A former Olds resident now studying dentistry at the University of Alberta had the trip of a lifetime last month. She spent a week in Ecuador, providing dental services to people there.
Kendra Barkman went down to Ecuador with a group called Kindness In Action, which organizes dental trips to underdeveloped nations all over the world. About 20 dentists and dental students made the trip.
Barkman left for Ecuador May 20.
She says she was not deterred by the fact that several earthquakes have hit Ecuador – as recently as May 24 -- after a major one hammered the country April 16.
“The earthquakes that have occurred in the last month or so took place 200-plus kilometres from our location, so the village we (visited), Cotacacchi, was not affected,” she says.
“Obviously the nation as a whole had been affected greatly which I think makes it even more important for us to be there to help in some way, even if we are not directly involved in earthquake relief efforts.”
Barkman and others in the group provided dental care to the indigenous people in and around the village of Cotacacchi, including fillings and extractions.
Barkman is entering her final year of dental school. She says in Ecuador she anticipated doing “anything and everything encompassed in the job description of a dentist.”
“We (had) licensed dentists overseeing us but with the extent of training we already have, we (were) able to work quite independently,” Barkman says.
Demand for their services was strong.
“Kids were sent in big groups from school on a bus to come see us,” she says.
Barkman had many memorable encounters during her trip to Ecuador.
One was with a young girl named Lydia.
“She had a tooth that had been hurting her,” Barkman says. I did an extraction. It was an infected baby tooth that wasn't loose enough for her to wiggle out on her own.
“I suspected she didn't like me very much during the appointment because she was quite scared. But after we were done, she gave me a big hug because she was so happy the tooth was gone and wouldn't be able to hurt her any more. That was definitely a heartwarming moment.”
During the first couple of days there, a little baby named Matteo became the group's reprieve from work.
“He was the child of one of the locals who was helping us co-ordinate the clinic. So he was there hanging out all day and the dentists would take turns sneaking in cuddles with him between patients,” Barkman says.
This is not Barkman's first time helping out people in under-developed countries.
“After graduating from Olds High School in 2009, I took a year off and volunteered with an organization that provides sponsorship to children in Rwanda. At the end of this year I was able to visit Rwanda for three weeks,” she says.
“Seeing first-hand how people in underdeveloped nations struggle was definitely life changing; I am not sure anyone can truly comprehend what it is like without witnessing it themselves.
“I had already been considering dentistry at that point but the trip to Rwanda inspired me and motivated me to do whatever it took to make it happen.
“I wanted a real, tangible skill that I could take to places like that to make genuine difference in someone's life,” she adds.
Barkman says dentistry is “quite a difficult program to get into.” She says less than 10 per cent of those who apply are accepted each year.
“Rwanda served as my motivation to work hard to achieve the grades and requirements needed to gain admission,” she says.
“So of course when I learned that there was an opportunity to do overseas dental volunteer trips while we were still students, I jumped at the chance; after all, this was the goal that motivated me into dentistry.”
Barkman missed a week of classes and did not get any academic credit from the dentistry school for making the trip. In fact, she says she'll have to make up that time this summer.
She began organizing for the trip more than a year ago.
"I wanted a real, tangible skill that I could take to places like that to make a genuine difference in someone's life."KENDRA BARKMANFORMER OLDS RESIDENT
