From left, Lt. Hollis Simodynes, Senior Chief Legalman (SW⁄AW) Alicia Barnes and Chief Damage Controlman (SW) Danielle Saunders. Photo courtesy of Lt. Hollis Simodynes.

Simodynes arrived at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, last September. Her first week in-country, she began volunteering at the Centre Aicha Bogoreh, an all-girls orphanage. By October she was running a program teaching English to girls ranging from the ages of 8 to 20 years old.

Twice a week, Simodynes leaves the safety and security of Camp Lemonier along with Senior Chief Legalman (SW⁄AW) Alicia Barnes of Naval Legal Services Office Southeast and Chief Damage Controlman (SW) Danielle Saunders of Center for Naval Engineering, Norfolk.

‘‘Most nights, it is just the three of us who venture out of the Camp onto ''Somali Road,'' bracing ourselves against the crater-sized potholes and the ''Mad Max'' style drivers, because we know the girls are waiting for us,” said Simodynes.

They teach classes ranging from beginners’ English to advanced. Each hour-long class has approximately 20 students. None of the volunteers had special training to teach English as a second language, but leadership from Camp Lemonier fully supported their initiative and gave them time to refresh themselves.

For Simodynes, the opportunity to teach the orphans has been a very personal experience. Her parents and her sister are all teachers, and she believed that her experiences as an instructor at the Naval Academy would be an asset.

‘‘I have tried to use the experience I gained teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy to help the teachers create lesson plans and class objectives,” said Simodynes.

Simodynes said that Barnes has a special touch with the young girls in her class. When Barnes walks into the classroom, the students hop up and down, calling her first name Alicia, which they pronounce ''Ah-lee-cia!,” said Simodynes. Through their work, the volunteers have established deep, personal connections with the girls, and are also having a long-lasting impact on their lives.

‘‘Having the opportunity to work with the same girls for six months appealed to me, so that I could really get to know them,” said Simodynes. ‘‘I hope I am a positive representation to them of an American woman who serves in the military.”

According to Simodynes, the local government does not provide much funding for education, especially for girls. Less than 20 percent of girls in Djibouti attend secondary schooling. Because of this, the volunteers noticed their students didn’t have the most basic of school supplies.

As a result, Simodynes and the other volunteers reached out to friends, family and co-workers from the Naval Academy, Naval Legal Services Office Southeast and other organizations for donations. Their requests for help paid off. All told, the volunteers were able to donate more than 50 backpacks stuffed with notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, crayons, magic markers, rulers, flip flops, shampoo, soap and candy.

‘‘The girls were very happy to receive the backpacks,” said Simodynes. ‘‘They were curious about what was inside and we used it as an opportunity to practice vocabulary with them as they looked at all the items in the bags.”

While Simodynes hopes their work with the students will have a positive effect on them for years to come, she believes she’s gained just as much as she’s given.

‘‘I will remember all of my students, their smiles, and the fun we had for the rest of my life,” said Simodynes. ‘‘It was an amazing experience and I feel blessed to have gotten the chance to work with the girls.”

Simodynes is scheduled to return to the Naval Academy at the end of this month.