Dental Missions - Rwanda - April 2026

DCF RETURNS TO AFRICA, RWANDA

Everyone knows that the pandemic not only interrupted our personal and professional lives, but also our ability to continue following the mission which God placed in our lives almost 25 years ago. Fortunately, that season is history and DCF teams have been serving faithfully since resuming international service trips in the Fall of 2023.

For a variety of reasons, we have not been able to schedule a return to Africa since the pandemic. However, this all changed following a conversation with a lovely Korean dentist whom I met at a mission conference a couple years ago. Dr. Thomas Lee is the founder of a dental ministry in Rwanda called His Hands on Africa (HHOA). Check out his amazing story on their website.

Mama and Dr. Bill served many times in Rwanda during the early 2000s. The original purpose of these visits was focused primarily on healing and reconciliation. For those who are not aware, Rwanda suffered a tragic ethnic genocide in 1994 when close to a million people were cruelly murderd in only 90 days. Subsequent to those visits, medical missionaries from our church in Mount Pleasant coordinated dental outreaches. However, after their return to the U.S. DCF teams began visiting Burundi, a small country next to Rwanda.

A team of 5 students (4 D4s and 1 D3) along with 3 graduate dentists have just returned from an amazing 10 day trip back to Rwanda. Over 600 patients received dental care as DCF partnered with the very committed Rwandan staff from HHOA. It was a privilege to share this experience with local dentists and to see firsthand how far this nation has come in recovery from the terrible tragedy 32 years ago.

There were too many high points during the week to adequately cover them all. To name a few, it was a privilege to firsthand experience this unique culture, to serve needy people in a remote community with almost no access to dental care, to provide treatment for men in prison, and to end the trip on a short safari. It’s incredible to see such amazing creatures as lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and zebras in their natural habitat.

We ended the trip by visiting the Rwandan Dental University with their Dean taking us on a tour of the campus while sharing a vision for the future. The facilities were quite nice, but without the latest technological advancements which have become available to our profession.

In spite, they are doing a great job of training enthusiastic students in sound basic dentistry. In many parts of the country the population to dentist ratio is 25 times greater than in the U.S., yet great progress is being made by a faithful group of dental educators.

It is hoped that this trip might be the first step in a collaboration between MUSC and HHOA. I can foresee a great benefit to both organizations as we collectively seek to serve individuals in need both at home and abroad, all while sharing our knowledge and commitment to the dental profession.

Most sincerely,

Dr. Bill