In 2023, Dr. Elisabeth Lill returned to Kenya for her third humanitarian mission — a powerful dental camp conducted in partnership with Make Me Smile Kenya and supported by the ICD. What made this year especially meaningful was the collaboration with her father, Dr. Werner Lill, Past President of the ICD European Section, forming a unique father-daughter team united by compassion and purpose.

Together with local professionals and longtime colleague Dr. Hanno Senger, they delivered preventive and surgical dental care to over 3,000 children and adults in rural communities with little or no access to healthcare. Children were not only treated but empowered through education in oral hygiene, with each receiving their own toothbrush and toothpaste — small tools with lifelong impact. The team also performed hundreds of free surgeries and basic medical care in partnership with Kenyan clinicians, embodying a holistic, grassroots approach to public health. Through tireless work, deep cultural sensitivity and cross-generational leadership, the Lills demonstrated how dentistry can be a force for dignity, education, and hope. Their story is a reminder: when global expertise meets local partnership, true change begins — one smile at a time.