Dental Mission

Rise Above holds 5 dental missions throughout the year. We have experienced that poor children in elementary schools have bad oral health and toothache. This leads to absenteeism from school, and thereby low grades. It’s a big problem in the Philippines, and it is the result of high sugar content in their food and drink. For years, we have addressed this problem by organizing dental missions in Elementary Schools, focusing on relieving the children of pain and thereby improving their chances of achieving good grades and a brighter future. 

We also arrange dental missions for poor areas, giving all ages the possibility to receive free treatment. 

In 2025, 2,984 patients received free treatment, with most of them being children. 

We set up the mobile dental clinic in a school’s sports complex or large hall, and the volunteer dentists from countries like USA, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany and the Philippines work for 1-2 weeks with us at a time. We have arranged free dental treatment for the poor population since 2002, and to date have treated over 50,000 patients. The need for free dental treatment is great, and donations toward this initiative, covering the cost of medicine and materials, are greatly appreciated.

Relief Aid after Earthquake and Typhoon Tino’s devastation

Several times a year, typhoons and earthquakes cause damage in the Philippines. In 2025, a 6.9 earthquake hit the north on Cebu Island, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, destroying houses and livelihoods. Four weeks later, Typhoon Tino slammed into Cebu City and the surrounding areas, causing terrible flooding. Hundreds lost their lives and houses and roads were swept away.  People contacted us to support our efforts, which resulted in purchasing relief aid in the form of food, water, clothing, slippers, buckets, gas-stoves, tarps, etc. to help the victims in their stressful situations. We targeted areas both in Cebu City and surrounding towns and distributed over 8 tons of goods.

Food Sharing Program

This is an ongoing program. We cook Lugaw, which is a Filipino one-pot nutritious meal with rice, chicken, and a lot of vegetables. One big pot feeds 500 children. Sponsors work alongside mothers and other volunteers for the preparation and cooking, and tickets are passed out to the poorest families in a slum area bordering the Rise Above Community Center. The recipients line up with their plates or bowls and bring the food back to their homes. It costs 250 USD to feed 500.