During Ramadan, only the preadolescent boys came out to play as they are exempt from fasting and are able to rehydrate themselves. The older boys remained in the shade waiting for the sun to go down, which in Djibouti is around 6:15 p.m. year round. Around 5:45, the playground came to life with young men coming out for a game of soccer. Apparently, a popular event each day, chairs were brought out and lined the sides as people stood by to watch. For dinner, the boys have little than rice and spaghetti. Meat is too expensive and is a luxury. However, as we ventured inside, the boys were busy playing Nintendo, X-Box, and X-box 360, all games donated by soldiers and sailors from Camp Lemonier. They quickly smiled at us and asked us if we could bring them NBA Streets, Black Hawk Down, and a racing game. One young man explains to us that the Orphanage was built shortly after Djiboutians independence and at that time had over 1700 boys. Today, they average around 25. The other children on the playground are the children of the Djiboutian military whose camp is nearby.
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