Saving Smiles
Passionate about quality healthcare as a right for all ?Spiti has limited access to basic diagnosis, treatment, and medications. Regular medical treatment isn’t a given, as it ideally should be. Resources are minimal and healthcare facilities are located far away. Families visit doctors only when medical conditions deteriorate. Under these circumstances, Oral Health is the last thing on many people’s mind and dental care is largely ignored.
Little to no emphasis is given to dental hygiene. The result? Adults lose most of their teeth to cavities in their 40’s. Children experience tooth decay even before their permanent teeth come out. People avail the limited dental facilities only in extreme conditions, which mostly results in tooth extraction.
We believe that quality healthcare should be accessible, affordable, and available to everyone. To realize this vision, MUSE (our NGO arm) along with Ecosphere continues to organize numerous health interventions in Spiti.
As part of our ongoing interventions to improve Oral Health and Hygiene, we have initiated an Oral Health Program in Spiti Valley. Under the program, the team organises dental camps across Spiti for oral health awareness, assessments and diagnosis. We also run a Charitable Dental Clinic at Kaza.
We’re looking for passionate and committed dentists/ dental students as volunteers / interns who want to participate actively in our dental camps and clinic.
This is an opportunity to gain first-hand experience working in on-ground medical programs, especially those that are contextual to the needs of remote mountain communities.
Your role would include:
- Assess patients, prepare case sheets, OPD & scheduling patient appointments.
- Assist our Dentist
- Perform regular Fillings, Scaling, Digital X-Ray, basic extractions & RCT under the supervision of our Dentist.
- Prepare RPD, CD etc as need be.
- Maintain patient-wise, village-wise records of each camp
- Assist in inventory management, record keeping and maintenance
- Assist with documentation, data collection, photographs etc.
- Support our Dentist in activities such as Oral Health awareness/education sessions
- Help with camp set up, management and coordination.
₹5,000.00
Play a part in enabling access to quality oral healthcare for remote rural communities. Volunteer or Intern to assist, support and document activities at our Charitable Dental Clinic and Dental Camps in villages across Spiti.
If you are a dentist / dental student and can dedicate a minimum of 6 days (excluding travel time), we would love to have you over! It would be great if you can come for longer. In our experience, it takes a few days to settle in and acclimatize to the altitude before you can meaningfully begin volunteering.
Tentative Schedule:
Sunday – Arrive & Settle in
Monday to Friday – Assist at the Charitable Dental Clinic
Saturday – Assist at Village Outreach Camps
Sunday – Free to Depart
Your stay and meals will be in Kaza.
Being a social enterprise working on and supporting various community initiatives in the region we expect our volunteers to cover their own cost of stay and food which is provided at a nominal amount.
1 week – Rs. 5000 (shared room). You will be sharing a room (with 2 to 4 volunteers) with an attached toilet.
1 week – Rs. 10000 (separate room). You will get a separate room with attached toilet (subject to availablity).
- You are expected to have a good level of commitment while volunteering or interning with Ecosphere.
- Volunteers / Interns are treated as team members and not as clients. So if you expect otherwise or have any concerns do let us know beforehand or speak with the Ecosphere management team immediately. If it is within our means we will do our best to address your concern. If we feel that you do not fit, you will be requested to leave.
- If you’re keen to travel around Spiti, please keep a few extra days before or after your volunteering period.
Meaningful Impact |
You make Spiti an even better place.
Friendships for life |
Connections that transcend language, culture, nationality, or economic differences
Become part of Spiti’s life and culture |
Live their lives and hear their stories as an insider
Amazing fun! |
Happiness for the body and soul – mountain-style!
Learn something new |
Try things you’ve never done before