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HomeNewsNew line for coalition forces, new life for Afghanistan, Part 2

New line for coalition forces, new life for Afghanistan, Part 2

Written by Spc. Michael Vanpool
101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

101st Sustainment Brigade - LifelinersFort Campbell KY, 101st Airborne Division

Balkh Province, Afghanistan – On the right sits the men, workers of the port of Hairatan, business owners and shop keepers.

On the left sits the women: accountants, human resources directors and teachers.

All eyes are to the front as they commemorate donations of desks, schools supplies and baby cribs by the 101st Sustainment Brigade “Lifeliners” to the port of Hairatan day care. They all stop and listen as one of the women stands at the podium and begins the ceremony with a prayer from the Quran.

Capt. Kristin Strobel, Commander’s Emergency Response Program officer for the 101st Sustainment Brigade “Lifeliners,” Joint Combat Outpost Hairatan, talks with one of the female workers of the day at the port of Hairatan following a ceremony. The team of Lifeliners at Hairatan donated cribs, desks and school supplies to the day care which supports the employees of the port and railroad. (Photo by Spc. Michael Vanpool)
Capt. Kristin Strobel, Commander’s Emergency Response Program officer for the 101st Sustainment Brigade “Lifeliners,” Joint Combat Outpost Hairatan, talks with one of the female workers of the day at the port of Hairatan following a ceremony. The team of Lifeliners at Hairatan donated cribs, desks and school supplies to the day care which supports the employees of the port and railroad. (Photo by Spc. Michael Vanpool)

“Our interpreter said that in the 35 years he’s been around he’s never seen that happen,” said Capt. Kristin Strobel, Commander’s Emergency Response Program officer for the 101st Sust. Bde., Joint Combat Outpost Hairatan. “They feel very confident in getting the women out there, they’re not afraid like they were before with the Taliban.”

As the ceremony rolls on, the donations are handed to the women who work at the day care. The collection of essential furniture and books will help them take care of the 70 or so children who spend their day with the women while their families work in the port.

“Mainly what we bought was toys and kitchen equipment so they could lay the foundation of a safe environment for the kids where they could also learn,” Strobel said.

This latest collection of donations adds to the other items sent to the day care by the Lifeliners. This past summer, air conditioners were given for the building when the temperature outside reached 130 daily.

“Previously, we also donated school supplies that were sent from the states, and the soldiers here built some desks so those were sent over there,” Strobel said.

The day care is one of the focuses of renovation in the local community. The 101st assisted in the building of a road and the refurbishment of a mosque in the port.

“It’s really a well-rounded message we’re sending them,” Strobel said. “They see that we’re here for the men, we’re here for the women, and we’re here for the community in general.”

When the 101st Sust. Bde. set up a tactical command post in Hairatan this past December, they began assistance within the walls of the port, giving the employees of the railroad safety equipment and other materials to help with their jobs.

Soon after, the Lifeliners began looking beyond to help the burgeoning population around the port. The team met with leaders of the community to find areas of improvement.

“When we sat down with the community elders, the first thing they asked was how to do something that would impact the community as a whole,” said Maj. Jason Cole, the tactical command post officer in charge, 101st Sust. Bde. Joint Combat Outpost Hairatan. “We know the one thing they all have in common is their religion, besides them all working in the port.”

Building materials were given to the mosque by the Lifeliners, and the local community volunteered their time to build the walls, the washroom and to build a well for fresh water.

As more Afghans move to the area for jobs in the port, the mosque, day care and other public areas will help them transition to a new life here.

“Along with the mosque, the day care supplies helped the women who have been neglected over the years, like everyone else,” Strobel said. “So the fact that this was meant for the women, that we were giving something to the women, I think that has had a great impact on the community.”

For more on this story, see:

New line for coalition forces, new life for Afghanistan

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