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 and families on Ulithi Atoll and Fais Island want to read. Will you send them books?

Stephen Guertler, a Peace Corps Volunteer, hopes you will. Serving as a school based librarian on the Island of Fedraey (Federai), he has sought Habele's help in putting books in the hands of eager Island readers.

Fedraey is a tiny island on the Atoll of Ulithi, an "Outer Island" of Yap State, Micronesia. Guertler and his peers on Falalop, Ulithi, neighboring Fais Island, and the State Capital of Yap Proper, are working hard to provide students and community members with access to relevant reading materials.

Micronesia was liberated from Japanese Occupation in the Pacific War and remains a staunch American ally. The former US dependency is guaranteed millions in structured annual aid and access to US agency funds in return for exclusive US military use and base rights through a “Compact of Free Association.” In practice though, few resources reach the most remote communities, of the sort where Guertler now lives and works.


Along with Palau and the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia is termed a "Freely Associated State" (FAS). These tiny Western Pacific islands and their waters flank the US forward defense perimeter. They dominate international sea-lanes to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, holding special significance for America's Pivot to the Pacific. They are home to some of the most isolated and traditional communities on the planet.


Habele is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities in the remote islands and atolls of Micronesia. Created by former Peace Corps Volunteers, we provide literacy donations, tuition scholarships, student exchanges, and support for extracurricular programs across Micronesia.

It is easy for you to help:

Either, you can gather books, box them up, and send the weight, dimensions, and number of books to Habele (701 Gervais, Ste 150-244, Columbia SC 29201), which will provide you pre-paid postal labels, address stickers and import documentation;
-or-
You can make a financial donation to Habele that will pay for the purchase of books and the costs of sending others' donations! Visit Habele.org and click on the Paypal link to the right.

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Students and families on Ulithi Atoll and Fais Island want to read. Will you send them books?

Stephen Guertler, a Peace Corps Volunteer, hopes you will. Serving as a school based librarian on the Island of Fedraey (Federai), he has sought Habele's help in putting books in the hands of eager Island readers.

Fedraey is a tiny island on the Atoll of Ulithi, an "Outer Island" of Yap State, Micronesia. Guertler and his peers on Falalop, Ulithi, neighboring Fais Island, and the State Capital of Yap Proper, are working hard to provide students and community members with access to relevant reading materials.

Micronesia was liberated from Japanese Occupation in the Pacific War and remains a staunch American ally. The former US dependency is guaranteed millions in structured annual aid and access to US agency funds in return for exclusive US military use and base rights through a “Compact of Free Association.” In practice though, few resources reach the most remote communities, of the sort where Guertler now lives and works.


Along with Palau and the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia is termed a "Freely Associated State" (FAS). These tiny Western Pacific islands and their waters flank the US forward defense perimeter. They dominate international sea-lanes to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, holding special significance for America's Pivot to the Pacific. They are home to some of the most isolated and traditional communities on the planet.


Habele is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities in the remote islands and atolls of Micronesia. Created by former Peace Corps Volunteers, we provide literacy donations, tuition scholarships, student exchanges, and support for extracurricular programs across Micronesia.

It is easy for you to help:

Either, you can gather books, box them up, and send the weight, dimensions, and number of books to Habele (701 Gervais, Ste 150-244, Columbia SC 29201), which will provide you pre-paid postal labels, address stickers and import documentation;
-or-
You can make a financial donation to Habele that will pay for the purchase of books and the costs of sending others' donations! Visit Habele.org and click on the Paypal link to the right.

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Educators and community members prepare site of school-based library in Tomil, Yap State, Micronesia (FSM).


Peace Corps Volunteer Laurel Taylor sent these photos and an update on the progress. Last year Habele provided special t-shirts, with a student designed logo, for community members to sell as they raise support for their ambitious library project.


Established by former Peace Corps volunteers, Habele is a US based nonprofit, advancing educational access and accomplishment in Micronesian communities. In addition to tuition scholarships and student exchange programs, Habele supports innovative student mentorship programs, hands-on STEM instruction, and youth athletic leagues.

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Habele is proud to be sending copies of Barbara B. Wavell's newest book, Woven Hand Fans of Micronesia, to libraries in Palau, FSM and the Marshall Islands.

Woven hand fans are an integral part of life in the far flung islands of Micronesia where the use of plant fibers to produce woven products constitutes a major cultural and economic resource.

Wavell’s work documents styles of hand fans from some of the world's most remote islands including Chuuk, Kiribati, Kosrae, Pohnpei and the Marshall Islands. While each island likely had their own unique fan styles, new techniques developed and spread in the historic context of the 20th century where successive occupations by the Germans, Japanese and Americans influenced the production of woven fans.

Accompanied by over 60 illustrations mostly in color, this work is useful guide to anyone who has an interest in the rich and varied creativity of these exotic islands.

An accomplished expert on the region, Wavell may be best known as the author of Arts and Crafts of Micronesia, first published in 2010.

That image-driven book provides a detailed view of the artwork, craftsmanship, and history of the traditional arts of Micronesia using a unique blend of contemporary and historic collections to showcase such items as carved statuary, storyboards, model canoes, woven mats, baskets and fans.

Habele has provided copies of these texts, as well as other regionally relevant works, to schools and libraries across Micronesia. These direct donations are a part of Habele's literacy and library outreach program, which support local educators in the Islands.

Wonderful email from Peace Corps Volunteer Sarah Winston, working with educators and families in Pohnpei:

Dear Habele team!
Thank you so much for sending those amazing books to the library, words cannot adequately express how thankful my students and community are for your generous contribution.  

Please see the attached photo of some students and community members, and expect something in the mail (snail mail) soon! 

Thanks again, Sarah

Habele is proud to be a small part of the success achieved by the educators and engaged families at the Temwen School, located in the Madolenihmw municipality of Pohnpei.


Habele is an all volunteer, US-based, IRS-recognized nonprofit. Help us answer the call!

or send check or money order to  Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201.
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Kind words from Satowan in the Mortlocks of Chuuk State, Micronesia.

Thank you so much for the box of goodies! It was such a lovely surprise to receive them a few weeks ago. My students were so excited for the books that I had a hard time getting them to focus on the lesson. All they wanted to do was read the new books. We appreciate everything that you sent. 

Photo and message sent from Peace Corps Volunteer Sarah Feigelson.

She and the public school educators at Satowan Elementary contacted Habele in March of 2016, seeking age-appropriate texts for classroom and library use.

Habele is an all-volunteer nonprofit expanding educational access and accomplishment in the Caroline Islands (Micronesia). It supplies targeted, on-demand donations to educators and extracurricular programs, as well as needs-based scholarships to individual students.

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For a decade, we've served ambitious students from the most remote Micronesian Islands.

This past year presented new challenges to Habele. Super Typhoon Maysak uprooted many of the communities and schools we support. A new category of educationally-displaced students emerged.

Outer Island schools remain in disarray. Most families lack the resources for alternatives. Habele continues to receive scholarship applications from these displaced students, as well as families across Micronesia seeking the best classroom for their child. As in years past, demand greatly exceeds our limited resources.

For under $600, Habele can place ambitious students in top schools in the state capitals for an entire school year. Our goal is to award twenty, K12 student scholarships in 2016. With your help we can make it happen.

In addition to funding scholarships, money raised now sustains the only high school robotics league in the Central Pacific, a vibrant traditional skills mentorship program, and direct-to-schools library donations.

This yearly plea is the only time Habele raises money. As an all-volunteer nonprofit, we channel contributions to our locally-defined programs, not aggressive fundraising efforts. By contributing, and urging friends and family to get involved, you empower ambitious Micronesian students to define and pursue their own futures.

Please make a donation to Habele today. We are an IRS-recognized nonprofit, so you may be eligible for a tax deduction.

Thank you for your continued support!

or send check or money order to  Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201.

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In July of 2015, Habele sounded the call. An eager Peace Corps Volunteer, working with local educators and families, sought to restore a school based library in Pohnpei, Micronesia.

Temwen School is a small and rural Elementary school in the Madolenihmw municipality of Pohnpei. Temwen School has a small staff of seven teachers and one Peace Corps Volunteer; the Principal Elcid Joseph is a teaching principal.

The library had to be built from scratch. Staff members of Temwen Elementary School worked tirelessly to salvage books from all different areas of the school grounds. Then they renovated an older structure of the campus.



In her request for help, Librarian and Peace Corps Volunteer Sarah Winston conveyed a severe need and genuine local ownership in the plan to address it. We implored Habele's donors and volunteers, explaining "Book donations are vital for this project to succeed."


Habele is proud to report our generous donors and volunteers helped do just that!

As Sarah reports on her blog, "For months, almost a year, I have worked with my fellow teachers to create the Temwen Community Library. Many people living in America helped make the library a success by donating books, so thank you, your kindness has made this space a reality. To date we have approximately 1,300 books!"

Habele was proud to also provide the hardworking educators at Temwen with t-shirts as small token of our support for their great work!


Habele continues to collect donations of books -and money to pay for their delivery- to Temwen. We are also working to support similar efforts in Tomil on Yap and Eauripik in the Outer Islands of Yap. We have outstanding -and unmet- requests from school based libraries in North Fanif (Yap) and Satowan (Chuuk) as well.

Habele is an all volunteer, US-based, IRS-recognized nonprofit. Help us answer the call!

or send check or money order to  Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201.

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"A Peace Corps volunteer couldn't hope for a better duty assignment than Tamilang Elementary School," exclaims Laurel Taylor.

That K-8 school serves the the historic municipality of Tomil, on the storied and remote Island of Yap in Micronesia. Motivated and organized, the local community does everything possible to let the talents of their creative and intelligent students shine.


To encourage them in their imaginings and English language acquisition, Taylor began to pursue the community's longstanding interest in improving Tailing's library. She made it her top goal at the beginning of this academic year. Typhoon Sudal had ripped the roof off the building and destroyed half the school's books, leaving outdated encyclopedias and reference books and molding picture books.



With limited resources and scarce funding, Talor and the staff needed to get creative in pursuing the goal. She reached out to Habele, which supports Peace Corps volunteers tackling important school and library projects. Habele offered to print custom shirts the school and others could sell, raising funds. Those receipts would be dedicated for new books and shipping fees.

The staff announced a t-shirt design contest amongst the students, grades 1-8. Winner would receive $20 and a free shirt with his/her design. Many of the students are talented artists. Taylor reports the educators were overwhelmed by the both the quality and quantity results. Almost every student submitted a design -80 of 98 eligible students- having created their own slogans and images.


One student’s work stood out to judges. His name is Gulul Faimau, currently in the fifth grade. Mr. Faimau managed to incorporate betel nut trees, stone money, an outrigger canoe, and a book, tying together key island, municipality and education themes. "He is very modest, so I had to force him to take this picture (but I couldn’t get him to sign the shirt!). His work is excellent and we love giving him the opportunity to share it with the world," says Taylor.


Habele volunteers in South Carolina were presented with the challenge of translating Gulul's brilliant creation into a form that could be silk screened onto a tri-blend t-shirt and subsequently withstand the rigors of heat, sunshine and a brutally brackish wash cycle on Yap. Now that navy blue monochrome image is being printed onto shirts and sent to the Gulul and his peers.


"The students are all very excited for the library refurbishment plans," Laurel continues. "Today, I received a note from two of my sixth grade girls asking if they could help with the library when it’s ready in any way possible because they love being around the books, “pretty, pretty please.”

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To donate directly to Habele's efforts:

or send check or money order to  Habele, 701 Gervais St, STE 150-244, Columbia, SC 29201

Habele is a tax exempt, all-volunteer, US based nonprofit with a proud history of high impact support for our partners in Micronesia. If you prefer to help by compiling donations, Habele can help direct these, paying for them to be mailed directly to the school.

A South Carolina based nonprofit has sent a thousand English language dictionaries to the picturesque Island of Pohnpei. Its one of four states in the Central Pacific Ocean that make up the string of islands called the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The dictionaries include an abbreviated atlas, something local island students can use to learn more about distant North American geography.

This unique donation is enough to provide every eighth grade student across Pohnpei State with something previously unheard of – a dictionary of their very own.


More than forty boxes of books will soon arrive in the Pohnpeian city of Kolonia. They will be distributed to the 900 eighth grade students who are enrolled in the roughly 30 public schools across Pohnpei and its Outer Islands. Dictionaries are also enroute to eighth grade students at the Pohnpei SDA School, Calvary Christian Academy, and the Pohnpei Catholic School, as well as readers at the downtown public library.


The donation is particularly meaningful as Pohnpei, like all the isolated islands in the Central Pacific, struggles with economic and educational challenges. Among those lucky enough to enroll in the nation’s two-years community college system, only a tiny fraction will earn a degree, according to recent data from the US Government. Per-capita income remains under $3,000 per year and many families still rely on subsistence fishing and farming.

The donation was organized by Columbia based "Habele," a group of former Peace Corps Volunteers who served as teachers in Micronesia. They partnered with Ray and Barbara Dalio of Connecticut. Their Dalio Family Foundation provided the vision and support to design and implement the project.

Larry Raigetal, A Habele volunteer from nearby Yap State, helped piece together the effort. “This donation is exactly what local educators and librarians told us they needed. It’s a huge opportunity, particularly those students struggling with generational poverty.” Raigetal is also the founder of “Waa’gey” a nonprofit in Yap that works to preserve traditional skills, and has partnered with Habele on projects in that State. He spent several weeks in Pohnpei this winter working to develop plans for the donation of the dictionaries.

South Carolina based charity Habele has been working in Micronesia since 2006. In addition to coordinating donations of text, reference and reading books, the group awards scholarships and provides support to community-based after school programs. These include traditional dugout canoe carving (through the Waa'gey organization) and Micronesia's first ever-high school robotics team exhibition. Late last year, Habele created a computer lab for Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School and provided cases of donated books to the Pohnpei Public Library


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Habele, a US-based charity, has inaugurated a computer science education program on the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. With the financial assistance of donors Barbara and Ray Dalio, Habele has begun shipping computers, software, and related accessories to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Pohnpei.

The charity is working closely with Sr. Isabel Seman at Our Lady of Mercy to build the most appropriate computer lab possible for the school’s needs.

“The idea is to teach students the information technology skills they will need the rest of their lives,” said Neil Mellen, a director of Habele. “The twenty-first century is going to be online, and high school students in Micronesia need to start preparing for that reality now.”

Habele has sent the school Mac computers, monitors, peripherals, and the most common commercial software applications students will encounter. The choice of Macs rather than PCs will help familiarize Our Lady of Mercy students with the types of computers used at most of the higher education institutions in the western Pacific, assisting students with the often-difficult transition from high school to university.

Habele aims to provide the school with a total computer package: all the equipment needed to set up a first-rate lab, plus assistance with the installation.



“So often in the past, Micronesia has seen poorly-targeted or poorly-implemented aid projects,” said Mellen. “Our donation to Our Lady of Mercy is different. These are exact computer systems the students need, and we’re sending out a local technician in October to make sure it all runs smoothly.”

Habele board members and volunteers will also conduct periodic site visits to work with the school on its computer science program.

Since 2006, Habele has provided scholarships to K-12 students in Micronesia to attend private schools in the country such as Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High. The scholarship program has provided access to classroom education for dozens of low-income students annually, but now the charity wants to increase access to computer training as well.

“The traditional student skills—your reading, writing, and arithmetic, if you will—are still an important part of our mission,” said Mellen. “But we’re realizing more and more that students need fluency with computers and the internet as well if they’re to be full participants in the twenty-first century.”


Due to its remote location, Micronesia has historically lagged behind other countries in terms of access to information technology. Habele aims to change that on Pohnpei.

“Students around the world have a natural interest in computers. Micronesian students are no different. The stumbling block in Micronesia has been access to top-of-the-line equipment, and we’re grateful to the Dalio family for their help in rectifying that lack in Pohnpei,” said Mellen.

With its focus on local partnering and targeted education, the Habele-funded computer lab is the first of its kind in Micronesia, and is different from previous efforts to bring computers to the islands—efforts that have sometimes been less than successful due to insufficient cooperation with local schools or bureaucratic encumbrance.

“No more used computers showing up in boxes, unannounced and unsupported,” said Mellen. “That’s not how Habele operates. We’ve identified a need, and we’ve worked out a program to address it directly. We’re not part of the US aid program, we’re not part of the FSM government. This is a hands-on, results-oriented approach to education assistance.”

Habele was founded by former volunteer teachers to fill in gaps left by the US-funded public education system in Micronesia. With its focus on direct assistance and its close monitoring of education outcomes, Habele operates with an efficiency that government programs often lack.

Those interested in supporting Habele’s efforts can learn more online at www.habele.org.


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US-based charity “Habele” has begun shipping books to the Micronesian island of Pohnpei as part of a statewide public literacy project. The books include reference materials, cultural research literature, and regional histories. There are also texts dealing with local languages, arts and plants. The books are headed for high school and public libraries, where they will be available to both students and the community at large.

Neil Mellen, a Habele Director, explains: “Public access to topically relevant works is limited. There aren’t bookstores, and many people don’t have the money or the computer access to buy books through the Internet. Brick and mortar libraries may be on the decline here in the US, but in Micronesia, they’re still the cornerstone of a well-read, educated public.”

The donation -nearly a thousand hand-chosen texts- ranges from scholarly collections of source documents detailing early western contact with Micronesia, to children’s books about traditional and contemporary arts in the Pacific. There are also detailed reference guides to local fishes as well as fiction and poetry books by native Oceanic authors. Support for the effort was provided by Habele’s US network of volunteers and donors, and in particular, Ray and Barbara Dalio of Greenwich, Connecticut.

“There’s a huge hunger in Micronesia for the printed word,” said Alex Sidles, another Habele Director. “Micronesia is a society of readers. What’s been lacking in the past is wide access to quality educational literature, and we’re doing something about that. Focusing on content that is relevant is key to drawing a broader selection of readers into the libraries.”


Founded in 2006 by former Peace Corps Volunteers, Habele prides itself on its hands-on approach to assistance projects. By donating books and other materials directly to the schools and libraries, the organization avoids the lengthy delays and financial overhead that sometimes plague government-run literacy efforts in Micronesia. As longtime Habele volunteer Matthew Coleman said, “The key to literacy is simply reading. Our group puts good books in people’s hands and let them do the rest.”

The carefully assembled donations are headed to the Pohnpei Public Library as well as libraries at Calvary Christian Academy, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, the SDA High School and Pohnpei Island Central School. Habele’s approach will be work with the libraries and schools, determines what works, and then reinforce success. “If we get detailed and constructive feedback from the local partners,” said Mellen, “then many more books and materials will be sent later in the year.”


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Shipments of cultural studies and art history books are headed to the Republic of Palau.

The donation, made by Habele, consists of copies of "Micronesian Arts and Crafts," "The Art of Micronesia," and a the newly released "Painting Palau's History." Each is authored by the esteem anthropologist and regional expert Barbara Wavell.

The books are headed to the Historic Preservation Office (HPO), the Palau National Museum, as well as public libraries. The hope is that both experts and lay readers alike will have easy access to the texts.


The newly published "Painting Palau's History" tells the story of Charles Gibbons. One of Palau's most famous artists, Gibbon's life spanned three Colonial administrations and saw many changes in Palauan society. His memories, expressed through his detailed and meticulous water color images of the past preserve cultural traditions and provide a valuable record of those early days. This work explores his life and art. Filled with vivid color illustrations, the book is visually striking and certain to be of interest to native readers in Palau.

"We've found that books dealing with regional topics are in high demand across the Central Pacific," says Neil Mellen, a Habele Director. "Anything we can do to develop an interest in reading among younger students -and sustain and indulge that interest among older community members- is great. Our experience is that books about the islands themselves often work best."

Habele is a US based nonprofit that has been supporting students across Micronesia since 2006. The charity's private school tuition scholarships, targeted literacy donations and innovative after school programs are designed to promore both educational access and accomplishment.

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Students attending Chuuk High School have sent their thanks to Habele for donating English language dictionaries. The US-based charity provided the texts when approached by Vice Principal Jason Reiong.


Reiong wrote to Habele in late 2012, explaining: "I read about your organization in the Kaselehie Press and I was very happy with what your organization has being doing for all the schools across Micronesia. I am writing to ask if your charity could help our students at CHS with some dictionaries, such as those you've provided to students in Yap..."

Over the last several months, Habele volunteers and their partners obtained the dictionaries and sent them to Chuuk. The cost of postage and processing was funded by the European based electronic payments firm "Yapital." On his end, Reiong navigated the donated boxes through customs, the post office and the school system's own bureaucracy. He explains that the timing of the arrival allowed the dictionaries to be used by students preparing for their state and district achievement tests.


"Since the students started using the dictionaries -both in the class and at their homes in the evenings- we've seen the scores on the local assessment increase," Vice Principal Reiong explained in a gracious letter to Habele volunteers. "The higher scores, and the rise in our College of Micronesia (COM) admission rate are possible because of the thoughtful contributions from people like you."