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DO GOOD: A Beach in Western Kenya by Arselia Gales, Assistant Editor

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Header: A Beach in Western Kenya
by Arselia Gales, assistant editor, Dentaltown magazine

In his 30-plus years of humanitarian work, Dr. Frank C. Andolino II has changed thousands of lives and created countless memories.

He's made a plethora of trips overseas to countries like Vietnam and Nepal, but it was his first trip to Kolunga Beach, a migrant fishing village on Rusinga Island in western Kenya, that really resonated with him.

"While working in Tanzania, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. En route to the summit, I met a Peace Corps volunteer who was working on a small project in western Kenya," Andolino said. As the two started talking, Andolino became very invested in this community in need. So he planned a visit.

"I was walking through the village, visiting homes to see firsthand what living conditions were like. Most of the trees on the island had been cut down for cooking fuel, which resulted in a runoff of topsoil into the lake," Andolino said. "The runoff had led to an overgrowth of water hyacinth, which smothered aquatic life by deoxygenating the water, interrupting local subsistence fishing and leading to an increase in diseases like schistosomiasis, bilharzia and malaria."

In addition to the living conditions, Andolino described a community overrun by overwhelming poverty, where women exchanged sex for fish to feed themselves and their children. As a result, the area had extremely high rates of HIV and AIDS.

The houses in Kolunga Beach were tin shacks that became very hot throughout the day. Few people had access to bathrooms, the lack of which created an unbelievable stench.

"Seeing (and smelling) all of this on my first day was overwhelming," Andolino said. "Amid all that, the experience that will forever be etched in my memory was meeting a small boy named Michael. Michael's mouth and hands were covered in sores. His head and legs were infested with ringworms. And like many of the children living in Kolunga Beach, he was starving to death. He and his friends would eat dirt to mitigate the intense hunger pains.

"Seeing the look in Michael's eyes was a defining moment that has propelled and forever kept me dedicated to this journey to motivate for positive social change in the world," Andolino said.

The boy didn't live long enough to benefit from that dedication. Shortly after Andolino returned to the United States, he learned that Michael had died of malnutrition.

"I will never forget Michael," he said. "And his memory will live on in me and through me every day."

Dr. Andolino treating a patient in Tipling, Nepal

The people of Kolunga Beach

A man of many talents
Andolino, an orthodontist practicing in midtown Manhattan, is the recipient of the 2016 American Dental Association Humanitarian Award. The association's highest humanitarian honor recognizes members who have dedicated at least 10 years to improving the oral health of under served populations.

Dentistry wasn't always in Andolino's career path. The former pre-vet student had hopes of becoming a veterinarian and majored in zoology at Michigan State. Somewhere along the way he decided to pursue dentistry, and eventually orthodontics. Andolino is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Dentistry with a certificate in orthodontics from the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery.

"I have been involved in volunteer activities since college," Andolino said. "I taught Laotian refugees English as a second language.

"Dental school was pretty intense, so I didn't have a lot of free time. Once I graduated and moved to New York City, I started volunteering at Covenant House, working with runaway youths, and I also worked with the New York Special Olympics."

Because he wanted to do still more, Andolino joined Health Volunteers Overseas, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC.

"I had an amazing experience teaching in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and looked for other opportunities where I would be able to use my education and skill set to help others," he said.

Andolino went on to become a program director for Health Volunteers Overseas in Vietnam and worked closely with Himalayan HealthCare, an organization in Nepal that helps bring medical and dental treatment to remote villages in the Himalayas. He also taught health care professionals in Vietnam, Cambodia and Sierra Leone.

Back home, he taught surgery and instructed dental residents at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Kageno

While Andolino's list of humanitarian efforts is extensive, he's best known for the work he has done through Kageno, an organization he co-founded in 2003.

Kageno, which translates to "a place of hope" in Kenyan dialect, was created to transform impoverished communities like Kolunga Beach into places of hope and opportunity.

Kageno's footprint covers more than just dentistry. By working with community leaders, the organization aims to develop programs in education, health care, ventures (income generation) and environment. Together, these four programs provide community members with the necessary resources to live healthy and productive lives.

The nonprofit operates two community development projects in Kenya and one in Rwanda. These three projects currently serve more than 24,000 people. Through Kageno, Andolino has helped these once struggling communities to thrive and become self-sufficient. In fact, Kageno's initial programs in Rusinga Island are now successfully run by the community itself.

Andolino's work will be recognized in October at the annual ADA meeting in Denver. In addition, award winners receive $10,000 that is to be donated to a charity of their choice. Andolino will donate the funds to his nonprofit organization, Kageno.

Dr. Andolino teaching in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Dr. Andolino mixing concrete for the foundation of a Kageno nursery school

Dr. Andolino attending the opening ceremony for the Kageno nursery school

Moving forward
Andolino doesn't necessarily like drawing attention to himself.

"When [ADA President] Dr. Summerhays called to tell me that I would be receiving the ADA Humanitarian award, I was literally speechless," he said. "I had absolutely no idea that I was even nominated. I was both honored and elated to have been chosen for the award, but I'm uncomfortable being in the spotlight and having attention focused on me. I always prefer to work behind the scenes."

Andolino hopes to visit Rwanda and Kenya soon to check in on Kageno's projects. A trip to Haiti may also be in the works.

Frank Andolino isn't slowing down.

For more information, to get involved or make a donation, visit kageno.org.

Michael, shortlhy before he died

Dr. Andolino in Banda Village, Rwanda



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April 2024
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