Yap State’s two private high schools have announced an innovative new program to serve students with an interest in math and computers.

The schools, Yap SDA and Yap Catholic, are each establishing robotics teams for their pupils. These student teams, with support from teachers and other school staffers, will design, build and operate basic robots. The long-term goal is for each school to create a robot capable of completing a basic obstacle course at a public demonstration.

Both teams have been equipped with classroom robotics kits from Vex Robotics, an American firm that creates the components for elementary and high school level robots. The Habele Outer Island Education Fund donated the kits along with teacher guides and the equipment required for using desktop computer to program the robots.

Another charity, the Yap-based “Wagey” is providing the schools with on-the-ground support as they assemble the kits and organize their teams. Wagey will work as a link between the two schools on Yap and a robotics team at a high school in the United States who’ve offered to provide technical advice and problem solving.

“This project robot is really interesting," said Kalahao Fillmed, a student at the SDA School who plans to participate in the project. “It’s gonna be fun!”

Habele purchased the kits in late October and they reached Yap in mid-November.

The donation marks a significant expansion for Habele. The group is better known in Micronesia for its annual K-12 tuition scholarships, a program to help low-income families send their children to non-public schools. Habele has been providing those scholarships and donating materials to public schools and libraries since 2006.

Share

This is an editorial guest column published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser (link) on November 23, 2011 under the title "Teach a man to fish." It is a response to this editorial calling for a revision to the immigration provisions of the Compacts of Free Association.

One billion dollars over the last six years.

That’s the estimated cost for government services provided to migrants from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands and Palau living on Hawaii and Guam. It’s separate and addition to direct U.S. assistance to those three island nations.

Frustration with the costs is growing. The money could be going to fund other core government services in Hawaii and Guam, or fuel growth in the private sector economy that created it. Spending on services and entitlements for these immigrants is really just a symptom: one manifestation of the faltering relationship between the United States and its long-time strategic partners in the Pacific.

Pacific Islanders from the three nations may enter and reside indefinitely in the United States, bypassing visa and labor certifications required of other immigrants. That’s a benefit provided by the Compacts of Free Association, those bi-lateral treaties that solidify America’s unique relationship with these three Freely Associated States (FAS).

Inevitably, the vast majority of FAS immigrants make their way to Hawaii and Guam. Their children attend public schools. Most of these students require remedial instruction in English and other subjects. Many claim free or reduced cost school meals. FAS citizens are eligible for Medicare and Emergency Medicaid programs. Among older FAS immigrants, high rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension lead to heavy medical costs. There’s also federal or state rent support for FAS families. It all adds up.

Geography explains why the impact of the Compact is disproportionately borne by Hawaii and Guam. It cannot account for the sheer size of that impact. That is a story of costly disappointments and unintended consequences.

Consider the FSM. Half of Micronesians over 25 are now high school dropouts. Only one-in-ten who enter the two-year community college system graduate from it. Private sector unemployment is rampant and a third of the national population lives below the “Basic Needs” poverty level. The IMF ranks Micronesia in the bottom quarter of its worldwide “ease of doing business” survey. All that is despite $130 million in annual assistance programs from the U.S. Government.

The bleak conditions at home explain why an estimated 56,000 Micronesians, Marshallese and Palauans now reside in the United States. They comprise nearly a quarter of those nations’ total populations. Over half of these immigrants come to Hawaii and Guam.

The original intent of American support to the three Freely Associated States was to build the capacity for economic and political self-sufficiency in those nations. Despite decades of assistance, the FAS remain poor and dysfunctional, so many of these Micronesians, Marshallese and Palauans understandably seek greener pastures in the U.S.

A skeptic might argue that, thanks to their remote location and lack of natural recourses, small isolated island nations are “automatically” destined for permanent financial dependency; that political and financial sovereignty are unobtainable. But none would claim the present situation is the best that can be realized. The problem is not the size or scope of U.S. support, the problems lay within the ways that money is structured, allocated and managed. Private investment is crowded out, local decision-making and initiative hampered, and civil society woefully underdeveloped.

No one has better means or motivation to advocate for improved development in the Freely Associated States than the people of Hawaii and Guam. Hawaiians and Guamanians have a unique appreciation of the strategic importance of American forces and transit in the Central Pacific. Likewise, they have a heightened sensitivity to the influx of immigrants who are themselves frustrated with the state of under-development in their home islands.

If the people of Hawaii and Guam can direct mainland Americans’ attention to solving economic and political challenges in the Freely Associated States, then they will accomplish much more than just reducing the short term “Compact Impact” costs they now struggle with.

About the author: Neil Mellen is President of the Habele Outer Island Education Fund, a South Carolina based charity that supports Micronesian students through private school scholarships, library donations and academic competitions.

Share

What is Micronesia? Where is Micronesia? And how can I help students there?

Learn all this and more by viewing the latest edition of the Habele Micronesia infographic: "FSM 101."


Share

Photo: Habele Directors assemble a portion of the donated books for the Island of Satawal.

More than $700 in donated books are on their way to community libraries in the central Pacific, thanks to a US-based charity called "Habele."

The donation, comprised primarily of books dealing with Micronesian and Oceanic topics, is headed to the Atolls of Woleai and Lamotrek as well as the Island of Satawal. All three are located among the Outer Islands of Yap State, itself one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

The books are just the most recent in a years long series of Habele donations to schools across Yap and Chuuk States.

Despite millions of dollars in direct government-to-government support from the US to the FSM, many of the public schools on remote Outer and Lagoon Islands of Micronesia still lack basic instructional materials.

According to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), public sector spending of foreign government assistance comprises 65% of the entire Micronesian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite the massive aid, the GOA concludes that "the FSM has limited prospects for achieving budgetary self-reliance and long-term economic advancement." It also cites limited academic achievement as a major impediment to employment among Micronesians both in the US and the FSM.

The Habele Outer Island Education began directly supporting libraries and schools across Micronesia in 2006. More than thirty boxes of textbooks, reference books and reading materials have been provided directly to public school educators in Micronesia so far this year. Habele also provides assistance for students attending private schools through a program of K-12 tuition scholarships.

"We think education is the key to development in Micronesia and across the Pacific" explained Alex Sidles, a Habele Director. "But we can't rely on the the one-size-fits-all approach of big government bureaucracies to meet the specific needs of each student or school." ###

UPDATE: The books made it to Yap Proper and are waiting for the last leg of their journey on the field trip ship out to the Outer Islands


Share

Habele is a US-based scholarship granting organization that supports low-income children in Micronesia.

Habele provides K-12 tuition scholarships to students from the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia to attend prestigious non-public schools in the state capital islands.

The scholarships allow lower income families from isolated communities to make choices about which classroom and school is best suited for their children. It also decreases public school class sizes.

Twenty-four scholarships were awarded for the 2011-12 school year.

The schools they attend include:

Yap State

Saint Mary's School (Grades 1-8)
Yap SDA School (K-12)
Yap Catholic High School (9-12)

Chuuk State

Berea High School (9-12)
Saramen Chuuk High School (9-12)

Pohnpei State

Pohnpei Catholic School (1-8)
Ponhpei SDA School ((K-12)

The 24 students who received tuition support in 2011-12 come from eight different remote islands and atolls across Yap and Chuuk States. Habele had received scholarship applications from other sixty students from all across Micronesia, as well as Palau, the Marshalls and Marianas. The number of scholarships was limited only by Habele's ability to raise funds.

The average scholarship issued in 2011-12 was $350, representing about 70% of these students' tuition. Those total tuition charges ranged from $225 to $740 across the seven schools.

Habele, and all volunteer charity founded by former Peace Corps Volunteers, also supports public school educators through book donations and the development of local language teaching materials

Share

Two dozen boxes of donated school books are headed to students in the Outer Islands Yap.

The donation was coordinated by Habele, an all-volunteer charity that supports K-12 education in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The books came from Woodland Hills Elementary School in California.

Martin Yangirelmar of the Yap State Department of Education wrote to Habele in mid-August:

Here is the good news! The textbooks have finally arrived at the post office [on Yap Proper] today. I went down with some of the neighboring islands school principals and transported the boxes to the storage house to await the ship’s departure later on this month for the final destination. I counted total of 26 boxes today plus the two boxes that came in earlier which add up to 28 boxes in all.

We are happy and are so grateful to you for the tremendous undertaking!

Long-time Habele volunteer Deborah Weiss also worked with Lorenzo Sartilug, the Statewide Neighboring Islands School Administrator for the Department of Education, to ensure the books reach those students most in need.


The books are part of a specific self-sufficient learning program that builds on itself from year to year. They have been loaded onto a field trip ship and should reach classrooms on Ulithi, Fais, Eauripik, Woleai, Ifaluk, Lamotrek and Satawal shortly.

Learn more about these book donations, as well as Habele's K-12 tuition scholarship program, at www.habele.org.

Share

Habele, a US-based charity, made the announcement early Monday morning. The group supports students in Micronesia through tuition scholarships as well as donations to public schools and libraries.

The 2011-2012 scholarships winners include students from Eauripik, Fais, Ifaluk, Lamotrek, Ulithi, Woleai and Stawal in Yap State as well as Kuttu in Chuuk State. They will attending the SDA schools in Yap and Pohnpei, Saint Mary's School on Yap, Yap Catholic High School, Berea Christian High School in Chuuk, the Pohnpei Catholic School and Saramen Chuuk Academy.

Habele received over sixty applications for the 2011-12 tuition scholarships from across the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau. The  scholarships cover an average of 70 percent of a student’s tuition at a private, or “independent,” school. Individual and corporate donors in the United States provided the money.


“We believe that each child is unique. No one classroom is appropriate for all students,” explained Neil Mellen, a Habele Board Member.  Mellen also pointed out that the scholarship program led to smaller class sizes in the public schools as well as cost savings for both the US and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) governments.

According to the FSM Government, 49 percent of adults over the age of 25 in Micronesia are not high school graduates. Among those enrolling in the College of Micronesia (COM) only ten percent obtain an associate’s degree within three years.

Habele was established in 2006 as a “modest first step” in addressing those issues, says Alex Sidles, another Habele board member. “We wanted to –and are still working to– raise parental engagement and expectations. Instruction needs to be dynamic and student-appropriate."

Since that time Habele has provided thousands of reading and textbooks to isolated classrooms throughout the Outer and Lagoon Islands of Yap and Chuuk States. Most recently the all-volunteer group sent 29 boxes of K-5 reading, math and science books to public schools in the Outer Islands of Yap. The donation came through a partnership with Woodland Hills Elementary School in California.

The tuition scholarship winners provide Habele with photos, letters and copies of their report cards throughout the school year. The schools they attend also keep Habele informed of the student’s progress in the classroom. “It’s a real partnership and we’re proud of that,” says Sidles.

The announcement included Habele's introduction of the Leona Peterson (1926-2011) Memorial K-12 Scholarship. A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Peterson led the Department of Aging in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) during the late 1970s and early 80s.

Learn more about Habele on the web at www.habele.org or through their Facebook page.

Habele will be announcing it’s 2011-12 tuition scholarships the first week of August.

The charity was created by former Peace Corps Volunteers and awards K-12 tuition scholarships to students across the FSM. Habele also provides public schools with books and classroom materials throughout the year.

The application deadline for K-12 tuition scholarships was Thursday, June 30th. Habele received over fifty applications for the 2011-12 school year. Last year Habele supported 21 students in Yap, Chuuk and Pohnpei with an average tuition scholarship of $360 each.

Neil Mellen, Habele’s President, reported that fundraising challenges might limit the number of scholarship the organization can issue for the 2011-12 school year. “We believe every student in Micronesia deserves access to excellent classroom instruction, and would like to support all those deserving families looking to us for support, but Habele is still small and our ability to raise funds during an international economic downturn is limited.”

Mellen also reported that Habele sent 29 boxes of K-5 reading, math and science books to public schools in the Outer Islands of Yap this month. The donation came through a partnership with Woodland Hills Elementary School in California.

Learn more at www.habele.org.

Share

Meet Logan.

He and his family are from the Island of Lamotrek in the Outer Islands of Yap State, Micronesia. Logan is a Habele scholarship winner who needs your support.

Lamotrek averages no more than three to four feet above sea level, with a population of just 350 residents. Lamotrek is 600 miles away from the state capital of Yap Proper, home to over 6,000 people. Yap Proper is the center of economic, social and political activity in the State.


Logan’s family has sent him to Yap Proper and he is attending the Yap SDA school. It’s ranked as the highest performing school in all of Yap State by the Micronesian Department of Education and the third highest in the country. He would not be there today –and may not be able to enroll next year- without your support.

Logan is one of twenty 2010-11 Habele K-12 students who are reapplying for scholarships this coming school year. There are many new applicants as well from all across Micronesia. Logan's parents have chosen the SDA School, and is seeking Habele's support, because Logan's educational prospects are dim. Half of Micronesians over the age of 25 have not completed high school.

Habele hopes to issue twenty two scholarships this year, at an average of $390.00 each. That works out to about 75% of the average tuition and fees charged to parents at the six private schools Habele students attend. It will require $10,780. At this point we are a third of the way toward that ambitious goal.

In other words, we still need your help to keep Logan, along with Mavrick, Bradley, Jody, Glimmer, Nick, Aquinas, Marciana, Shelia, Maia, Myla, Joey, Orpha, Parky, Simon, Virgnia, Deniaane, Annaliza, Ronla, Shania and Abraham enrolled in their schools.

Raising $6,691 in two months (we write scholarship checks the first week of August) doesn’t sound difficult. For many charities it wouldn’t be. But Habele is a small, all-volunteer organization serving minority students in a part of the world most people can’t locate on a map.

You can make it happen. Please make a donation to Habele right now. Habele's postal address and Paypal link are on the right hand sidebar of the Fund's website.

We also need your help in finding others who will support our work. Let your friends and family know about the students that Habele by sending them a link to our website.

Share

Officials at Micronesia's Department of Education have released preliminary data from a recent national assessment of sixth grade reading competency.

The rankings include many, but not all, of the public and independent schools serving students in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

FSM DOE explains:

The scores show, as a percentage, the level of student performance that is above the minimum level of competency expected at Grade 6.

 The National Minimum Competency Tests are based on the National Curriculum. All the questions in the Grade 6 reading test are directly related to the standards and benchmarks that describe what students should know and be able to do by Grade 6. 

The purpose of the publication of this ranking is to inform the public of the performance of public and private schools that are funded in whole or in part by public funds.

Scores can be downloaded from www.fsmed.fm where they are now posted under the "Recent Topics" section.

Habele is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities in the remote islands and atolls of Micronesia, an impoverished former American trust territory in the Central Pacific. Habele annually provides K-12 tuition scholarships to low-income students in the FSM.

Share

UPDATE: Kevin Walsh at FSM ED tells us the results from Yap SDA School were not included in the initial release of scores. SDA Yap scored 72%, which places them at 3rd position nationally, and 1st place within Yap State.

All this month, Habele has been receiving report cards from its student scholarship winners throughout Micronesia.

The reports of academic progress often come with kind letters from the students, expressing thanks for the support of Habele's donors. Today notes from Orpha Hapdei and Maia Leta Lesarof arrived.

Orpha and Maia both attend the Saint Mary's School on Yap. Orpha is a native of Federai, one of four populated island in the Ulithi Atoll. Maia and her family are from Wooleai, an atoll further to the east.

Habele's scholarships allow these girls to attend a prestigious non-public school in the capital of Yap State. The program not only helps these girls achieve their own academic goals and potential, but also raises broader community expectations for all schools.

You can learn more about the importance of K-12 tuition scholarships for Outer Island students here.



Share

Charity Reports Support for Micronesian Students

An American charity working in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) released its annual report today, detailing support provided to schools and students over the last year.

The “Habele” Outer Island Fund is a US-based nonprofit organization established in 2006 by a group of former Peace Corps Volunteers. In 2010 the organization provided tuition scholarships to 21 students attending non-public elementary and high schools in the FSM. The scholarship winners came from Outer Islands and Lagoon Islands across the States of Yap and Chuuk.

“We are excited to see demand for these scholarships grow,” explained Marc McNamara, a Habele Director. “We had more than three applications for each scholarship we could award this year. The interest is quite strong and the students who’ve earned Habele scholarships are excelling in the classroom.”


The K-12 tuition scholarships issued by Habele are a form of “School Choice,” extending access to private schools to middle and low-income families. “It’s about the best classroom for each student, and giving parents a way to get more involved in their child’s education,” noted McNamara. The report highlighted data from the US and FSM governments indicating student achievement and graduation rates at public schools in Micronesia have stagnated. That’s despite major financial aid from the US government through the Compact of Free Association that links the two nations.

The report also detailed Habele’s development of a Ulithian-English Dictionary. The dictionary was created to support public school classroom teachers in the Outer Islands of Yap. The publication was the first of its kind and copies were widely distributed to educators across the State.

The full annual report can be found online at www.habele.org.

###
Share