Click on the image above to view a performance by the Ugandan musical group, The Chosen, at the UNMC College of Dentistry Pediatric Dental Clinic in Omaha on Monday.
Their smiles were thanks enough for the pediatric dental residents, faculty and staff at the UNMC College of Dentistry Pediatric Dental Clinic in Omaha.
But when the five children from Uganda began to sing, it was the residents turn to smile.
The Ugandan children, ranging in age from 10 to 13, made a stop at the pediatric clinic Monday morning to get their teeth cleaned and sealed. One child also had a rather troublesome tooth extracted.
More importantly, for some of the children, it was their first visit to a dentist.
In exchange for the services provided, the children — who are part of a musical act called The Chosen — performed a musical number from their show.
The Chosen are in Omaha to raise awareness and some much needed funds for the AIDS Orphan Education Trust (AOET).
In Uganda alone more than one million people are afflicted by HIV/AIDS.
Two million Ugandan children have been orphaned as a direct result of the AIDS epidemic.
The AOET is a non-governmental organization in Uganda that offers financial assistance to Ugandan families who take in a child orphaned by AIDS.
“Many times these children have lost one or both of their parents and are sent to live with an aunt or uncle who may already have several children they are raising,” said Nancy Tushabe, who accompanied the children. “We offer financial assistance to help that family so the child can stay in a loving home.”
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Pediatric dental resident Nick Woodward, D.D.S., and Perusi Nabanja, 12. |
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Nancy Tushabe with daughter Bethany Tushabe, 3. Tushabe’s husband Sam founded the AIDS Orphan Education Trust, and the musical group “The Chosen.” Several members of the group were at the UNMC College of Dentistry Pediatric Dental Clinic in Omaha receiving care Monday. |
“Sam had overheard the woman tell the shopkeeper that she was being sent her ninth child to care for and she didn’t know how she was going to make it,” Tushabe said. “He waited for her outside of the store and told her, ‘If you take the child into your home, I will pay for their medical and education expenses,’ and from there it just grew.”
The Chosen musical group is composed of children who have lost their parents due to AIDS or whose families are already so overburdened that they cannot afford to pay for their children to attend school or see a doctor.
“In order to send a child to school in Uganda you have to pay for their books, uniforms and school fees, many families cannot afford to do so,” Tushabe said.
With the help of AOET many families are welcoming these children into their homes.
The Chosen are visiting Nebraska this week and will perform at several area churches and schools.
The Chosen will perform following a 6 p.m. dinner on Wednesday at Temple Israel, 70th and Cass streets, and at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday at Countryside Church at 87th and Pacific streets. Both performances are free and open to the public.
To find out more about AOET visit www.aoet.org or www.chosen-uganda.org.
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Back row, from left: Tammy Benak, dental assistant, Shawn Powell, D.D.S., assistant professor in the UNMC College of Dentistry; pediatric residents Nick Woodward, D.D.S., and Amy Kebriaei, D.D.S.; Fouad Salama, D.D.S., director of the UNMC Pediatric Dental Clinic; resident Julie Haman, D.D.S., Nicole Lester; and dental assistants Nicole Lester and Raquel Porter. Front row, from left: Dental assistant Cristina Pachon, Isaac Matovu, 12; Edison Granati, 13; Hellen Kirabo, 10; Perusi Nabanja, 12; and Scovia Masia, 11. |