Oral Hygiene Supplies for Tanzanian Tooth Fairy
Donation protected
Meet the Tanzanian Tooth Fairy
A force for good.
Annie Zancanella, who grew up in Glenwood Springs, is a force for
good, spreading her light from the mountains of Colorado to the remote
villages of Tanzania. Her passion is providing quality dental care and
education to those who have the least access, and she has been
volunteering in Africa for the past six years.
Outside of Arusha, Annie connects with the flying medical team to reach
distant villages. She loves to share her knowledge of dentistry and
educate others on anatomy and proper dental hygiene. Annie chooses a
new school each week to spend time educating children, teachers, and
staff, and she volunteers in the local hospitals. She gives out
toothbrushes and toothpastes, some of which have been donated by
Colgate in Kenya, and many by Annie herself. Annie spends six months
volunteering in Tanzania and the rest of the year working from
Glenwood Springs to Aspen saving money for the next trip. The bulk of
the money she earns goes towards dental equipment and supplies for the
villagers, travel and visa expenses, and supporting two young Tanzanian
girls with their school fees.
Annie's family has a long history in Glenwood Springs and of being in
service. Her ancestors settled in the valley in the late 1800’s and four
generations later, Annie and her sister Christy still live in their childhood
home. Their father and grandfather were both dedicated fire chiefs and
valued members of the community. Although their parents are no longer
with us, their spirit is very much alive in their children.
Annie is also a fierce fighter and is dedicated to helping others. As a
cancer survivor, Annie knows what it’s like to be up against adversity.
Not having access to quality healthcare is one of the biggest challenges
one can face. Following rounds of many different types of treatments,
Annie discovered that the most effective medicine for her is being in
service. After losing both parents and multiple other family members in
the short span of 18 months, Annie realized that she wanted to spend the
rest of her life helping others. In search of a place to dedicate her time
and energy, Annie was inspired by her mother’s childhood nanny
Juanita, a beautiful soul from Tanzania, and chose to focus her efforts in
Africa.
Today Annie is on a mission to provide quality dental care and education
to the remote villagers of Tanzania. She has been donating dental
supplies and equipment out of her own pocket for years, in addition to
her time, energy, expertise, compassion, and care. Her greater goal is to
build a clinic, dedicated to dental health. We know that dental health is
interconnected with our overall health, and basic dental education and
care go a long way towards preventing disease.
While helping one of the children at a village school, Annie was
nicknamed the Tanzanian Tooth Fairy and it stuck. While this tooth fairy
flies around in a medi-plane, she leaves you with way more than money
under your pillow. She leaves you a reason to smile and show off your
pearly whites.
[email redacted] @tanzaniantoothfairy
Organizer
Annie Zancanella
Organizer
Glenwood Springs, CO
