You’re passionate about making a difference. You love adventure. You enjoy helping children. Fantastic! We need you. Volunteers like you are the lifeblood of our organization. Before you fully commit, we want you to feel confident that this is truly right for you. That’s why we’ve answered a few important questions prospective volunteers commonly ask when considering whether to join a dental clinic:
What skills do I need?
Your most valuable assets are an open mind, a sense of humor, and the ability to work hard with other team members. You don’t need to have experience in the field of dentistry. Our volunteers come from all walks of life – students, teachers, business owners, retired professionals. Whether you have formal dental training or not, all volunteers are supported by Global Dental Relief staff from the beginning and are trained in the country.
What should I consider when it comes to cost and logistics?
Volunteers pay a project fee to Global Dental Relief for their experience. This covers supplies, transportation, hotels, most meals and any planned sightseeing included in the itinerary. The cost of the flight is separate. We can help you find airfare as needed.
The project fee depends on the country you visit and is published on the itineraries and cost page of our website. Many volunteers have put together fundraisers to cover some or all of the project fee. Others have found support from friends, family, and local businesses to help cover the cost. Our office is happy to assist you in brainstorming how to fundraise and to offer resources.
What is the Global Dental Relief experience?
It all started with a trip to Nepal in 2001. Since then, our organization has expanded to run 22 projects annually in five countries. In each country, we work with a local partner who acts as a community liaison and ensures we have a safe place to set up our clinic and work. Each project includes six days working in a portal dental clinic, with sightseeing and adventure built into the itinerary. Depending on the country you visit and the adventures you choose to experience, you’ll be abroad for anywhere from 8 to 21 days.
How do I sign up?
Getting signed up is easy. All it takes is a completed application with deposit. From the first time you contact us, you work directly with one of our country coordinators to ensure you are fully prepared for your journey.
Do you have any questions that we haven’t covered here? Feel free to visit our FAQs page, email us or call us at 308-858-8857. We’re happy to help.