"This will help all the children in Dikhil.".

Omar Ladieh Ismael, the Dikhil Regional Director of Education, spoke as he and approximately 20 local community members gathered outside the Dikhil Regional School Resource Center here during the heat of the day August 25, to unload a delivery of school furniture.

The furniture, which will be distributed to schools throughout the region, is meant to enhance the learning environment for the children of Southern Djibouti.

"Through a partnership with the Djibouti Ministry of Education, we are delivering excess property from the U.S. Department of State to the Dikhil Regional School Resource Center," said U.S. Army Captain Jennifer L. Newhouse, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion projects officer.

The delivery consisted of three semi-truck trailers filled with desks, chairs and tables. Community members unloaded the furniture while soldiers from the 490th CA BN, assigned to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, inventoried the items.

According to Ismael, the furniture will be distributed to 18 schools in the area.

"I know in every school, we don't have enough tables, we don't have enough desks, we don't have enough chairs," he said. " (The delivery) is going to help a lot."

The delivery will provide students with classroom furniture and tables for their cafeterias; as well as give teachers and directors new workstations, Ismael said.

"By providing a quality facility that is conducive to a learning environment, it will allow the Djibouti Ministry of Education to enhance the educational experience of hundreds of students in Dikhil," Newhouse said. "This isn't just about desks and chairs - this is about a brighter future for the children of Southern Djibouti."