Peace Corps Burkina Faso Friends of African Village Libraries April 2012/ Revised July 2013

Krystle Austin, Beguédo: 2009-2011; Ouaga 2011-2012 Sabrina Barker, Dalo: 2009-2011 Kerry Kelly, Koukouldi: 2010-2012

Recette de Poudre de Neem

Nime leaves Salt Baking soda Clean and dry the leaves. When they are dry, put them in a bowl and burn them until all that is left is ash. When the ash is cool, add a spoonful of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Put the powder on your toothbrush or a branch and clean your teeth. Don’t forget your tongue! Rinse your mouth well with water when you’re done, and make sure not to swallow the powder.

Difficult Words and Expressions Oral hygiene: cleanliness of the mouth (teeth, tongue, gums) Cavity: a hole in a sick tooth; it can happen if you do not brush

your teeth, and it hurts a lot Baby teeth: childhood teeth; they fall out when the child gets older

and other, permanent teeth replace them Chew: grind something in your mouth with your teeth Vertical: from top to bottom Circular: turning; movement in a circle NB: All the above words and expressions are in italics in the text.

Comprehension Questions 1. Why does Mary think she is sick at the beginning of the story?

What are baby teeth? 2. What is oral hygiene? 3. What is necessary to take care of your teeth well? Is good oral

hygiene expensive? Why or why not? 4. What can you use to clean your teeth? And if you don’t have

enough money to buy toothpaste? 5. Did Mary follow her father’s advice? Why did her father take her to

the hospital? 6. What is a cavity? What foods are harmful to your dental health?

Two days later, she is eating groundnuts. She feels a small movement in her mouth, and when she opens it, her tooth falls into her hand. She cries for her father. “Papa, Papa! I’m sick! I’m losing my teeth! Papa! Take me to the health clinic right now!” Her father quiets her. “Calm down, my daughter. You are not sick. It’s a normal part of childhood.” Mary’s father explains that every child has “baby teeth” that fall out when they reach a certain age.

Mary is a girl in her first year of primary school. One day, she feels one of her teeth move. She is a little worried, but soon forgets her tooth.

“Baby teeth are temporary and help a child eat and talk. When that child gets older, he loses all his baby teeth, and teeth that are bigger and stronger replace them forever. Since you are no longer a baby, my daughter, your big-girl teeth are appearing. But you must un-derstand the importance of oral hygiene! Go and collect a lot of Ni-me leaves and I will show you how to care for your teeth.”

After that day, Mary brushes her teeth several times a day, even when her friends tease her. Slowly, they also realize that oral hy-giene is very important. They begin to follow Mary’s father’s advice and brush their teeth several times a day as well.

“If you don’t take care of your teeth, you are going to have health problems your whole life. It is necessary to brush your teeth after every meal and before going to bed; and you won’t get sick this way again. “

“That is what my father told me, but I did not listen. I understand now that it is very impor-tant to take care of my teeth. Thank you, doc-tor.”

Mary is a little confused, but she obeys her father. She collects many Nime leaves. When she goes home, she helps her father wash the leaves and put them in the sun to dry.

“My daughter, teeth are a very important part of the body. There are many people in our village who will tell you differently. But what they say is not true. Oral

“You should brush your teeth after every meal and before going to bed. Avoid eating things with too much sugar like candy, cakes, etc. Tomor-row, I will show you how to clean your teeth.”

The next day, Mary gets up and her father is wai-ting for her. He places the dry leaves in a metal bowl. He starts a fire in the bowl and the leaves start to burn.

“My daughter, people think that caring for teeth is expensive. Even if you don’t have money to pay for toothpaste, all you need is so-me Nime leaves and salt. You burn the leaves in a bowl. When all that is left is ash in the bowl, you mix in a spoonful of baking soda and a pinch of salt. You put your finger or a branch in the mixture when it is cool and clean your teeth well. Then you rinse the pow-der out of your mouth. Never swallow the ash.”

They go to the clinic. The doctor says that Mary has a cavity. Since Mary has ignored the cavity for a few weeks, the tooth is infected and it must be removed. “Mary, you must take care of your teeth. Oral hygiene is very important for your overall health.

The next day, she does not get up in the morning and her father finds that she is still in bed. “My daughter, what’s wrong?” “Oh Papa, I don’t feel well. I think I have a fever.” “I’m going to take you to the health clinic right away,” says Papa.

In order to brush your teeth, you need toothpaste or powder made from Nime leaves and something to brush with (a toothbrush, branch or your finger). Apply the toothpaste or powder to your brushing utensil. Brush your top and bottom teeth separately in vertical and circular movements. Don’t forget the insides of your teeth as well as your gums and tongue!

“When you feel like your teeth are clean, rinse them with water. If you go out and would like to clean your teeth, chew on the branch of a Nime tree. Like I said yesterday, you must clean your teeth after every meal and before going to bed.”

“I understand, Papa,” responds Mary.

The next day, Mary goes out with her friends. They eat a plate of foufou together at noon. After the meal, Mary finds a Nime branch and starts chewing on it to clean her teeth.

“Mary, what are you doing?” ask her friends. “My father told me that oral hygiene is very important. It is necessary to clean your teeth after every meal and before going to sleep.” Her friends begin to tea-se her. “Mary, what do you think? That if you don’t brush your teeth, you’re going to get sick? You’re so dumb. It’s not the teeth that keep you healthy.”

Mary thinks about her friends’ words and believes they are right. She decides to ignore her father’s advice and to not brush her teeth anymore.

In the next few months, Mary’s father notices that his daughter is not following his advice. He asks her if she conti-nues to brush her teeth. “Yes, Papa, every day like you told me to.” Her fa-ther knows she is lying, but says nothing.

One day, Mary wakes up and no-tices that one of her teeth hurts. She thinks maybe she is starting to lose her teeth again. The tooth continues to hurt for many days, and she realizes that there is a hole in it. She says nothing to her father.