After a 22-hour flight, I arrived at Johannesburg Airport in South Africa. It was already 9 pm when I arrived, and there was no flight to Malawi until the next morning, so I found a homestay near the airport to spend the night. The next morning at 8 am, I was joined by Dr. Lai from the United States at the airport and flew to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. Eileen, the director of the local Amitofo Care Centre (ACC), personally picked us up at the airport. When we arrived at ACC, the children welcomed us with beautiful singing. When I heard them singing "Dear Daddy", my tears almost fell! Because these more than 220 children usually call me "Daddy Chou".
Dr. Lai then began to check the dental cleaning equipment purchased from China, including a high-pressure sterilizer, an ultrasonic dental scaler and a saliva suction machine, which were brought to Malawi by Hong Kong volunteer Shun Sin three days ago. It was a miracle that she was able to carry so many devices through customs without being harassed!
The six-member teeth cleaning team of Lilongwei ACC has helped more than 200 children to clean their teeth in the past ten months. Daddy Chou gave each of them a pair of new shoes to encourage them. Dr. Lai reviewed their techniques again to ensure that they were doing it correctly and safely to avoid cross infection, especially on children with AIDS. In the future, ACC children will be able to have their teeth cleaned at least once a year, which will greatly reduce tooth decay and other dental problems.
