The Habele Outer Island Education Fund is already receiving applications for its 2009-10 tuition scholarships. Here is a letter that recently arrived:

February 6, 2009

Dear Sir,

Enclosed here in is my grand daughter's application for the Habele scholarship Fund. My grand-daughter Marciana Lagielig is currently enrolling in the first grade at St. Mary School here in Colonia Yap. Her total tuition cost for one school year is $225 and a monthly payment of $25 a month is a must for everyone. If a student is late in paying the monthly tuition, he/she stops from coming to school until such payment is made. This, I find it difficult to do and so that's why I'm applying for assistance through the Habele Outer Islands Education Fund.

St. Mary School is a private Catholic institution operated by the Jesuit Missionaries in conjunction with the local communities and their board of Director. The school is from grade 1 to 8 and is one of the best school in the state as compare with the public elementary schools and other private schools in the state of yap.

Along with the application itself, I'm also enclosing some other supporting documents such as a recent Report Card for Marciana, messages from both the school principal and the first grade teachers. I hope they can be of any help to you in your deliberation on the matter and in making a favorable decision.

Should there be any further clarification and or questions, please feel free to write or call me at telephone 350- 2151. Thank you for your time and efforts and I will certainly look forward to your reply.

Signed, Martin Yangirelman

You can help Marciana Lagielig attend school on Yap by making a donation to Habele here.

The Habele Outer Island Education Fund has been featured on Nonprofit Awareness, a blog that highlights outstanding charities and provides hints on best practices in philanthropy.

"Our objective is to help individuals find causes they are passionate about supporting," said Nonprofit Awareness founder and CEO Courtney Brickman, "Toward this end we provide profiles of nonprofit organizations, spotlights on philanthropist, and interviews with nonprofit leaders."

To learn more about Habele, and its educational development work in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia, visit the article at Nonprofit Awareness or go to www.habele.org.

You can also read more about Habele's library donations and scholarships in Yap and Chuuk States on this blog.

As part of Habele's oversight and accountability mechanisms, scholarship recipients provide the Fund with grade and progress reports each semester.

This progress report from Parky Mwarike, a Freshman, from Moch, Chuuk who attends Saramen Chuuk Academy, is a great example. The Habele donors and directors are very proud of her academic progress.

Learn more about the Habele Outer Island Education -and how you can support academic opportunities in the remote islands of Yap and Chuuk in Micronesia- by visting www.habele.org.

The Habele Outer Island Education Fund will be releasing its 2008 Annual Report later this week. Board members are in the process of reviewing the final draft and hope to distribute copies to donors and volunteers later this week.

Highlights of Habele's 2008 accomplishments have already been posted to the habele.org website. Among the accomplishments detailed in the report:

Tuition Assistance – SEVEN SCHOLARSHIPS

• Bethania High School, Republic of Palau
  • Joeann Malchemar, Junior from Falalop, Ulithi
• SDA School, Yap
  • Shania Marpa, Fourth Grade from Mogmog, Ulithi
  • Gilmmer Marpa, Second Grade from Mogmog, Ulithi
• Saramen Chuuk Academy, Chuuk, Micronesia
  • Parky Mwarike, Freshman from Moch, Chuuk
• Berea High School, Chuuk, Micronesia
  • Mavrick Hellmas, Freshman from Ta, Chuuk
  • Jodie Sam, Freshman from Kuttu, Chuuk
  • Bradley Rubin, Junior from LeKinioch, Chuuk

Public School and Library Support – EIGHT MAILINGS

• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Eauripik
  • 20 Boxes, Eauripik Community School, 02/25/2008
• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Eauripik
  • 2 Boxes, Eauripik Community School, 03/16/2008
• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Ulithi, Yap
  • 4 Boxes, Asor and Falalop Elementary School, 03/16/2008
• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Weno, Chuuk
  • 4 Boxes, Moch Elementary School, 06/17/2008
• Donated Shirts – Mailed to Ulithi
  • 4 Boxes, Outer Island Elementary School, 07/01/2008
• Purchased Library Supplies – Mailed to Eauripik
  • 2 Boxes, Eauripik Community School, 10/12/2008
• Purchased School Supplies
  • 2 Boxes, Fais and Wooleai Elementary Schools, 11/12/2008
• Donated School Supplies – Mailed to Yap
  • 2 boxes, Students attending SDA School, 12/10/2008

Habele is an all-volunteer IRS-recognized charity, committed to expanding educational options and promoting educational accomplishment in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia. Since its foundation in 2006 over $10,000 in tutition scholarships have been awarded to K-12 students in the states of Yap and Chuuk. Learn more at www.habele.org

Two of Habele's directors just returned from a three week trip to Yap and the Yap State Outer Islands to promote awareness of the Habele scholarship and book donation programs.

Photos of the trip can be found here.

In addition to meeting with Habele scholarship recipients, the Directors visited with independent school headmasters, public education officials and local community members. Directors also provided an interview to radio hosts at the local station serving Yap State.

"It was great to renew, expand, and intiate new relationships on Yap and in the Outer Islands," said Marc McNamara of the Habele Outer Island Education Fund. "Based on our meetings and planning sessions with public and independent educators we hope to again expand the scope of our efforts in the next school year."

Habele donors will be pleased to hear that all costs associated with the trip, including airfare and lodging, were paid for by the Directors themselves in the form of in-kind donations.

Learn more about the role of Habele in expanding educational access and accomplishment in the Outer Islands of Yap and Chuuk state at www.habele.org.

Habele has just received letters of thanks and photographs from the isolated Atoll of Eauripik in Yap State, Micronesia.

Habele has been sending regular shipments of donated books and school supplies to Eauripik in order to provide the students and community members with a library.

Special thanks to dedicated donors C.C. Guy and Lillian Woo who spearheaded the project.





Habele is also partnering with the Northern California Peace Corps Association to provide the growing library with solar-powered indoor lighting for after-school and evening reading.

Learn more about the Habele Outer Island Education Fund at habele.org, where you can read about the tuition scholarships and book donations that help to expand educational access and opportunities in the remote Outer Island of Micronesia.

Habele is donating solar-powered lighting units to the public library on Eauripik Atoll.

The lights were purchased with generous support from the Northern California Peace Corps Association and will enable students and community members to read books in the late afternoon and evening.

Habele's commitment to the library on Eauripik began in 2006 with several shipments of textbooks and school supplies. In 2007 Habele organized a large library book drive in coordination with educators on Eauripik and the State Capital of Yap.

The lights will allow for classroom instruction and library reading inside the school building during the over-cast rainy season and during daily community reading hours in the evening.

One of the major factors limiting after-school reading among both students and community members is the lack of electricity on the island. The situation of the school inside a solid block concrete building with small pane glass windows results in very little light entering the rooms in the afternoon hours of the overcast rainy season.

Habele, the Outer Island Education Fund, is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that has been issuing tuition scholarships and providing school supplies to Micronesia since 2006. Visit www.habele.org to learn more.

Habele, the scholarship granting organization serving Micronesia's Outer Island students, has been in the news this month, receiving positive press attention for it's 2008-09 tuition scholarships. Among this highlights:

Pacific Magazine: "Six Outer Islanders received scholarships from US Fund" link (9/3)

Sapian Tribune: "Remote Pacific Islanders awarded scholarships" link (9/6)

Hawaii's Tribune-Hearld: "Remote Pacific Islanders awarded Habele Fund Scholarship" link (9/10)

Scholarship winner Joeann M. from Falalop Ulithi, entering her senior year at Bethania High School in Palau.

Six decades ago, the remote Pacific Islands of Micronesia were the site of intense battles between American GIs and entrenched Japanese defenders. Now the region is better known for hosting the reality television show “Survivor” and its picturesque palm-lined beaches.

The reality behind the television show is less glamorous. Literacy and life expectancy are low, even by developing world standards, and the isolation of the tiny islands poses a major barrier to economic development.

A small group of former Peace Corps Volunteers and American teachers is working to help.

Their charity, the Habele Outer Island Education Fund, has awarded over $5,000.00 in tuition scholarships to island students who will attend private schools in the Pacific this fall. The scholarships are issued to children in grades kindergarten through high school as part of an effort to promote educational opportunity throughout Micronesia.

Neil Mellen, a Habele board member explains: “The Secretariat of the Pacific reports that fewer than a fifth of these islanders have access to acceptable sanitation and that infant mortality rates are five times higher than those in the United States. At Habele, our hope is that greater access to education will provide these students with the tools to help their communities address the problems.”

The six scholarship winners from throughout Chuuk and Yap States will travel to and from their schools with money raised by their families, and all of the recipients have signed performance contracts that tie their scholarships to strict academic targets.

Albert Fong, a native of Woleai who teaches at a public school on Ulithi, reiterated Mellen’s optimism: “Micronesians are proud of their long and close relationship with the United States. The role of charities like Habele is powerful. As a nation we recognize that continued improvements in K-12 education are vital. Working with local community leaders and traditional chiefs, Habele has a big impact on the lives of our youth.”

Habele has also sent more than $2,000.00 in books and school supplies to community libraries this year. The charity works in conjunction with Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the islands and members of the non-profit Oceanic Society. David Reside, Country Director for the US Peace Corps in Micronesia said of the scholarships “it is particularly important that there be opportunities for those students who show great promise but are great disadvantage to accessing continued education. Habele is addressing this issue by providing modest educational grants to students from the more remote outer islands, students who might not otherwise be able to pursue these educational opportunities.”

Habele consists of donors and volunteers from across the United States and the Pacific. The Fund operates on a strictly volunteer basis with no paid employees and is still seeking support for its ongoing public school book drives. Visit www.habele.org to learn more.

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Habele would like to thank our friends at the Palmetto Scoop and Sunlit Uplands for helping gather t-shirts for public school students in the Outer Islands of Micronesia.

Today Habele mailed four brimming boxes of shirts to staff at the high school on Falalop, Ulithi, which serves the Islands of Asor, Mogmog, Federai, Falalop and Fais.

Donations of clothing are supplemental to the work of Habele in awarding tuition scholarships and providing materials for schools and community libraries.

To learn more about Habele's all-volunteer commitment to educational opportunity in Micronesia visit habele.org