Afghan Dental Relief Destroyed by Fire
Late last Sunday evening in Goleta, a fire erupted adjacent to the warehouse for the Afghanistan Dental Relief Project, completely destroying the contents and most of the accompanying 30,000-square-foot building. Lost were future shipments containing vital high-tech implant kits, restorative equipment, complex endodontic systems, and valuable dental supplies. In addition, equipment used to construct clinics in Afghanistan from shipping containers was destroyed. This equipment included welders, woodworking equipment, electrical panels, plumbing systems, computers, and a variety of electronic equipment, altogether valued at over $200,000. There was no insurance coverage, so this is a complete loss. Also destroyed was the space, preventing further work for the project until more supplies and equipment can be accessed.
Afghanistan suffers from lack of an economy, so citizens have trouble finding dental care, and as a result many people die there from dental problems. The Afghanistan Dental Relief Project, or ADRP, fills shipping containers with dental supplies and equipment, ships them to Afghanistan, then changes the container into a working dental clinic, trains the staff to provide dental care, then provides treatment for the local population, who have difficulty accessing care. Some of this care is not typically available in Afghanistan, so the clinics charge a fee for this treatment, and the funds pay the expenses of the operation, making the clinics self-sufficient. ADRP is the only organization in Afghanistan building clinics and training Afghans to run them, helping to rebuild the missing infrastructure of Afghanistan. Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity has been doing this for fourteen years. Over 200,000 patients have received care in ADRP clinics in Afghanistan. The organization has trained dental hygienists, dental assistants, and laboratory technicians.
The Henry Schein Foundation has given a grant of $25,000 worth of dental supplies to ADRP, so we are now seeking sponsors to help ship the supplies to our clinics. If you can help replace the tools and equipment lost, please contact the ADRP headquarters at (805) 963-2329 or adrp@verizon.net. Visit the website at adrpinc.org to donate. ADRP is also seeking another warehouse space with workshop potential, if you hear of anything.
Part of making America Great Again is, as the richest nation in the world, the obligation to help others in need. We can do anything that we can imagine.