"The United States European Command (USEUCOM), in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Riga and the Daugavpils Regional Council, will undertake a humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) project at Naujene Orphanage during the summer of 2015. The project will be carried out by three rotations of military engineers from the U.S. Air National Guard and Latvian National Armed Forces in June and July 2015," the US embassy in Latvia said on its homepage.
"U.S. Air National Guard troops, as part of their annual training, together with Latvian military engineers, will renovate the interior of a residence for teenagers on the orphanage compound," the embassy said.
The project was proposed by Daugavpils Regional Council and will be funded by USEUCOM’s Civic Engagement Program. The work will be performed by military engineers and a local contractor, selected through competitive bidding, will supply materials and technical expertise. The project is expected to be completed by August 2015.
“Projects like these provide training opportunities for U.S. and Latvian soldiers and a tangible benefit to the local population. The troops have an opportunity to maintain their operational skills, as well as work in a foreign country alongside our close allies in the Latvian National Armed Forces,” said LTC Roger Bowman, Chief of Office of Defense Cooperation at the US embassy in Riga.
In 2013 and 2014, similar projects replaced windows at E. Glika High School in Aluksne (project value: $130,000); replaced the roof of 1st High School in Ogre (project value: $106,400); and installed a fence around the High School in Adazi (project value: $92,470).
