AntonMember Richard Vaughan has been fascinated by the Himalayas and Mount Everest ever since Sir Edmund Hillary & Sherpa Tensing climbed it all those years ago. Richard is a well known and respected dentist who has worked in some of the poorer areas of South Africa for the State Health Department having responsibility for the indiginous people who lived witin a 60 mile radious of Grahamstown. When he returned to the Uk he worked for the NHS before establishing the Blue Hayes Practice in Andover. Nepal is a landlocked country sandwiched between Tibet and India. It is about the size of England & Wales and contains 8 of the highest peaks in the world including Mt Everest. Its population, of about 25 million, is an amalgam of 12 or more peoples speaking up to 50 dialects / languages. It has 2 major religions Buddhism and Hinduism both of which are modified by strong local traditions. Richard states that he wants to contribute dentally to an underdeveloped nation before he retires. He was aware from the study instigated by the World Health Organisation (WHO)Basic Package of Oral Care –Frencken et al 2002, which points out that a single dentist can only achieve a very limited amount but that Governments and NGOs could approach the problem on a large scale and achieve proportionally more. He had had first hand knowledge of this when he worked for State Health in South Africa in the 80s. His impact would therefore be greater if He could pass on his knowledge to others via a pilot project which, if successful, could be presented to the Nepal Medical Council and perhaps expanded nationwide for use in the remote regions, if suitable controls could be set in place and if the required funding could be found.  Richard, is developing a Computer Assisted Learning Program to teach basic dental skills which can be used to treat simple dental problems initialy in the remote mountain areas of the Simikot region of Nepal but once proven, the system would be available to use in other remote areas of the world. The program is designed to teach Primary Health Care Workers, called Community Medical Assistants (CMA’s), who work for the Nepal Trust, dental skills so that they can treat simple dental problems in the villages of the region. The teaching program is PC based and in order to facilitate its use money has been raised through Anton Rotary Club and Rotary District 1110 to buy a number of laptop computers fitted with solar charging facilities. This will allow the use of the system in regions where the mains electricity supply is either unreliable or non-existant. The teaching program is being built onto CD Roms which will be sent out to the CMA’ to study during the winter months. The program includes check-points or tests where the trainee will have to achieve certain standards before being allowed to proceed to the next step. Being software based updates and revisions can be produced in the UK and sent to users. Once they have passed all the relevant modules, and second phase will involve tuition by UK volunteer dentists, on a 1 to 1 basis, in these remote clinics. The Nepal Trust is a registered charity both in Scotland as well as in Nepal. It has received Rotary support both from Rotary International as well as individual Rotary Clubs. The assistance has been both financially and physically ‘hands on’ with building projects in Nepal. The Nepal Trust is well run and organised, its staff are committed workers who are respected in the communities they serve and where they make a real difference. This was borne out in that the Maoist left the Trust alone in the unrest of the last decade.   Further details of The Nepal Trust can be found on their web site www.nepaltrust.org.