In the school holidays this October, four volunteers bravely faced the Sarnelli House kids at 6.30 am, armed with their toothbrushes and toothpaste and new tooth brush and toothpaste sets for the children. The plan was to check out how the kids cleaned their teeth and demonstrate and teach them if they were a bit lacking in toothbrushing techniques. Unsurprisingly the little boys were eager to “learn” – especially as there was water involved. Despite the decaying condition of some of the boys’ teeth they knew how to clean their teeth and were eager to show off. Perched on top of the basin they cleaned and cleaned and were filled with pride at the cheers and acknowledgements. The girls on the other hand were a whole new ball game – they looked at the teaching with disdain. It was evident that they didn’t need any teaching or coaching and that they were quite able to clean their teeth correctly thank you very much. But they submitted to one quick lesson that morning, but the following morning they were all done with learning, so the volunteers, knowing that they were beaten by a bunch of indignant 10 year old girls gracefully backed out and went back to the fun loving boys.
Now the ongoing challenge is getting the children to actually practice what they know - twice a day.