Categories 2019, Education, Empowerment, Finished, Healthcare, Kenya, PAR Project
DescriptionA Community-based Tooth-decay Prevention Project, Kenya
‘A Community-based Tooth-decay Prevention Project’ was a Participatory Action Research into oral health among children in Mamba village in Kwale, Kenya. A collaboration between The Healthy Teeth Foundation (THTF), the dental charity Dutch Dental Care Foundation & 7Senses.
Founder and challenge supervisor Alice Grasveld (read interview) won the Viva400 award in Category ‘World Improvers’ with this project. Her first project with 7Senses the ‘Healthy Teeth Challenge‘ inspired Alice Grasveld to start The Healthy Teeth Foundation in 2018, focusing on Participatory Action Research into oral health and education amongst disadvantaged children all around the world.
Project details
Project name | A Community-based Tooth-decay Prevention Project |
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Start date | 4th of June 2019 |
Duration | Nine weeks |
Status | Finished |
Country | Kenya |
Coordinator | Alice Grasveld, founder of The Healthy Teeth Foundation |
Number of Dutch researchers | 3 |
Number of local researchers | 2 |
This project is inspired by the Healthy Teeth Challenge in South Africa, performed by Alice Grasveld and her team. It inspired Alice to set up the Healthy Teeth Foundation and continue her work with Participatory Action Research for oral health. Two years after the Healthy Teeth Challenge, the same team conducted a new Participatory Action Research with the same set up, yet in a different country and adapted to fit the new context. See here their PAR design.
An action plan was created with the community to improve oral health among children, focused on ownership and sustainability. Teachers, parents, health workers, the area chief, the herbalist, the village elders et cetera were involved in this project. About 1200 primary school students will wash their hands and brush their teeth on a daily basis under supervision of the teachers and the ‘health club students’ from now on. Stakeholders in the village were connected. Awareness about oral hygiene & diet was created. Also a play was made by the pupils to educate the community about oral health. Insights in the relationship between Kenyan culture & oral health were obtained. An opinion paper (article) about this project and a community prevention plan for DDC will be written by coordinator Alice Grasveld.
The impact of this action research project is that it has raised awareness in the community of Mamba Village about the consequences of poor oral health and a poor diet for the future of children. Now parents and children know what they need to do to prevent these problems.
Team
Amber-Lynn Bagchus
Action Researcher

Sao Ying Lai
Action Researcher

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Feray Coban
Action Researcher

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Fleur Rudolphus
Action Researcher

Ruth Wakesho Litoroh
Community oral health officer, Action Researcher

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Collins Ouma Ombuya
Community oral health officer, Action Researcher

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