"The first time I went off camp, I had an opportunity to go with some Marines on a civil affairs mission," explained Lt. Cmdr. Steven J. Mauro, the Public Works Officer for Camp Lemonier. "The Marines had an engineering problem that they needed help with, so I went out to have a look."

  Mauro was immediately taken aback by the harsh realities of a third-world country entrenched in years of hardship and struggle.

  "Being there gave me an opportunity to see the squalor and poverty they live in," said Mauro, from Jacksonville, Fla. "It obviously had an impact on me, so I tried to think about what I could do to help."

  Mauro was quick to act, writing letters and sending photographs to friends of a church he once frequented, The Holy Redeemer.

  While his friends worked to raise money back in the states, Mauro looked to Marine Capt. Christopher F. Crim, Commanding Officer of Bravo Battery, 3rd Low-Altitude Air Defense Battalion, for assistance in finding three families who needed the most help.

  Crim, who frequently leaves the camp for civil affairs missions, paid particular attention to the nomadic families of the Djiboutian countryside.

  Lacking the basic amenities of a common Djiboutian village, nomadic families have no permanent abode but move from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route according to the state of the pasturage or food supply. They are poor, tired and hungry, but they're proud and resourceful.

  "We're actively involved with the people in the villages, however, we have minimal contact with nomadic families who live between villages along travel routes," explained Crim, a native of Hesperia, Calif.

  After finding three families, Mauro and Crim purchased supplies from local Djiboutian markets, spending $325 on four goats, bags of sugar and rice, tea kettles, cooking utensils, wheelbarrows, water jugs and a set of thermos'.

  Through an interpreter, the families thanked the servicemembers for their kindness, though the smiles on their weathered faces provided sufficient proof.

  Crim was also thankful for the contributions made by the church in Washington, D.C.

  "I think what the church has done is incredible, and they've helped us accomplish our mission," said Crim. "Folks back home just want to help in any way they can, and their generosity will make a significant impact on the lives of the families we help."

  But the giving doesn't stop here. With more than $4,500 left to spend, Mauro and Crim continue to scour the land, looking for anyone to help.