Alliances that Transform Lives
More than 5,000 healthy smiles for rural communities in Peru
November, 2025
Access to oral health care remains limited in many rural areas of Peru, where distance, lack of equipment, and scarce medical personnel make it difficult for families to receive timely attention. To help close this gap, the Suyana Foundation and the Straumann Group Foundation joined forces in August 2025 to improve oral health services in remote districts of Cusco and Puno.
During the first week of November, a delegation from Straumann Group Foundation visited the Yanatile District in Cusco to learn about the first advances of the partnership and to witness first-hand the needs that persist in the community. Among the milestones presented were the delivery of a new mobile dental unit and the inauguration of a fully equipped dental office, both considered important steps towards expanding access to oral health care in the region.
A meeting full of symbolism and community commitment
Accompanied by the Director of the Straumann Group Foundation (Switzerland) and a representative of Straumann Group Peru, the Suyana team was welcomed with enthusiasm and warmth by the students of Educational Institution No. 50170 of Cuquipata. The ceremony included a tour of the school, where the advances and improvements implemented through the Healthy Municipality Programme were presented.
As a symbolic gesture, the new mobile unit was named “Tunki”, the Quechua word for Peru’s national bird and an emblem of the region’s natural beauty. “Tunki” will travel through ten communities in Yanatile throughout 2026, providing free, high quality dental care to students and residents along the rugged roads of the Cusco rainforest.
This launch is part of a broader project that includes a second mobile dental unit in the district of Macarí (Puno), with the same goal of bringing oral health care to Peru’s most remote areas.
Local recognition and community connection
Local authorities and residents of Yanatile expressed their gratitude with a special recognition of both foundations for their shared commitment to community well-being. As part of the visit, the Straumann team visited several healthy homes in the communities of Cuquipata and Combapata, where they witnessed the progress of families in improving their livelihoods through the commercialization of coffee, fish farming, guinea pig breeding, and the development of bio gardens, among other initiatives.
“Suyana’s holistic and systemic approach is deeply inspiring — empowering communities through education, health, and opportunity. It shows how long-term impact is created when compassion meets structure and local ownership,” said Rainer Schlegel, Director of the Straumann Group Foundation.
A new dental office in Colca: bringing care closer to home
The following day, the delegation traveled to Colca, a community located more than an hour away from Yanatile, to inaugurate a new fully equipped dental office. Thanks to this facility, residents can now access dental care locally, without having to travel long distances to the district capital or even to the city of Cusco. The inauguration was a short but meaningful ceremony marking the official starts of services.
A high-level conclusion in Lima
The visit concluded in Lima with an event hosted by the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Peru, where the Tunki mobile dental unit was officially presented to representatives of the dental sector, development organisations, and local authorities. During the event, the Straumann Group Foundation, Straumann Peru, and the Suyana Foundation shared the outcomes of their collaboration and discussed future opportunities to continue improving access to oral health care in the country.
Results that inspire
This long-term partnership will make it possible to provide dental care to more than 5,000 people in the districts of Yanatile and Macarí through two mobile units, while the new Colca dental office will benefit over 250 families. These advances reinforce Suyana’s commitment to transforming lives by ensuring lasting access to quality oral health care.
Working hand in hand with allies such as Straumann Group Foundation renews our shared hope of reaching those who need it most, with a clear goal: to create a lasting impact in oral health, promote healthy smiles, and improve the quality of life of vulnerable communities in Peru.
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Through strategic partnerships, we can expand access to healthcare and transform lives in rural communities of Peru.
