MAKE THE CHILDREN SMILE AGAIN. DO YOU WANT TO SMILE WITH US? Little Smiles of Hope (LSoH) is a philanthropy program created to help and support children who live in vulnerable conditions. These children come from families living in poverty or extreme poverty and are at social risk. Because of their young age they require specialized treatment the Costa Rican socialized medical system does not provide.
CONTACT INFO United States 208-243-0619 Costa Rica (506) 252-40185 2234-5282
little_smiles@yahoo.com 2234-5282 littlesmilesofhopecr@gmail.com
HOW WE STARTED The LSoH program started as a dream when Dr. Maritza Barboza was completing her post-degree in pediatric dentistry. She was treating many kids with accumulated needs of oral health due to their difficulties accessing proper and rapid care. With the initial help of Dra. Barboza’s husband and business partners, these patients started their treatments during the last two years of her post-degree. This dream started as a pilot project in 2015 thanks to the benevolent support of Mr. Bryan Herr and his lovely wife Delinda. Since then others have joined the philanthropic effort. Thanks to the donations from amazing people more than 500 kids are now part of our program and have a healthy, happy and cavity free smile. Our goal is to expand and treat as many children as possible. Our primary focus are children under six years old. The objective is for these little ones to be able to start elementary school free from pain and able to properly consume the public school provided daily meal (In far too many cases the only nutritional meal of the day). Although priority is given to the pre-school and first grade age range, this is not exclusive and also extends to older siblings. We want to have all the kids in the same house healthy. The program also plays a crucial role in educating the caretaker so the children’s oral procedures and care are appropriate. We have found this has a multiplying positive impact in their communities.
CONTACT INFO United States 208-243-0619 Costa Rica (506) 252-40185
little_smiles@yahoo.com 2234-5282 littlesmilesofhopecr@gmail.com
COMPROMISE AND COLLABORATION • We are accepting more kids into the program now than ever before. We are treating children living in numerous communities from both urban and rural regions of Costa Rica. The risk of the coronavirus has not stopped us! • We are providing dental care that prevents teeth and gum problems and educates and helps children and their families have healthy happy smiles. They learn how important it is to have oral health and how this improves their lives. • One year ago we established a project that provides art classes for the children as a way to help them learn about values. • We are also working with other nonprofit organizations to help the children integrally. They provide the educational resources and we provide dental care and oral health education. Now more professionals want to join us. These professionals have come to see that through collaboration the lives of children in the program improve exponentially. PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT • Happy Little Sleepers: Bunk beds donated to children who do not have adequate sleeping conditions (Sadly, in many cases children of the LSoH program do not even have a bed and are forced to sleep on the floor). • Art shop: To motivate a love for arts and encourage creativity. • Recycling and reutilization of different materials: To encourage the habit of environmental responsibly.
CONTACT INFO United States 208-243-0619 Costa Rica (506) 252-40185
little_smiles@yahoo.com 2234-5282 littlesmilesofhopecr@gmail.com
SPECIAL THANKS We want to give a very special thank you to Mr. Bryan Herr who believed in and supported this amazing program in Costa Rica from the very beginning. Indeed, if it were not for Mr. Bryan Herr the Little Smiles of Hope project would never have been born. We also want to express our gratitude to Mr. Edward Dominion and his incredible team from D6 . It is due to Mr. Edward Dominion and his amazing dedicated team the PMA LSoH philanthropy event is a successful reality every year. Other than this horrible 2020!!! Unfortunately this year the event was canceled due to world wide Sars-Cov-2 sanitary crisis. Of course this has really placed a burden on the LSoH philanthropy funds and yet we are working now more than ever before. The medical public health facilities and professionals are so overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases they simply cannot dedicate time to oral health issues. This of course means even more families require our help.
WE WOULD BE HONORED TO HAVE YOU AS PART OF OUR LITTLE SMILES OF HOPE FAMILY. YOUR HELP MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD.
Little Smiles of Hope is a 501c3 organization in the US!!! IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT, PLEASE LET US KNOW!! CONTACT INFO United States 208-243-0619 Costa Rica (506) 252-40185
little_smiles@yahoo.com 2234-5282 littlesmilesofhopecr@gmail.com