Thanks to a pair of generous last-minute donations, Habele has awarded two additional K-12 scholarships for the 2012-13 school year.

The announcement brings the scholarships total to 25, with winners attending independent schools in three of the FSM’s four states.

“We’ve let the families know and we’re always happy to convey that good news,” explained Neil Mellen, a Habele Director. “Every year we face the same challenge of soliciting donations from private individuals in the US to support our programs. The need and interest in Micronesia always outpaces our ability to raise money, but we do our best.”

Habele was founded in 2006 by a group of former Peace Corps Volunteers. They’ve been supporting low-income students at independent, non-public, K-12 schools through tuition scholarships for six years. The group also supports after school programs such as high school robotics clubs and the Waa’gey canoe-carving project. Last month they donated a thousand English dictionaries to the middle schools across Yap State.

“This is another small step in our journey to empower students in Yap," said Regina Raigetal, a Yap-based Habele Director. “While we can’t always support every deserving student, we’ll keep doing the best we can!”