Djibouti

Djibouti City, Djibouti

In the fall of 2021, The Unforgotten launched a new program supporting child wastepickers at the Chabelley Trash Dump in Djibouti City, Djibouti. More than 100 children survive as wastepickers in Chabelley, spending their days sifting through trash for items to sell or scraps of food to eat. Most have never attended school.

The environment is especially harsh for young children, particularly those under the age of eight. Older teenagers often bully the younger children to claim the most valuable waste for themselves, leaving the youngest to survive on whatever remains. Many families live directly within the trash dump in makeshift shelters. With temperatures in Djibouti frequently exceeding 100°F and trash often burned in the open, Chabelley is an extremely dangerous and unhealthy place for children to grow up.

Despite these challenges, hope is emerging.

 

Projects

Through the leadership of The Unforgotten’s Country Directors, Ronald Risdon and Nery Duron, together with our Country Coordinator, Isman Hadi, we established a partnership with the Italian NGO Crew for Africa, which supports a local school, École Privée Miriam. This partnership has enabled children from Chabelley to attend school for the first time. Classes are taught in French and cost a nominal fee of approximately $17 per child per month. A small school bus transports the children to and from school at a cost of roughly $500 per month.

Today, 19 children are enrolled in our program, receiving access not only to education, but also school supplies, clothing, and a small stipend for snacks during the school day. The children have successfully completed the 2025 academic year.

During a recent visit by two of our Board Members, they met with the school administration, teachers, and parents of the children in our program. The parents shared how grateful they were to see their children attending school and gaining an opportunity for a better future. One mother said she cried uncontrollably with joy on the first day her daughter went to school.

The transformation in these children is extraordinary. With bright smiles and renewed confidence, one child shared his dream of becoming a pilot, another hopes to become a teacher, and another a nurse. It is remarkable to witness how, with relatively modest resources, we can create life-changing opportunities for children who are among the nearly forgotten among us.

We are actively working to expand our efforts. Currently, our program primarily supports children under the age of 10. In future phases, we hope to add vocational and job-skills training for older children, along with WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives to improve living conditions in Chabelley.

Our current budget for the Djibouti program is approximately $1,400 per month. We are seeking partners and supporters to help us continue bringing education, dignity, and hope to the children of Chabelley

For more information about the project, please contact our Country Director for Djibouti Ronald Quejas-Risdon
at (  : ronald.risdon@gmail.com )