ISY Service Learning
Bright Smiles
Did you notice the bright smiles of the children on campus last week?
The Evergreen Dental Care clinic in Lanmadaw Township has a history of treating children who have limited access to medical facilities. On a recent visit to the dentist, ISY Director Dr. Greg Hedger was chatting to Dr. Tun Hla, Founder and Managing Director of Evergreen, and his wife, Daw Yu. As you know, Dr. Hedger is passionate about service and he mentioned ISY’s Chinthe Fund partner organizations Kalitaw school and the orphanage Care to the Least Center (CLC). By the end of the conversation, Dr. Tun Hla had offered to treat children from these partners for free.
We visited Evergreen and worked out a schedule – a small group of children would go to the dentist while the remainder would be hosted in various ISY classes, according to their age. As always, the ISY students and teachers were welcoming. After lunch, the children were happy to play on the swings or just sit on the benches and talk. I was proud of our students for chatting and playing with the children from Kalitaw and CLC and for making them feel welcome.
Those of you who follow this service learning blog will know that ISY has hosted children from CLC and Kalitaw a number of times recently, from inviting them to the Family Fun Fair to running the clinic check-ups to donating books to singing in the Gala choir. In addition, we have taken groups of ISY students to CLC, Kalitaw and the Yangon Animal Shelter. At each of these events, all the children build a stronger relationship with each other and our students learn a little more about real-world issues.
In total, 52 children were treated by Evergreen. I couldn’t help noticing that most of them didn’t require any treatment after their check-up. After the children had been treated, I asked Dr. Tun Hla how he felt. He beamed a huge smile and said, “It’s for the children.”
The children from Kalitaw and CLC said a big “Thank you” to Dr. Tun Hla and Daw Yu. Thanks also to these dentists from Evergreen Dental Care: Dr. Hla Myat Phyo, Dr. Thet Htoo Aung, Dr. Thinzar Wai Phyo, Dr. Aung Chan Thar, Dr. Thant Zin Win, Dr. Kyaw Kyaw Lin, Dr. Nang Sabai Oo, Dr. Si Thu Naing and Dr. Tun Lin Tar Yar.
I hope this story brought a smile to your face!
By Nick Sturmey, Service Learning Coordinator
The International School Yangon
20 Shwe Taungyar Street
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
+95 (0) 9 880 441 040