The true spirit of giving was personified by crew members aboard the SIU-contracted Maersk Alabama when they made the holiday season very special for a group of orphaned children in Tanzania.
Crew members late last year purchased and donated more than $1,400 worth food, personal hygiene products, disinfectants, laundry and bedding items for the 95 residents of a children’s home in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Alabama Chief Mate Brian Mossman—with the assistance of Tanzania-based Maersk Agents Thomas Odeny and Isaac Mbugi—did much of the groundwork to make the project possible, including contacting officials at the orphanage to ascertain specifically what items were most needed. Among those in demand were rice and beans, cooking oil, vegetables, toothpaste, aspirin, laundry soap and sheets and mosquito nets for more than 50 bunks. Since the kids rarely have the opportunity to eat meat, the crew also pitched in so that Odeny and Mbugi could buy two goats for the children’s Christmas dinner.
SIU members aboard the Alabama at the time of the goodwill gesture included: Bosun Jose F. Caballero, ABs Goducel P. Pascua, Johney August IV, William J. Schuppman, Sacarias Suazo, Syed A. Mehdi, Nieves Nunez, Maamor Mia, El-Sayed Mohamed, Jordan Polon and Pedro Campos; GU Fadel Ghaleb; QMEDS Seller T. Brooks, Tesfaye Gebregziabher and Alfredo Cuevas; GVAs Salah Saeed Saleh and Husain Salah; SBs Roger G. Griswold and Zein Z. Achmad; and Chief Cooks Alba Luz Ayala and Ali B. Hydera.
The entire project was a great success to the entire crew, according to Maersk Alabama Capt. Kevin McHugh. “Since we could not celebrate with our families out here at sea, this was our Christmas present to the orphans as well as to ourselves,” he said in electronic correspondence from aboard the vessel.
“Even though Christmas is now over, the officers and crew are still coming to me wanting to visit the kids and continue to help the orphanage when possible,” McHugh concluded.
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