Imvelo Safari Lodges treated 7,200 patients during their recent Smile, See and Sew Safari in Hwange, Zimbabwe

Imvelo Safari Lodges facilitated the treatment of 7,200 patients during their recent Smile, See and Sew Safari in the rural communities adjacent to Hwange NP, Zimbabwe.  The idea was born in 2011, around a camp fire and first started with a mobile dental safari that treated 1100 patients 99% of whom had never had dental treatment.  In late 2024 it has grown into a massive multi-pronged medical outreach that treated 7200 patients in six days at the six clinics they set up, five of which were in tented signature mobile ‘hospitals’.

Precision and an enormous team of dentists, opticians, support staff, our Cobra Scouts and Imvelo ensure the success and support for this annual event.  

One small story that made my heart sing was about the The Cobra scouts from the Community Wildlife Protection Unit who have always been so much more than just an anti-poaching unit. Not only do they guard their community’s rhinos and other wildlife, but they also help their communities every day.

Since 2019 the Cobras have been very much a part of our Smile and See. Firstly, all the visiting doctors and nurses and support staff love to visit the Rhino Sanctuary and enjoy time with the rhinos but it is at the medical outreach where the Cobras really shine. Fit, strong, agile and motivated they are key in breaking down the huge mobile marquee tented ‘hospital’ every evening, loading it into trucks, and then driving through the night to the next site to set it all up again first thing the following morning.

Early in the morning the Cobras are key to the smooth running required to handle a thousand plus patients every day. They assist doctors and nurses in record keeping, direct patients, help kids and the elderly, give oral hygiene talks to scholars when nurses take a break, endlessly fetching and moving tables and chairs from one tent to another as needed and always with proud smiles and cheerful greetings for friends and family in the lines.

And all through the long days you can see people young and old from all parts of the District recognizing their Cobra scouts, tall in their smart uniforms, sharing the pride for our very own local heroes.

Read more about this wonderful community upliftment project : https://imvelosafarilodges.com/our-best-and-biggest-smile-and-see-ever-smile-2024/