Pucallpa February 2010

CMP recently had the opportunity to contribute to a mobile dental campaign of the LSU Dental school in a Shipibo village outside of Pucallpa, Peru. The village "Alfonso Ugarte" has a population of over 1,000 Shipibo Indians and is located 8 hours upriver from Pucallpa, a major city in the jungle of Peru and the only one that links the Amazon River and the Pacific Ocean. Shipibo is the native tongue and lanuage of daily life in the area although many of the men speak Spanish, and the children are learning Spanish in school. During the week the Peruvian missionaries who accompanied the team held a vacation bible school and played games with the children. Also they were able to obtain a movie about the life of Jesus...in Shipibo! All of the villagers were very excited because it is the only movie that they had ever seen in their own language. The Clinic was able to provide a translator for the dental team as well as supply toothbrushes, vitamins, anti-parasitics and other medicines that are difficult to obtain in this isolated area. This was the first dental campaign in the village and many people traveled from areas deeper in the jungle to receive the free dental services performed, which included extractions, fillings, cleanings as well as oral hygiene education.