U.S. Marines Adopt the Children of Djibouti
One job is to clean, paint and beautify orphanage for girls
21 September 2005
This article first appeared in the U.S. Central Command/Coalition Newsletter September 20. There are no publication restrictions.
U.S. Marines Adopt the Children of Djibouti
By SPC Garth Gehlen, 304th MPAD
Djibouti City, Djibouti- When a handful of Marines show up at a school in this African city equipped with tools, paintbrushes and building materials, their mission is clear: help the children.
Service members stationed in Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa routinely take part in community outreach programs to help the local citizens. Their endeavors often involve schools and orphanages, but they help improve other aspects of Djiboutian life as well. Many volunteers work during their free time, and it can be a very rewarding experience.
"I had never done humanitarian work before," said Lance Cpl. Justin Kuhnhausen, a Marine with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit . "I wanted to see what it would be like to go out and make a difference and help people who are less fortunate than myself. It was an experience I’ll never forget."
One school that has benefited from their labor is part of an orphanage for girls, about 100 of whom live there during the school year. Some of the girls go to visit relatives during the summer months when there are no classes to attend. Others, with no family, reside at the orphanage year-round.
Religious Programs specialist 2nd Class (RP2) Eric Fournier, a member of the Navy who works at the chaplain’s office in Djibouti and organizes outreach events, knows how much the efforts of service members mean to these children.
“The work that we’re doing here is actually really important,” said Fournier. “This is a big deal to the Djiboutian country and CJTF-HOA [Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa].”
Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh also has an interest in the orphanage, said Fournier. He sends some of the girls from the school to college.
The work on the community outreach programs typically involves cleaning, painting, and small repairs.
“We’re just trying to beautify (the orphanage) and make it livable,” said Fournier.
Fournier was surprised to learn about the humanitarian mission in Djibouti and the Horn of Africa. "I never expected anything like this happened in Africa at all,” he said. “I first heard about this place when I got my orders. It was the first time I heard about Djibouti, Africa. Now that I’ve been here, I love it. It’s a great place.”
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)