HICKORY - After experiencing drought conditions since summer, people in this area know what going through a water shortage is like.

A resident of Newton recently was sent to an area known for its arid conditions as part of group helping find potable water for local residents.

Staff Sgt. Lisa Dumire, 42, of 1133rd Engineering Detachment Well Drilling Team, a National Guard unit out of Mooresville, has been in Djibouti, Africa, since October.

“It’s a life source for the villagers,” Dumire said of the people, some of whom settle and create villages according to locations of water sources. “Once they have a well in place, they can build upon it.”

The water also supports the people’s animals, important for their use as food, for milk, even as barter tools for attaining other items.

Dumire was stationed in Iraq for about a year with the 505th Detachment out of Gastonia. She worked in “Operations,” handling convoys, for about a year before returning to the States shortly before her deployment to Africa. She said she finds the work in Djibouti more satisfying.

“This is very different from what we were doing (in Iraq). I find this work more emotionally and spiritually fulfilling,” she said.

Djibouti, a region on the east coast of Africa, has been historically plagued by high temperatures and a lack of water.

“They tell me this is their wintertime,” Dumire said through a telephone interview. “This is cool for them and it’s in the 80s.”

During the summer months, Dumire has been told, the temperature can get up into the 130s and 140s.

One thing Dumire enjoys about her time in Africa has been the opportunities for community service beyond well digging.

Residents have created English discussion groups to improve their English speaking skills. These talks can be about a variety of subjects, from politics and religion to fashion. The idea is for the villagers to become more proficient in English, a goal that is being met, Dumire said.

Military personnel also volunteer at three orphanages in the area - one for boys, one for girls and a third for babies and infants.

“We teach English to the girls,” Dumire said. “Here, girls are not highly looked upon for education, so us helping them learn English is a very positive thing.”

As for the orphanage housing babies, Dumire says the servicemen and women probably get as much from volunteering there as do the babies.

“We help there by holding the babies, which is a big morale booster,” she said. “When you’re far away from your own family and can’t hold your own kids, it’s kind of a conduit.”

Dumire, originally from Alabama, is the mother of two sons, 19 and 20, and two stepchildren, 18 and 20. She has a 12-year-old grandchild and another due in March.

She ends the conversation by complimenting the joint effort which she is part of in Djibouti.

“It really is a joint environment,” she said. “There’s about 1,800 soldiers, sailors and Marines here, as well as coalition forces from different countries.”

She personally has worked with military personnel from France, Uganda and Great Britain

“That’s our overall mission. There are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines working together to stabilize this area,” she said. “This mission will have long-range benefits.”

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