Dear Members – We are glad to inform we have a new partner offering Vision First 15 monthly dental visits to assist in a gravely overlooked area! Until 2009 there was nothing but teeth extractions at public hospitals. Then the Prince Philip Dental Hospital caringly opened its doors to asylum-seekers and refugees, however they are so busy it takes three months to get an appointments. Everyone knows the pain of toothache and having to wait for days is bad enough in the mildest of situations. For major trauma and complex issues the PPDH is still available, but to reduce their workload with common cavities we now have an alternative.
Our sister charity – we say this proudly as NGO is more supportive of VF! – the Christian Concern for Homeless Association has a dental clinic in Sham Shui Po that welcomes members in need of dental services. They have a roaster of volunteer dentists offering their services on specific days, thus a careful appointment system is mandatory. We all know how difficult it is for many to be punctual and we have received distressed calls from members who waited three months for a PPDH visit only to show up late and forfeiting their slot to wait two more months. This will not happen at the new clinic! If you miss your appointment you will not have a second chance. Please understand there are hundreds of needy citizens queuing up for free dental visits and wasting precious time will not be accepted.
For appointments please come to Vision First, fill in the questionnaire and await an email confirmation. We are ready to start this pilot program immediately and it will be run on a “First Come – First Served” basis, irrespective of past requests made for PPDH.
As for the diapers, we couldn’t be happier to announce that Procter & Gamble came through with their promise to supply thousands of nappies and last Friday we receive 50 boxes of Pampers that are ready for immediate distribution. We ask parents to limit their request to their monthly need, to avoid hording as there will ample supply in the future. This bonanza subtracts nothing from the kind effort of the Canadian International School students, first to respond to our appeal, nor to the hardworking team at Hong Kong International School who are currently running a drive for Diapers & More to benefit our needy families. To you, dear students, go our heartfelt appreciation as we know how difficult it is to raise donations in the best of circumstances. If you saw the smiles on mothers’ faces when they collect your donations, you would truly appreciate the difference you make in the lives of those who living on the fringe of society with few or no friends. We look forward to having you at our Homebase to show you what the community can accomplish together. On closing, a big THANK YOU to all these parties that make Vision First’s mission possible !!!
