by Cathy Guither, Director of the International School of Djibouti
Djibouti is a land full of culture with many nationalities coming together in a beautiful display of hope. This month, we celebrated Multicultural Day at the International School of Djibouti (ISD). It was a joy to see so many different nations and cultures represented.
Djibouti is comprised of refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Lebanon, Eritrea, and others. There are those from Ethiopia, Kenya, and multiple people groups, such as Afar and Oromo, who come in desperation, looking for help with fundamental, practical needs, searching for work. Its strategic location on the Red Sea also attracts military bases from China, France, Japan, Italy, UK, USA, and Saudi Arabia. Then there are those from India, Korea, Canada, the Netherlands, and many more nations who are here, adding to the beautiful display of multiculturalism.
This land brings hope. Hope for peace, hope for basic needs, hope for work, hope for education, hope for a better future. Because of this, Djibouti is changing its infrastructure to help accommodate the 1.3 million people living in the land. REI has a long-standing history of working with Djibouti to assist in this process of building. About eight years ago, REI started an affordable English-speaking international school to provide much-needed quality English education that, in turn, creates more opportunities for a better future.
This is where we have entered. The foundation for REI has been laid and we come in desiring to continue helping build the next phase. When we first came, a strong wind gust from a summer storm blew down the guard wall of the school. We were here to rebuild that wall and help fortify the rest of the wall in order to withstand any other storms. Perhaps symbolic.
While we are here to continue building an educational system through ISD, we are also here to join in the building process of the community as a whole. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, developing a strong sense of community, or a strong sense of love and belonging, comes right after fulfilling physiological and safety needs. We seek to be actively involved in this process through providing after school activities, participating in local men's sports like basketball and soccer and long walks with women in the community.
Moving up the hierarchy of needs, we also desire to build confidence in our students and in our community by supporting and serving other leaders and their incredible work, such as assisting in a local university English program as well as with those who have been working in the nation long before us.
Finally we reach actualization, encouraging and fostering creativity with a goal to see each and every person move in their unique gifts within the context of unique cultural backgrounds. This allows individuals to maximize their potential so each person can be filled with a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. The hope so many have come to seek. The hope we are here to support and make a difference: building people to build nations.
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