What is CONGO DENTAL SUPPORT Inc.

CONGO DENTAL SUPPORT Incorporated has been formed by a board of 6 Australians who want to help continue and develop the dental work begun in the Anglican Health Service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) by Dr Graham Toulmin over the last 25 years.

The board members are:
Graham Toulmin AM,  President
Roger Phillips, Vice President
Kerry Bartlett, Treasurer
Pam Maule, Secretary
Louis Maule, Assistant Secretary
Mark McIver Committee Member

It's aims are to develop support for the following:

1.  EMPLOYING  LOCAL PERSONNEL who will be working for the development of the  Dental Work in the Anglican Church's Health Service in DRC.

Timon 'Tim' Grodya, DO

eg as funds become available we are employing Timon Grodya as our Regional Director for East Africa to visit DRC to work out the most strategic way of helping our present dental clinics and also how we should develop the work.  He is a Congolese who has been a dental officer since 1988 and is now based in Kampala, Uganda which makes him ideally placed to visit and assist the dental clinics down the Eastern side of DRC.

2. TRAINING LOCAL PERSONNEL as Dental Officers, Dental Assistants, Dental Technicians and Dental Equipment Engineers. e.g. Ringo Wanzirendi  (see story following) and Constantin Drumo are the first candidates to be selected to train as Level  A1 dental officers at the ISTM, Aru as funds become available.

3. BUILDING  DENTAL CENTRES in  major cities and diocesan centres and smaller  satellite dental clinics eg the Mama Wendy Dental Clinic  in Butembo built 1993 is the dental centre for the Diocese of North Kivu;   in 2004 a small one room dental clinic was set up and equipped in Aru, the centre of the Diocese of Aru;  and then more recently a 4 room satellite clinic was built in Mahagi in  2010, 100 kms from Aru in the same Diocese.  The next project is to build a dental centre in Aru where the A1 training can begin through the ISTM (Medical Techniques Training Institute).


4.  EQUIPPING DENTAL CENTRES and Clinics - there is a great need for updating the facilities in Butembo for training and improved treatment of patients.  There is a need for 2 new or newer chairs, for suction units and for xray facilities including an OPG machine.

5. MOBILE DENTAL CLINICS:  There is a huge need in the villages up to 150-200 kms from the major centres and a dedicated dental mobile clinic 4WD vehicle is needed in both Butembo and Aru.