USS PELELIU Marines and sailors joined Rotary Club of Patong Beach volunteers in a project to prevent soil erosion on banks near the Home and Life Foundation in Phang Nga during the warship's Phuket visit.

The orphanage began by becoming a home for tsunami orphans but it now also cares for children from many backgrounds, including some who have been neglected or abused, and others who have been in trouble in Patong.

As well as eight volunteers from the Rotary Club of Patong Beach the helpers included students from British International School, QSI International School, Chalerm Prakiet Prasrinakarin Phuket school, Thaimuang Wittaya school, and Watmuang Pracharam school Thai Muang.

Bhudit ''Root'' Maneejak and his wife Rasa, who run Home & Life, have 26 children in their care ranging for four years old up to high school age.

The Thai Muang property was recently purchased by an American tsunami relief organisation, The Ben Abels Foundation, and some work on this land adjacent to the river was desperately needed, reports Rotary coordinator Brad Kenny. Erosion along the river bank has previously threatened several buildings.

As part of the USS Peleliu project, several truckloads of topsoil were spread over the erosion-prone area so that binding grass could then be sown.

The Home & Life site reports: ''Our day starts at 5.30am when we wake up. We shower and get dressed and then we have our duty jobs like helping prepare breakfast, cleaning the place, watering the trees, whatever needs to be done - just like the way we would have done with our families.

''We eat breakfast together at 6.30am, perhaps fried rice with fried egg and soup, and we also have a meeting about the day and pocket money is given out so we can buy lunch at school.

''At 7am we go to school in the truck and come back at 4pm. We change to keep our school clothes clean and relax until 4.30, when we do our duty jobs.

''Most of us play or attend extra lessons like English from 5pm but the older ones, especially the girls, help to get the meal ready. The older girls do the laundry.

''At 6pm, we have our dinner - maybe sliced bread and fried pork, and hot sweet milk - and then we do our school homework. We can watch TV or play until 9pm when we go to sleep.''

For more, contact Khun Root: 0819513237.

Other US Navy-Rotary projects involved maintenance and painting at WatSawangk Arrom School and WatThepNimit School, both on Phuket.