From 8-14 September 2026, a seven-day volunteer clinic will deliver vital life changing dental care, education and preventive treatment to children in one of Cambodia’s most remote communities.
Shinta Mani Wild will host a week-long volunteer dental mission in partnership with Global Dental Relief (GDR) and the Shinta Mani Foundation (SMF), bringing free dental care to children living in the remote communities surrounding the luxury conservation camp in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains.
Alongside dental care will be the introduction of a children’s multivitamin programme to complement the clinic, helping address broader health and nutritional needs within the surrounding communities and reinforcing a preventative approach to healthcare.
The field dental clinic will be established at Prey Praseth Primary School, providing dental examinations, preventative treatments, restorative care and oral health education for hundreds of children who would otherwise have little or no access to professional dental services.
The initiative builds on the long-standing partnership between Global Dental Relief (GDR) and the Shinta Mani Foundation (SMF), which began in 2014. Since then, GDR has travelled to Cambodia annually, typically three times a year, to conduct five dental clinics with teams of 16–20 volunteer dental professionals and general volunteers to help run the clinic.
Together, the partnership has transformed the oral health of thousands of Cambodian children through clinics in Siem Reap. This September’s mission marks the first time the programme will extend into the remote Cardamom Mountains.
A team of seven volunteer dentists and ten clinical support staff from Global Dental Relief will work alongside the Shinta Mani Foundation and the Shinta Mani Wild team to transform classrooms into a fully functioning dental clinic.
Children attending the clinic will receive comprehensive dental examinations, preventative fluoride treatments, restorative care where required and engaging oral health education designed to encourage healthy habits that last a lifetime and can be shared with other family members. Each clinic provides treatment to approximately 650–800 patients.
Based on the estimated value of the dental care provided, each clinic delivers approximately USD 250,000 worth of treatment. Across five clinics, this represents an estimated annual value of around USD 1 million in donated dental care.
Jacky Collett-Stevens, General Manager, Shinta Mani Wild, said:
“At Shinta Mani Wild, we believe conservation and community wellbeing are inseparable. Supporting access to healthcare is just as important as protecting the rainforest itself. To welcome Global Dental Relief into the Cardamom Mountains and help bring essential dental care to local children is something we’re incredibly proud to support. It takes an enormous collaborative effort, but the impact these clinics have on a child’s health, confidence and future can last a lifetime.”
Supporting the programme will be the wider Shinta Mani Wild team, who will assist with logistics, translation, transportation, meal preparation and volunteer hospitality throughout the week. Classrooms at Prey Praseth Primary School will be converted into registration, education and treatment areas, while extensive preparation will ensure the school is ready to accommodate the clinic.
The project has been developed in close collaboration with local schools, village leaders and families to ensure parents understand the benefits of the programme and can provide consent for their children’s participation. Community engagement and education are considered fundamental to the clinic’s long-term success.
Kimberly Troggio, Director of Global Dental Relief, said:
“For more than two decades, Global Dental Relief has worked with local partners to bring quality dental care to children who would otherwise have little or no access to treatment. Expanding our partnership with the Shinta Mani Foundation into the Cardamom Mountains is an exciting next step. Together, we can not only relieve pain and prevent disease, but also educate children and families about lifelong oral health, creating benefits that extend well beyond the week of the clinic.”
Chhunnin, Executive Director of the Shinta Mani Foundation, said:
“Our partnership with Global Dental Relief has transformed the lives of thousands of Cambodian children over many years. Bringing this programme to communities surrounding Shinta Mani Wild reflects our commitment to ensuring that geography is never a barrier to healthcare. By working closely with schools, families and local leaders, we hope this clinic will become the beginning of an ongoing programme that improves children’s health for years to come.”
For Shinta Mani Wild, the initiative reflects the property’s long-standing commitment to conservation through community development. By investing in the health and wellbeing of neighbouring villages, the programme helps create stronger, healthier communities that play an essential role in protecting one of Southeast Asia’s last great rainforest ecosystems.
As international volunteers join Cambodian partners this September, the temporary clinic at Prey Praseth Primary School will become far more than a place of treatment. It will be a place of education, prevention and hope—helping create healthier futures for children living deep within the Cardamom rainforest.
