GLO Science and the GLO Good Foundation head to Rwanda
Jonathan and Stacey first visited Rwanda two years ago with their friends. They teamed up with Foundation Rwanda founders Jonathan Torgovnik and Jules Shell.
On that trip they explored what happened during the genocide in 1994 and met many genocide survivors.They visited the Genocide Museum, and spent time with the silverback gorillas in the Burundi mountains:-) Visiting NGOs where women were making product being sold in the USA, spending time with Fair Trade leaders. They had the extreme pleasure to have dinner with President Kagami, his wife and some of his cabinet members. Above all, the time spent with the Foundation Rwanda moms and their children was what inspired them to not leave Rwanda, without the promise of coming back.
If you have been there, you know that it was a magical life changing trip. The idea of leaving without making a difference was not an option, and so, the idea of a foundation was born. Always learning, and thinking about teaching, Dr. Levine and Stacey explored the idea of helping with a dental initiative. There was clearly an urgent need for good oral healthcare in Rwanda.
Two years later, Dr. Levine and Stacey Levine launched their new company GLO Science --nationwide at Sephora and Home Shopping Network and began to work on building the GLO Good Foundation.
They launched the GLO Good Foundation in August 2011, with the mission to build oral health initiatives in under-served populations - globally. In August, they traveled with a team of professionals - Dr. Maria Dias from the practice, their son Cody Levine, and Samantha Israel from GLO--to begin their oral health initiative. Suitcases packed with brilliant blue backpacks stuffed with dental essentials to give to moms and kids-dental supplies needed to perform the initiative-they landed in Rwanda!
GLO Good provides the tools needed such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, and mirrors for oral cancer screenings, educates families on the importance of taking care of their oral health, performs screenings and treatment to patients in need, and has developed a program to train local dentists that will facilitate the delivery of care ongoing. The ultimate goal-is to build a GLO Good mobile dental van, that can bring the care directly to those in need. there and here .
On this trip, GLO Good joined forces with Foundation Rwanda--an organization that supports children born of rape during Rwandan genocide and their mothers. "Foundation Rwanda was a perfect organization to partner with. As board members we are fully aware of the work they are doing, and love how they do it. Providing care to Foundation Rwanda beneficiaries was a natural place for us to start," said Dr. Levine. As well, GLO Good partnered with Agahozo Shalom Youth Village founded by Anne Heyman and was able to screen and spend the day with some of the children from the school.
On this first GLO Good trip we changed a persons life. We gave someone hope and promise-all in the act of giving her back her smile. Leaving the country-we knew that we empowered someone to make smiling a mission, and to be able to teach a community how to care best for their smiles, and cherish the act of smiling again.
We are excited to share this meaningful mission with you.
Here we are in Rwanda
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Oral Health 101 Dr. Jonathan Levine with his translator teaching an audience of 200+ |
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Screenings Dr. Jonathan Levine teaching a young boy how to take care of his teeth to maintain a |
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Agathe When Dr. Levine and Stacey first traveled to Rwanda 2 years ago they met Agathe. Agathe was a victim of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. She lost her entire family and also was severely injured. All of her front teeth were knocked out and the loss of her smile was a constant reminder of the trauma she suffered. The Levine's vowed to remember Agathe, and one of the main reasons they came back on this trip 2 years later was to give Agathe back her smile.
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Fun at the Clinic While the rest of their family and friends are waiting for their turn in the clinic, |
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Teaching Dr. Maria Dias from the Jonathan B. Levine & Associates team, working and teaching tips on how to floss. |
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Lunch A day at the GLO | Good oral health clinic included lunch for everyone. People were in great spirits! |
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Dr. Levine, Stacey & Friends Dr. Levine and Stacey Levine with their new friends at the clinic. |
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