Nuevas Sonrisas and Colgate-Palmolive in Santa Catarina Mita, 2023 – 2026

Nuevas Sonrisas and the children of Santa Catarina Mita schools are fortunate to have the very important support of Colgate-Palmolive in Guatemala during our Dental Week in the community. Because of Colgate’s generous support, all the children in the schools we serve in the area receive a large red Colgate cup, a large toothpaste, a travel size toothpaste and a toothbrush during Dental Week. The Colgate kits are an integral component of the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program.

In 2024, for the first time, 67 schools in the community received support from Colgate. This year even the schools not currently served by Nuevas Sonrisas during Dental Week received a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

The benefits of receiving toothbrushing supplies will be felt by the children and their families for a long time. Parent and classroom dental health education are critical parts of our prevention program, and Colgate’s support  is a key element for success in promoting healthy oral health and good daily brushing habits.

We especially want to thank Julia Ruggiere, one of our valued volunteers, who helped initiate and develop this relationship and program with Colgate-Palmolive.  We look forward to continuing our relationship with Colgate and its Central American team in the future. Thank you Colgate!

This year we also thank Esmeralda, our dental program liason in Guatemala, who collaborated with the Municipality, the school district and Colgate to make sure that every child in every school in the area was supported by Colgate!

A health worker is presenting dental health information to 3rd-6th grade students at Quebracho.  A large Colgate dental poster was put up in each classroom after the presentation.

The mobile prevention teams work all week in collaboration with “salubristas” or health workers from the local Ministry of Health to apply fluoride, present dental health education to parents and to children and pass out Colgate kits to children in over 200 classrooms. In addition, all the students served in the clinic also receive Colgate kits.

Our local Dental Program Coordinator in Guatemala, Esme, traveled to the Colgate distribution center to ltransport all the supplies for Santa Catarina Mita’s schoolchildren.

Julia Ruggiere, seen here helping pack Colgate supplies, was very instrumental in initiating our relationship with Colgate-Palmolive for this project.