3 Mar. 2008
Kapllan Mahala/Begaj, Kosovo - Captain Heinz K. and 1st Lieutenant Ralf H. are a Liaison Monitoring Team (LMT). Their sector of activity is composed of small villages in the area of Malisevo.
The work of the Liaison Monitoring Teams is nourished by the contacts that they maintain with people in their area of responsibility, the most active ones being those with the schools in that area.
"As soldiers, we cannot simply distribute donations only. Born of that reasoning was the idea to give counseling and practical help to the people. After having thought out how to implement useful actions and technical support from medical personnel had been arranged, we offered dental-care counseling for children to the schools and first-aid training to the teachers. The teachers' reaction to the offers and the initial results have been highly positive,“ explained the two LMT officers.
That is why, today, they and a lady dentist from Camp Prizren are on the road to schools in Kapllan Mahala and Begaj. Major Kathleen Z. wants to awaken awareness among the pre-school children of the need to brush their teeth regularly and give the children advice on the proper handling of toothbrushes and toothpaste.
To heighten their attentiveness, the uniformed dentist tells the story of Carius and Bactus to the children sitting on their classroom benches. These two really bad guys are after destroying children's teeth. The look in the eyes of the preschool children tells their fascination with this story. When the lady dentist unpacks the two big, hinged dental models and starts showing with an over-sized toothbrush how to brush teeth in the proper way, she is sure to have the children's full attention. Now all of them want to scrub around the dental model with the brush and can hardly await their turn. The kindergarten teachers and one LMT interpreter explain to each child the sequence they have to follow in brushing the teeth.
After everyone has practiced on the model, each of the 27 children receives a toothbrush as a present. When all of them have been given a cup filled with water, Kathleen Z. distributes the toothpaste and shows how to clean the teeth carefully without applying too much pressure. Following the lady dentist's toothbrush movements with their eyes, the children emulate her and brush their own teeth. During the ensuing rinsing, there is a great rush around the bucket put in place for the occasion.
At the behest of the kindergarten teacher in Begaj, Major (MC) Kathleen Z. checks the milk teeth of "her" children. After each child, sitting well-behaved on the dentist's lap, has opened his or her mouth and the teeth have been examined in the light of a pocket lamp, a list is drawn naming the children where Carius and Bactus have already made their nefarious incursion.
Story by: Captain Gerhard H. Fahn
Photos: Sergeant First Class Christian Korff
