(Colonia, Yap) Island students have been receiving high tech training in the design and construction of robots as the five high schools of the Yap Robo League work towards their goal of a statewide robotics competition next spring.

Habele’s Director of STEM Programs, Amelia Weiss, first met with participating school leaders on Yap in early December. A series of workshops, site visits, and peer-to-peer trainings followed. Administrators, teachers, and select students from Yap High School, Outer Islands High School, Yap Catholic High School, Yap SDA School, and Faith Christian Academy participated throughout.



In addition to the five participating high schools, staff from the Yap State Public Service Corporation (YSPSC) and Pacific Missionary Aviation (PMA) joined each of the training sessions.

These local industry partners are also building robots in preparation for the all Yap State “Robo Day” scheduled from May 22 of 2018. “It’s clear the students and teachers are highly motivated,” observed Weiss between meetings. “They have the drive, the equipment is coming in, and now we are providing the technical support to help them meet their goals”


Stateside, students and teachers at South River High School in Edgewater, Maryland learned about their peers on Yap. The Power Hawks Robotics Club hosted Habele’s President, Scott Leis, who spoke to the team about the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Yap State, Micronesian culture and the Compacts of Free Association (COFA), which formally link the Freely Associated States (FAS) to the US.

Leis also answered questions from students about how they could support the students at their partner school – Yap Public High School.

“The students at South River High School were eager to learn all about the Western Pacific,” explained Leis. “Few realized the geographical realities of life on a remote archipelago or that there is a long-standing, formal relationship between the FSM and US”.


On the US West Coast, students of the Eagle Engineering Robotics Club at Chaminade College Preparatory High School packed a dozen boxes of donated robotics parts. These will be sent to Yap Catholic High School, which will distribute the equipment to the five participating schools across Yap State.

This donation compliments scores of supplies that Habele has already sent this year, thanks to a Technical Assistance Program grant from the United States Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA).

“We are thrilled to be helping our peers in the Pacific,” said Coach Tommy Smeltzer of Eagle Engineering. Since 2009, we’ve been proud to support the teams of the Yap Robo League through donations and technical support, and it is especially exciting to see the League continue to grow and thrive.”

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Kolonia Elementary School needs your help!

The school’s library desperately needs books, both for students, as well as for their parents and other community members who enjoy reading.

Kolonia Elementary School (KES) is located in the heart of Kolonia Town, state capital of Phonpei, Micronesia. It serves 600 students, from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, from all around Pohnpei –including the outer islands. It also enrolls children from the Philippines and Fiji living with their families on Pohnpei, making it one of the most diverse schools in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).


Along with the Principal, Vice Principal and Librarian, KES is served by over 40 dedicated teachers, educators, and regular volunteers. In the fall of 2017, Parent Teacher Association President Richard  Porter reached out to Habele, a US-based nonprofit that organizes financial and in-kind donations for students throughout the Freely Associated States.

Mr. Porter explained:

We are in the process of getting our school's library up and running for all students, but are seriously lacking books for the students…
KES Library would love to have books, especially those catering to Kindergarten through Eighth graders (fiction and non-fiction) to include reference books and magazines.  Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!

You can help put books in the hands of these eager readers.

If you can purchase or gather books, please do so. Then provide Habele with the weight, dimensions, and a rough packing list of the closed box. Habele will mail you pre-paid postage, address labels, and customs paperwork in a sealed pouch to affix to the outside of the box. You can take the box to the US Post Office, bypassing the lines, and drop it off at the counter for its journey to Pohnpei.

If you’d prefer to make a financial donation, then Habele (a US-based IRS recognized nonprofit) will use the money to pay for the shipment of others’ book donations to the school.


Habele was established by former Peace Corps Volunteers –many of them classroom teachers and librarians- and other Americans looking to provide targeted support for students and schools across Micronesia. We are proud of our decade of work advancing educational opportunity through scholarships, exchanges, robotics, extracurricular programs, and assistance to libraries throughout the FAS.

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Students on Micronesia's famously traditional Island of Stone Money have begun to design and assemble hi-tech programmable robots.

Robotics clubs at five high schools in Yap received VEX Classroom and Competition Mechatronics kits earlier this month, kicking off expansion of the popular Yap Robo League.

Using the raw parts, students will design, build, and code robots to compete in a statewide STEM exhibition and robotics competition in May. Yap’s Robo League was established in 2011 by the US-based nonprofit “Habele,” and is now expanding across that state through a pilot grant award by the Office of Insular Affairs.



“We were inspired by the students from Yap who represented the Federated States of Micronesia this summer at the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge - H2O FLOW! international robotics competition for high school students here in Washington, D.C.,” said OIA Director Nik Pula.  “Through robotics, the Habele Outer Island Education Fund has been promoting the broadening of students’ experience in applying basic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math skills in a positive, competitive, and hands-on way, and we are pleased to support expansion of this opportunity for more students in Yap,” continued Pula.


Pupils and teachers at Yap Catholic High School have taken the lead as peer mentors, supporting expansion of the Robotics Team at the Yap SDA School and the creation of new robotics clubs at Yap High School, Outer Island High School, and Faith Academy. Their efforts follow community meetings held by Habele in early Fall to gauge interest and develop plans for the league expansion.


“As the newest school on Yap we are thrilled part of this,” said John Malimai, Principal of Faith Christian Academy in Makiy. “The materials and technical training will expand the scope of our science instruction, and working with the other schools through the league helps us integrate and collaborate with other educators on island.”

While students at the five schools have begun tinkering, teachers and administrators are coordinating for a series of technical trainings in late 2017 and early 2018 to best guide their student’s work. The teams’ skills, developed over the coming months, will be showcased in a public five school robotics competition on May 22, 2018.

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Celebrating the rich heritage of traditional seafaring in the Pacific region of Micronesia, the Yap Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the Yap Traditional Navigation Society, has announced that the 8th annual Yap Canoe Festival will be held December 8 & 9, 2017 in Colonia.

The two days of festivities will take place at the Yap Living History Museum and will include a parade of traditional sailing canoes, dances, skills demonstrations and a marketplace offering food and handicrafts for sale.

Micronesian scholar and filmmaker Dr. Eric Metzgar will provide the keynote address and present his video, A Voyaging Odyssey, featuring highlights from the 2010 ocean voyages captained by Pwo Master Navigator Ali Haleyalur and Master Canoe Carver Chief Bruno Tharngan. The ocean crossings “rediscovered” the ancient, traditional sea routes between the islands of Lamotrek, Guam, Yap and Palau.


“We are excited that Dr. Metzgar will be joining us along with Ali Haleyalur and Chief Tharngan,” said Don Evans, general manager of the Yap Visitors Bureau. “Dr. Metzgar has spent many years on the Outer Islands of Yap studying the art and history of traditional sailing and is a leading expert in the field.”


Voyaging canoe rides will be offered on Friday, December 8 followed that evening by the traditional dances of Yap that are renowned throughout the region.


On Saturday, December 9, a photographic exhibit of Yap's seafaring history along with other exhibits will be on display. Visitors will also have the rare opportunity to taste the traditional offertory, voyaging, and celebratory foods connected with successful long sea voyages.


“This year’s Canoe Festival promises to be a not-to-be-missed experience for not only canoeists but anyone interested in learning more about the seafaring history and traditions of these remote Pacific islands,” adds Evans.

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Three students from Yap State proudly represented the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) at an international high school robotics competition this July in Washington DC.

Natasha Loochaz, John Steven Gilinug, and Francis Yarofalyango, comprised Team Micronesia, and joined students from over 150 other nations at the event.

Over several months each team designed, built, and programmed, their own complex robot based on the same simple parts kit, bringing the robots to the FIRST Global Challenge in DC for the matches and exhibition. In the arena, robots were organized into teams of three, battling to quickly gather and sort plastic balls representing clean water and contaminated water.

The team from Yap featured three graduating seniors from Yap Catholic High School, who earned the privilege to compete as an all-star team based on their performance in the Habele Yap Robo League.


In the first round of competition in DC, the FSM Team joined Argentina and Kuwait in a match against Bulgaria, Japan, and Grenada. Then Micronesia, allied with Vietnam and Australia, battled Cameroon, Chile, and Sudan. The day ended with a match pitting Micronesia, Brazil and Kosovo against China, Bermuda and Bahrain. For the day, the FSM went two for three.

Early the second day Micronesia partnered with Uzbekistan and Bangladesh in a match with Uruguay, Turkmenistan and Norway. They next teamed up with Ghana and Madagascar opposite Cameroon, Zambia and a pan South American team. Their final match reunited the Micronesians with Kuwait, along side Gabon, to compete with Japan, the Czech Republic, and a pan-Asian team.


The Habele Yap Robo League began in 2011 thanks to Eagle Engineering, the robotics team from Chaminade College Preparatory, a high school in California. Ameilia Weiss, then a Chaminade student, identified the opportunity for high school robotics on Yap during a dive trip to Micronesia. Back at school, she organized donations of robotics parts and instructional materials as a Habele volunteer, getting the League up and running.

Early in 2017 the League was invited to field a team at the FIRST Global event. Over a few short months, the students scrambled to design, assemble, and program, a competition worthy robot from a kit and system very different than the Vex Robotics parts with which they had worked in the past.

Lee Webber, former president and publisher of Guam’s Pacific Daily News, sounded the call in an April column about the team’s goal to compete in DC, inviting readers across the region to donate toward the costs of provisioning, training, and sending the students.


In addition to several hundred individual donations made by US and FSM citizens through a Habele Go Fund Me webpage, generous corporate support was provided by Tim Waters & Associates, the JoDoCo Group, the Matson Foundation, College of Micronesia, Blue Sky Traders, and United Airlines.

Senators Isaac V. Figir and Joseph Urusemal of the Yap Congressional Delegation made supporting the students a high priority for the Congress of Micronesia. A pair of targeted appropriations was smartly shepherded through the complex federal legislative process to quickly ensure the Team could make it to DC.

Over the course of the FIRST Global event, Team Micronesia earned six match points and 347 competition points. Their final ranking (131st of 163 teams) put them well ahead of more resourced teams from developed nations with widespread robotics, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.


The Micronesia team, and their mentor Gilippin Pongliyab, also met with FSM officials in DC, including Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. James A Naich as well as former Peace Corps Volunteers who served in the Islands and Micronesian citizens living in and around DC.

in addition to the high stakes competitions, Natasha, John, and Francis, participated in elaborate Olympic style opening and closing ceremonies, proudly carrying the four-stared flag of Micronesia. They also networked at  workshops, forums, and team building activities with student teams from around the globe.

"The experience was a great one," said Francis Yarofalyango, known to his Team Micronesia peers as “Cisco.” "Participating in the competition was inspiring, especially seeing so many young people pursuing the same goals as I am. Robotics is not only fun but it helps me connect to other people around the world."###

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(Colonia, Yap) A dozen Micronesian students are headed to prestigious private schools this fall, thanks to Habele K-12 tuition scholarships. These students will attend the independent school of their family’s choosing.

Described as “an investment in human capital,” these grants are funded by donations from former Peace Corps Volunteers, tourists, and other Americans with a personal connection to Micronesia.

Local ownership and sustainability are emphasized throughout the scholarship process by incorporating competition, incentives, and publicity. Habele is an all-volunteer charity based in South Carolina, and relies on private contributions to fund its scholarship programs. Since 2006, Habele has provided nearly $75,000 in targeted tuition assistance for Micronesian students.

Many of the scholars’ families come from isolated islands and atolls spanning Yap and Chuck States. They have been awarded tuition assistance covering 50 to 100 percent of their 2017-18 tuition and fees. These students will attend independent K12 schools on the State Capital islands of Yap, Chuuk and Pohnpei that have among the highest completion rates, test scores, and post-secondary placements in the nation. Most students will be housed throughout the school year with relatives or host families.

The beautiful –and strategically located- islands of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) struggle with isolation and limited natural resources. Comprised of many small islands, languages, and ethnic groups, the Federation was organized in 1986 as an independent republic in free association with the United States. US aid sustains an economy dominated by the public sector. Those bilateral payments are set to expire in 2023.

Habele’s funding is always focused on individual students, not districts or schools. Each year, applications out-pace scholarship awards by nearly ten-to-one. Other Habele efforts include sending thousands of boxes of donated books to public school libraries, providing equipment for school sports clubs and specialty equipment for innovative extracurricular programs.

Established by former Peace Corps volunteers, Habele’s singular mission is the advancement educational access and accomplishment in Micronesian communities. "For a decade now, ambitious Habele scholars have been making their families, teachers, and communities proud through incredible academic achievement," noted a Habele Director. "Extending ambitious students the opportunity to succeed is the simple part."

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Reprinted with permission from the Kaselehlie Press

Micronesian citizens living in Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, gathered in South Carolina in mid-May to reassemble a traditional paddling canoe. The boat was crafted in Yap and serves as a symbol of the interwoven history of the American and Micronesian Peoples.


Gift of this one-of-a-kind craft was prompted by support from private citizens across the United States –and in particular South Carolina– following Super Typhoon Maysak, a record-setting storm that ravaged the Micronesian States of Yap and Chuuk in 2015.


Canoe delivery was organized by “Habele,” a South Carolina headquartered charity serving students across Micronesia. Habele had solicited, coordinated, and delivered relief supplies to pupils and educators in the wake of the storm. “Waa’gey,” a Yap-based community preservation organization, crafted the canoe, also working with Habele to identify Micronesians in the United States who could reassemble the craft once it reached Edisto Island, south of Charleston.

"The canoe is the central object of Pacific Island cultures, and preserving the knowledge of its construction and use is essential to cultural preservation in the region,” explained Douglas Herman, Senior Geographer, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. “It is exciting to see this knowledge being shared and perpetuated.“

The westernmost state in Micronesia, the tiny islands of Yap are scattered across 500 miles of ocean, just south of the US Territory of Guam. An American protectorate following liberation in World War Two, Micronesia is now a sovereign nation in a special “Compact” with the US.  Through that status, many Micronesians come to study, work, and live, in the United States. Reassembly of the canoe offered some of these Islanders a chance to reconnect, and preserve their distinctive cultural skills.


“The practice of building and sailing canoes is an essential component of Micronesian culture,” says Barbara Wavell, an anthropologist and author of “Arts & Crafts of Micronesia.” “Canoe building requires many important skills including woodworking, lashing. These skills can also be applied to other cultural activities such as house construction and the making of bowls and tools. The Habele canoe project is a significant step in the promotion and preservation of this important cultural knowledge.”


Among the Micronesians who gathered to reassemble the canoe using distinctive and complex lashing techniques were Camilius Epoulipiy, John Salmai, Marino Yarogimal, Ralph Tawerilig, Richard Yangitelmes, and Troy Hasugulut. American born relatives of Island descent joined as well as American volunteers.


The canoe’s point of origin and its new berth share historical ties with the Spanish Empire. In 1686, the Islands of Yap were sighted and first claimed as Spanish colony. That same year -over 7,000 miles away- Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto was burned by Spanish raiders from Florida hoping to expel English colonists from present day South Carolina.


“This canoe is authentic enough for museum display, and functional enough to take shrimping in South Carolina’s tidal creeks,” explained Larry Raigetal of Waa’gey. “It’s made from local materials, with traditional tools, and we are excited about our friends at Point of Pines putting it to good use.”


“I join our elders and young men of Waa'gey in extending our heart felt appreciation and congratulations to our partner, Habele and those who have helped to assemble the canoe,” continued Raigetal, the "Senap," or master carver. He was supervised by his late father and master canoe carver Peter Pakemai  “This is a proud moment for us and we are humbled with the opportunity to play a small part of this achievement.” Organizers hope to formally commission the canoe in mid-June.


“I was grateful to be a part of this,” said Cam Epoulipiy, who drove more than seven hours to attend. “To reconnect with Islanders living in the States, to practice and preserve important skills, and to see that others outside our Islands also value these things of such importance to us.”

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Reprinted with permission from Kaselehlie Press, Volume 17, Issue 10