"We need all the help we can get," said Bunu Mwengyealy, headmaster of Pate Primary School, a crumbling school standing on the water's edge, across the island from Siyu. A storm wiped out one classroom last year, so Mwengyealy and others were thrilled when US soldiers arrived recently to assess the campus.
But Mwengyealy does not know if his project will be approved, and he says he is having difficulty persuading local residents to pitch in -- the traditional way a school is put up -- because everybody is waiting for the Pentagon's cash.
Muslim leaders say their followers have been ignoring their warnings about accepting US largess. The people are poor and ideology takes a distant second to making ends meet.
"When I tell people, `Don't let the Americans help you,' they ask me, `What is the alternative?'" Abdulkadir said, shaking his head in frustration.
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