Four villages on the Rio Uniní received medical and dental treatment in 2 1/2 days. The first was Vista Alegre.
Every mission starts by loading up the equipment from the Manaus base and hauling equipment and volunteers to the airplane. Folding chairs and an air compressor for dental patients, medicines, and many basic materials are carried mutiple times.
Dra. Audelene, a dentist, working with a patient. In 2003, Dra. Audelene has resigned her private practice as a dental surgeon and has moved to Manaus to serve as a full time missionary with Asas de Socorro.
Dr. Joel was the other dentist, and also served as a guitar-playing evangelist.
Dra. Carla was the medical doctor. More relaxed to the right, we see her lovely smile.
Dra. Audelene teaching dental hygiene. The medical and dental volunteers are Christians who share their faith freely in word and deed.
This sweet baby girl was displayed until she had lost all patience. She is the delight of her family.
This village had small but brightly painted houses on stilts. There were usually quite a few family members living in each one.
It was bath time in the river for this little girl, who was going down the hill with her mother. Her hair is rather light in color, which may be due to racial mixing or maybe malnutrition.
Yum! Turtles for supper tonight! But first they have to be washed and cleaned out.
A final image of life on the Rio Uniní: Most villages have no privy (and no homes do). This privy sits out over the river, just upstream from a few garden plants. One day there will be a hard rain and the privy will be washed away. For now, though, the privy shares space with the bath area, drinking water area, and the poor man's hydroponic garden.
