Donated dental equipment used to treat patients in Uganda

Dental equipment brought to Uganda by Dentaid the Dental Charity is already helping to improve the lives of people struggling with toothache.

Back in June, a donation of £3,000 from the Christchurch Rotary Club enabled us to put together a portable dental surgery, including a collapsible dental chair and a range of items necessary for holding outreach surgeries, which could be flown over to Africa.

Staff at Dentaid’s workshop near Southampton renovated items donated to us, including instruments, oral health education materials and sterilisation equipment, which were included in the donation.

Overseas team leader Gail Taylor handed over the items during our second overseas visit to the country this year in June. They’ve been taken in by Jolly Mweruka, who is a member of the Rotary organisation working out of the city of Masaka.

Before receiving this donation, Jolly had previously had to rely on using a sun lounger to seat patients for surgeries.

Now, having a portable chair that can easily be collapsed and transported, he has been able to set up temporary outreach dental clinics offering care in remote areas such as Makukulu in the west of the country.

Many patients have expressed their gratitude for the much-needed dental care.

Jolly said: “This donation is going to transform people’s lives. We are going to use these chairs to provide dental services to people in and around Masaka. Thank you very much and may God bless you all.”

Gail Taylor, Uganda overseas co-ordinator for Dentaid The Dental Charity, said: “In June I was fortunate to work with Jolly and support his community with dental care.

“It was a pleasure to be able to present to him a portable dental kit, donated by the Rotary club of Christchurch.

Jolly’s efforts in relieving people of dental pain and educating those around him in oral care is admirable and never-ending. The kit has already been put to good use during his regular outreach clinics.”

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve communities across Uganda and look forward to continuing our work in promoting oral health and well-being.

Our overseas volunteering spaces for 2026 have now all been filled. We will be announcing details of our 2027 programme in the coming weeks. More information will be available on the overseas volunteering section of our website.