settled here. A group of English people from the "Fellowship Of Hope" helps with house construction, the organization has established the school there and takes care of the well-being of the children (http://www.fellowshipofhope.net) and adults.

The children are here, we can start. We are treating separately today, each at a chair, and there is a large crowd! We look into small mouths with mostly very bad teeth and, as an exception, only extract a few fillings. It is sad to see the decayed teeth of these children and impressive to see how brave the little ones are today. Despite the stupid shots we give and the teeth we have to extract, the children draw us little letters, which touches us deeply. It is a very busy and exciting day of treatment with many crocodile tears and hugs.

It is not surprising that the teeth look like this, because the children drink either cola or sugarcane juice all day long. The school management is firmly convinced that the sugar content has nothing to do with the children's dental problems, it is only a matter of frequency of tooth brushing. The parents do not take much care of their children's health, so the school is the only chance. Steve reports that he had a heated argument with the headmaster the day before because he is not dissuaded from his beliefs. Water is hardly consumed. There is still much work to be done there, and we are glad to have perhaps made a small contribution.