After our visit to Gabon, Africa in 2003, Dr. Ahpin was determined to get even more hands-on with the people. He was limited in his ability to be able to provide free dentistry by the hospital we visited, so he decided to set out on his own and make sure he reached people who otherwise had no access to dental services.

In 2005 he successfully established a traveling dental unit providing all of his own equipment and supplies for visits to Niger, Africa. The equipment needed for dentistry is complex and includes a self-contained unit to provide suction, water, and a hand piece. Of course for this he needed a generator and water supply.

After an initial information-gathering trip to Niger in 2004, he began his first dental mission in January 2005 with the Christian Missionary Alliance Church who already had an established medical mission regularly traveling to Niger. He travels with the doctors and nurses to remote regions of Niger, often sleeping under the stars and sometimes working under a tree without the use of his equipment.

In 2007 he successfully established a charitable organization to accept donations and funding for the dental unit in Niger, Africa. The charity’s name is officially “Africa Smiles on Healthcare Foundation”. Donations can be received at our office with an official tax receipt provided. Currently most of the funding comes from Dr. Ahpin himself.

In 2009 we moved our equipment to Bamako, Mali and began working with Grace Between Nations under Nouhoum Coulibally.  Nouhoum is a native of the area and just has started a school there in September 2010.  He has a vision to provide a faith based school, medical clinic, and church for his countrymen.  In January 2010 Dr. Ahpin travelled to Mali and provided dental services for 250 people in five days, the praise for his efforts was very touching.

Dr. Ahpin's next visit to Bamako, Mali is planned for March 2012.