After several years working to improve the dental health of towns in countries such as Mauritania or Peru, Christian Vargas, the chairman of Acción Planetaria, thought, “People here also needs help.” And this is how the Les 1001 Dents clinic was opened in 2012, offering dental care to people without resources.
This clinic has a private section and another run by an NGO which bases its raison d'etre on solidarity by establishing a chain of solidarity in which each person does his part. In a close and family atmosphere, the regular patients contribute with 13% of their bill to finance consultations and treatments for those who have no resources. All this is carried out without increasing costs, as the NGO has surrendered its profit margin.
In addition, Les 1001 Dents has more than thirty dentists and assistants that combine their work with the voluntary work in international cooperation healthcare projects in Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Peru.
The patients looked after by the NGO become part of a time bank in which they help other citizens that need help in different ways, such as by providing their professional services or accompanying older people. As a result, a solidarity chain is forged that guarantees the continuity of the project and multiplies the efforts.
From our Foundation, we collaborate with Acción Planetaria by supporting projects such as "The Elephant's Memory", which is carried out in Mauritania and trains new local dentists with the aim of them taking care of the dentist office opened by the organization in the town of Maghama, an area without any healthcare professionals.
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