U.S. Soldiers Improve Lives of
School Children in Djibouti

By Marian Popescu

DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti -- US Army Cpl Danielle Deal visits with students at the Djibouti City school after handing out school supplies and completing renovations on the school buildings. Photo by Eric A. Clement / USN Photo

CAMP LEMONIER, DJIBOUTI (CJTF-HOA) -- A team of U.S. Army Soldiers improved the standard of living for children learning at a primary school in Djibouti City, Djibouti. While the improvements gave students a better learning environment, Camp Lemonier Soldiers benefited from the experience too.

“Visiting schools and seeing children who lack the basic necessities for life and education has really motivated me to try and make a difference however small it may be” said U.S. Army Cpl. Danielle Deal after the visit to the primary school.

Deal, a Mishawaka, Ind. native, volunteered to come to Africa to make a difference in the lives of people. She and other members of Bravo Company, 489th Civil Affairs Battalion assigned to Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa got a chance to make a difference in the lives of the school children at PK 20, a small primary school 20 kilometers west of Djibouti City.

While working at a different school in the Balbala district of Djibouti, Bravo Company was invited by a village elder of PK20 to meet the headmaster and discuss their school program. The headmaster showed the CJTF-HOA members how potable water for the children was stored in an open, rotted and cracked plastic barrel. He was concerned that the contaminated water barrel may be contributing to diarrhea among school children.

Bravo Company could also see that the electrical system in three classrooms of one building was not functioning, presenting a serious fire hazard to the children. The members of Bravo Company, knowing they could help, decided to make a return visit to PK 20.

Djibouti City, Djibouti - U.S. Army Spc. Matthew McClaine participates in a game of soccer with students from the Djibouti City school after handing out school supplies and completing renovations on the school buildings. Photo by Eric A. Clement / USN Photo

The school has six classrooms. Currently 147 children from a nomadic community around PK 20 each attend classes in two sessions: morning and night. The students follow the national curriculum, focusing on history, math and French language.

According to U.S. Army First Lt. Benjamin Sklaver, also from Bravo Company, there is a beautiful garden at the school. Tomatoes, onions and hot peppers grow in the garden. Food from the garden is eaten for breakfast and lunch by the students. The World Food Program provides additional food such as oil, sugar, corn-soya blend and salt.

Sklaver noted that the students were incredibly enthusiastic, smiling, waving and laughing with the soldiers. He felt that the teachers were visibly grateful and excited to meet the Soldiers.

As word spread among the local nomadic community that we were working at PK 20 for the day, a group of parents, mainly nomadic pastoralists, came to assist with school cleanup and maintenance. Based on the prior assessment of materials needed, Bravo Company Soldiers came prepared.

The Civil Military Operations Center that controls Bravo Company’s activities provided a 950-liter clean potable water cistern with faucet and plumbing for the primary school, 10 fuses for electrical breaker boxes and 10 light bulbs. The Bravo Company Soldiers needed one day to fix the hazardous electrical system and install the water cistern, leaving plenty of time for playing the region’s most favorite game: football.

“I played soccer in high school, and this is my first chance to play with people from a different country,” said U.S. Army Cpl. Matthew McClain. “These kids were really fast!”
CJTF-HOA also donated one notebook and one pencil for each student as well as basic school supplies such as scissors, glue and rulers.

The Headmaster also talked about how grateful he was to the U.S. military for taking an interest in helping improve the quality of life of his students. The engagement was not only meaningful to the headmaster and children, the CJTF – HOA personnel benefited from the experience as well.

"I really enjoyed the work that we were able to do with PK 20,” Cpl. Deal said. “Seeing these children's faces light up over what we as Americans would consider very little makes all the hard work and sacrifices that we make well worth it.”