Orem—On November 6, 2009, 33 volunteers will join International Aid Serving Kids (IASK) on a humanitarian mission to the region of Higuey, in the Dominican Republic. This group includes three doctors, a physician’s assistant, a pharmacist, two dentists, a hygienist, and several nurses from Utah Valley and Salt Lake Valley. This group also includes several returned missionaries from Spanish speaking countries, including the Dominican Republic, who are excited to serve. We also have volunteers from Canada, Arizona, and California.

IASK provides medical and dental care to children in the bateys of the Dominican Republic and in Haiti. Our three areas of focus include prevention, treatment, and onsite training for caregivers.

The goal of the November trip is to alleviate and eliminate pain and suffering from malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, anemia, neo natal infections, diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, dental decay, and periodontal disease. Children receive priority treatment, and we concentrate our efforts on problems for which we can make the most difference. Where appropriate, we provide additional education on areas such as infant bottle rot, sanitation, and the use of fluoride supplements to strengthen teeth. We also teach the community how to use fluid and electrolyte replacement, how diarrheal diseases spread, and how to prevent these problems. We supplement our efforts by providing dental hygiene kits and vitamins to patients and local caregivers, enabling them to help themselves in our absence.

We constantly seek help and are interested in volunteer dentists and medical professionals to consult or serve with our humanitarian teams. We also need donations used to purchase needed medications, vitamins, and medical and dental supplies and equipment. If you would like to help or make a donation, please visit our web site at liftalife.org. Rest assured that we use 100% of your donation for equipment and supplies to support our humanitarian efforts.

To prepare for our trip to the Dominican Republic, we will hold a packing day activity at the LDS church at 1200 N. 800 E. in Orem, on Saturday, Oct 24, starting at 9:00 a.m. When we return, we will hold a public event in which the participants and IASK leadership will report to donors, sponsors, volunteers, and the public on how everyone’s support and contributions helped these children.

IASK is a volunteer non-profit organization for child advocacy and humanitarian aid. IASK was founded in 2002 with the belief that one person can make a difference in the world. We work with families, volunteers, and a variety of partners to support international orphaned and abandoned children in need of shelter, food, education, clothing, and health care. We profoundly thank the corporate and individual donors who help us each year. For more information about IASK, please visit our web site at liftalife.org.