Scotmal Oral Health Aid Trustees Annual Report For the Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Charity No SC045362 ## **Scotmal Oral Health Aid** ## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their annual report for the year ending 31[st] March 2021 ## **Name & Address** The Trust’s name is Scotmal Oral Health Aid and it may be contacted via, : ScotMal Oral Health Aid, 38 Wood Avenue, Dumfries, DG12 6DE, email: info@scoha.org.uk OR ( ) Website: www.scoha.org.uk ## **Governing Document** Scotmal Oral Health Aid (ScoHa) is an incorporated charitable organisation, registered as a Scottish Charity – No SC045362, and the purposes and administration arrangements are set out in our constitution and governance manual. ScoHa is overseen by a Board of five Trustees and the chairman and contact person is Mr Vincent Mzembe. ## **Charitable Purposes** The purposes of ScoHa, as recorded in the constitution, are: This clause shall be interpreted as if it incorporates an over-riding qualification limiting the powers of the Charity such that any activity which would otherwise be permitted by the terms of the constitution may be carried on only if that activity furthers a purpose which is regarded as charitable. Subject to that overriding qualification, the Charity's principal purpose is to provide oral health aid to rural population in Malawi through provision of basic oral health procedures in mobile vans and offer training to rural health workers so that they can render dental problems relief and in furtherance thereof: - To provide oral health education to rural masses as a preventive measure in line with the principal aim; To undertake innovative work consistent with the principal purpose; To provide basic dental training to rural health workers so that they can provide emergency dental problem relief to the disadvantaged communities; To raise funds to support the principal purpose; 1 To co-operate with statutory bodies and with voluntary bodies, both within the area of benefit and out with, which support the Charity's purposes; and do all things which are lawful to promote the principal purpose. ## **Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees** Trustees are recruited and appointed in accordance with the Constitution. ## **Trustees** /Oral Health Promoter/Contact Person Chairman The Trustees have expertise in governance of non-governmental organisations, healthcare management, oral health surveys, dental treatment and fundraising. In ScoHa thorough governance processes are being developed. ScoHa has also works in partnership a separate sister branch in Malawi which is run in association with our partners; Ginnery Corner Dental Centre a member of Malawi Scotland Partnership (MasP). ScoHa (Malawi) board of trustees are: Secretary Fundraising co-ordinator Treasurer Project director Vice chair Chairman ## **Activities & Achievements** From our report last time we reported that one of our research trustees was involved with an academic study he is conducting for his doctoral work at Dundee Dental School on comparative analysis of communication behaviour during oral health education and health coaching in primary dental in Malawi. This study is divided into four parts: ## 1. A Scoping review report 2. A survey on attitudes of Malawian oral health professionals during health education 3. A cross-sectional observation study of Malawian oral health professionals during conversations with patients 4. A qualitative study to gather feedback following training of Malawian oral health professionals on the health coaching concept 2 Remus made this to be part of SCOHA because this study is in line with scoha objectives as it is focussing on education and finding affordable cost-effective OD prevention strategy for rural masses who cannot afford the costly dental treatment. Remus was scheduled to travel to Malawi for his data collection last year in April, however due to covid-19 pandemic everything was done virtually. Research assistants from Malawi were used to gather survey data, a videographer was recruited to video record the clinician-patient conversations for the crosssectional observation study and virtual platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Zoom and Emailing were used to train Malawian oral health professionals in the health coaching concept for the qualitive feedback study. Remus together with other researchers from the School of Dentistry at University of Dundee was also involved in another study on surveying fluorosis levels in Blantyre rural. This is also in line with the objectives of ScoHa. Data for this survey was also gathered by research assistants recruited from Malawi. Remus still practices dentistry in the NHS practice in Dumfries and he is trying hard to contribute to the improvement of oral healthcare delivery back home in Malawi. ## **Organisational – The Work of the Trustees** Since its inception in 2015, the Trustees in Scotland have held more than ten meetings. However the past two years due to covid-19 pandemic, the meetings were done through ZOOM. In addition, Trustees keep in regular contact through informal meetings and by email communication, text messaging and phone calls. Opportunities for networking have been taken through meetings of the ScotlandMalawi Partnership (SMP) where ScoHa is a registered member and of the NIDOS. ScoHa website (www.scoha.org.uk) provides information on the intended projects in Malawi. It has a section on “our vision” that outlines how ScoHa recognizes that many Malawians live with extreme pain due to lack of dental health care. ScoHa is working hard to contribute to the alleviation of the need for emergency dental care for the rural population of Malawi. Another section on “our strategy” outline how ScoHa will endeavor to form partnerships with dental professionals and institutions who donate their valuable time and services to conduct various dental activitie ScoHa keeps records such as; - Fundraising Plan, - Governance manual, - Strategic Plan, - List of regulatory Bodies and Useful Contacts To seek the highest standards of governance, we follow the five Principles for effectiveness in international development that comprise the NIDOS Effectiveness Tool. 3 No record has been kept of the total number of hours worked by Trustees, ## **Fundraising and Funds** In the near future, ScoHa plans to start organising fundraising activities such as dinner dances, pub quizzes, Christmas parties, Malawian cultural evenings in partnership with other charities with similar interests in Scotland. ## **Operations in Malawi** In Malawi ScoHa plans to start working in the southern region once funds have been found. ScoHa has chosen to start work in Blantyre rural. Funds permitting ScoHa will move to central and northern regions of Malawi. ## **Next Steps** - Attempts will be made at making grant applications to fund oral health projects in Malawi as stipulated in the aims of ScoHa. - Awareness talks about ScoHa will be conducted in various diaspora groups which have links to Malawi. - The website www.scoha.org.uk will be regularly updated. - An improvement to Trust governance will be sought, by further implementation of the principles of the NIDOS Effectiveness Tool. - Involvement will be maintained in the Scotland-Malawi Partnership organisation to ensure that best practice of working in Malawi is followed, and with NIDOS to ensure that the ScoHa follows their Good Practice Guide. Approved by the Trustees on 31[st] March 2021 and signed on their behalf by: - Chairman **ScotMal Oral Health Aid** 4