Lending a helping hand in Uzbekistan

by Senior Airman Matthew Rosine
416th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

10/22/2004 - KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, Uzbekistan (AFPN) -- After cruising through the gates of a Karshi City orphanage, Airmen and Soldiers from here stepped out of their convoy vehicles. They were deployed on a special mission: to bring smiles and a bit of joy into the lives of the children who live there.

The “house of mercy” is a home for orphans and poor children whose families are unable to take proper care of them.

“It means a lot to me to do this,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Morris, of the 416th Air Expeditionary Group’s civil engineer flight. “I’ve seen things like this on TV, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to put a smile on the faces of these kids.”

The Airmen and Soldiers came loaded with a wide array of personal and school supplies, such as pencils, paper and clothes. They also brought some toys and games for the children to play with. After passing out the tokens, the servicemembers began spending a little quality time with each child.

“We are so glad to see the Americans visit us,” said Gulsara Rahmanouna, the home’s director. “So many of our children have fathers or mothers (who) can’t take care of them, and the children spend so much time always waiting for their parents to come and visit. Unfortunately, they usually don’t have the means to visit, and this is very difficult for the children. Just taking the time to come here and visit our children means so much. They make our children so happy.”

The servicemembers spent several hours taking pictures, laughing, playing soccer and reading stories.