Tanzanian Tooth Fairy Project

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 friends 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.