South Dakota Guard soldiers help renovate Suriname school

By

The Associated Press

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Louis Du Randt, right, 211th Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, and a Suriname Army soldier conduct renovation work at the O.S. 1 Santo Dorp School in Wanica, Suriname, Aug. 11, 2016. The renovation project was conducted as part of the Suriname and South Dakota State Partnership Program to provide training for military construction personnel while simultaneously assisting in a worthy community need.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Soldiers from the South Dakota National Guard teamed up with members of Suriname’s armed forces to renovate a school in the South American country.

A team of eight soldiers from the Guard’s 155th Engineer Company and 211th Engineer Company worked alongside about a dozen Suriname Defense Force engineers on the renovation. Guard officials say the project is meant to provide training for military construction personnel while also assisting in a worthy community need.

The improvements included tiling, door construction and installation, painting, electrical and lighting installation, sink and toilet installation, waterline plumbing, septic tank venting, drainage installation and installing a boundary fence.

The project began in March, when the group toured 14 schools. Suriname’s Ministry of Education chose the Santo Dorp School, which serves approximately 850 students from the area.


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