Eauripik is a tiny atoll in the Caroline Islands, hundreds of miles from the partially developed district centers of Yap Proper and Chuuk Lagoon. The inhabitants are primarily subsistence fisherman and gardeners. There is neither electricity nor plumbing and no cash economy. 
Donors Call For Reforms To Boost Micronesia Results
In an article highly critical of US policy towards the Pacific, Andre Vltchek argues that the island nations of Oceania should come together and develop a more centralized (or at least cohesive) regional voice. While the piece is inflammatory in tone (and limited in detail) it does raise some interesting points.
This week’s Economist reports on a study by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which investigated the neural basis for unselfish acts. Researchers examined the responses of the brain when giving anonymously to charity.
As heads of state took their turn speaking to the General Assembly, the Federated States of Micronesia used its time to address the importance of sustainable development.
A special note of thanks to the Nunn family whose long-term commitment to education and personal empowerment continues to manifest itself through their support and encouragement. Thanks! -Habele.
Sirow. It is with the greatest of reverence and humility that Habele extends our sympathies to the family and friends of Glen Nery, who passed from our presence late last week. His energy and ambition are sorely missed.
It’s official! On September 19th, 2006 the Habele Outer Island Education Fund received notification from the IRS that it has been granted exemption from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Habele is proud to announce that two full-tuition scholarships have been awarded to Outer Island students for the 2006-07 school year. Both awardees will be attending an all-girls private secondary school in the Republic of Palau. In accordance with the Habele scholarship contract these pupils will need to maintain a minimum GPA, as well as a spotless disciplinary record. Transportation costs to and from Palau will be paid for by the students' families. 
According to The Economist, first world governments spent over $100 billion on development assistance in 2005. An additional $11.1 billion came from private charities. Estimates of total expenditures on foreign aid over that last five decades top $2.3 trillion.
Habele has received its first financial donation from a Micronesian citizen this week.
Today’s mail brought a notice from the IRS announcing that a recent fee hike (implemented ten days prior to the mailing of our Exemption Application) will require Habele to provide the Federal Government with an additional $150 to process our packet. It is interesting that the increase is termed an schedule update by the government.
Leaders from the Pacific are meeting to renew their efforts against Tuberculosis in Oceania. Sadly it seems there is much work to be done.
Ownership of family lands is of prime concern to Outer Islanders, and works through a complicated matrilineal system, but this understanding of property differs from Western ideas about private property in several important ways. Land usually belongs to a family (extended or nuclear) rather than an individual and is not regulated by a formal code, but rather consensus. This view of ownership is even less rigid when it comes to things other than land. Property, like so much of Outer Island life and society, is centered on the family rather than the individual.
In modern times there is a frustration among some Outer Islanders that foreign-sponsored economic and technological development efforts are (for reasons of scale) focused on the State and District Capitals (Yap Proper and Chuuk Lagoon for example). Many Outer Islanders feel they must “move in” in order to advance themselves in these new systems, but the complicated caste and social system on Yap Proper can make this difficult. Others simply dont want to leave their home and families.
In the Outer Island of Yap the sap of coconut trees is tapped, and once fermented, it is called “tuba”, or “falubwa. The stems of sprouting pods are shaved and the juice collected twice daily. The hollowed out shell where the tuba is collected is never cleaned out, so there remains a thick paste at the bottom which fuels fermentation. Most men cut, or have trees of their own that other men (or their sons) cut for them. The alcohol content of most tuba is close to wine. 
The Fund is working to gather enough money to continue its sponsorship of Outer Island girls at Bethania High School in Palau. Two of the Habele Board members have committed personal funds already via the Pay Pal donation link at www.habele.org. 
The Compact of Free Association (now superseded by Compact II) is the international agreement between the United States Government and the Federated States of Micronesia that allows for direct aid and “free association” between the two nations. The first Compact was negotiated in 1983, following the 1979 creation of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The four island groups comprising the FSM were formerly ruled by the United States as part of a region-wide United Nations Trust Territory (1947-1979).
On the other hand some critics argue that these benefits pale in comparison to the total control exercised by the US over the region, and that they fail to compensate for the short comings of US development efforts during the 30-year UN Trusteeship. The Outer Islands of Micronesia in particular remain among the least developed communities in the region and the world.
Bethania is an all-girls parochial school in Ngaraard, Palau. The school provides a significantly more comprehensive curriculum than the public schools in the Outer Islands of Yap or Palau. 
Lava lavas are woven skirts of various colors with parallel stripes.
Historically lava lavas were only woven in the women’s menstrual house (yipwel), but since the war looms have become a common site in every Outer Island home. Lava lava also play an important role in funeral rites for both genders, as well as serving as a form of currency or offering when reconciling debts and obligation between families.
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During the early years of post-war US-rule a public high school was established on the Ulithi Atoll. This Outer Island High School (OIHS) was later joined by a Neighboring Island High School (NIHS) on Woleai in the late 1990s. These two schools are unique in the FSM in that they are located outside the main district centers. They were designed to serve Outer Island children, who for cultural and economic reasons, would not attend school in Yap Proper.
Father Francis Hezel has published extensively about development issues in Micronesia, and about education in particular. He has identified the Outer Island Schools of Yap State as some of the lowest performing in the FSM. He observes that completion rates are low, test scores poor, and that females are particularly underserved.
