The most powerful solution to a healthcare crisis is empowering local leaders. In Eswatini, where only 14 dentists serve a population of over 1.1 million, a project led by ICD’s Section XI Korea has been investing in the next generation of healthcare advocates to build a self-sustaining foundation for oral health since 2022. 

Under the leadership of Section XI Vice President Dr. MyungJin Kim, the Fellows shared their knowledge and skills on oral health and dental hygiene by educating the local nursing students through an intensive training program consisting of five hours of online lectures and five hours of practical training. After completing the program, the first cohort of trainees conducted community outreach that reached 2,436 people, providing vital oral health education and distributing toothbrushes.

This strategy of investing in people multiplies impact by building a self-sufficient foundation for health that the community itself sustains. The long-term vision is to expand student participation and ultimately establish a local dental school to serve the entire nation.

This project’s success is made possible by multiple grants from the Global Visionary Fund and in-kind support from its partnership with Henry Schein Cares.