To mark the upcoming World Oral Health Day on 20 March, the Clicks Helping Hand Trust and Aquafresh have donated toothbrushes and toothpastes to the Athlone School for the Blind in Bellville, Cape Town. This forms part of a broader donation of 400,000 toothbrushes by Aquafresh, Colgate and Oral-B to schools across South Africa.
The Athlone School for the Blind houses an Early Childhood Development Centre, a primary school, a high school and a department that teaches learners everyday life skills. There are currently 309 learners at the school. Some of these learners are partially sighted while a large majority are completely blind.
Clicks managing executive Vikash Singh commented: “We are excited to be part of this initiative that will make a real difference to the wellbeing of these children by sharing the importance of taking care of their teeth and gums. Many people don’t realise that the mouth is the window to their overall health and that poor oral hygiene can negatively impact your health and wellbeing as well as quality of life.”
School headmaster Dr John Philander expressed his gratitude to Clicks and Aquafresh, saying that the donation will go a long way in ensuring that the children have healthy teeth and gums as many of the learners come from challenging economic circumstances, where their families rely almost entirely on social grants.
According to Aquafresh’s group marketing manager of oral healthcare, Nomvula Ngobo, this year their focus will be on motivating people to value and take care of their mouths.
“Building confidence has to start at an early age to foster success in our young ones; we believe there is a strong correlation between confidence and oral health. When we promote good oral health, we are giving our young ones the start they need to be successful,” Ngobo said.
