GEOVANNIE JOHNSON
EPPSO Director Fred deBrum and his team organized a promotional event for the upcoming RMI census at the Cabinet conference room at ICC with the Minister in Assistance and Environment Chris Loeak and numerous other officials in attendance.
Joining the event were diplomatic officials from the US and Taiwan embassies, and representatives of the Marshall Islands Council of NGOs.
Before the briefing began, everyone was given new shirts and hats that read “RMI Census 2021.”
Loeak delivered remarks that were recorded for further dissemination after the Cabinet event. He explained what the RMI census is and how the data collected by EPPSO’s enumerators will be valuable. According to Loeak, EPPSO’s gathering of information would “answer critical questions about our islands, including those related to climate change.”
Taiwan and US Embassy representatives expressed their enthusiasm and hopes for the census to be “successful.” These governments are giving a hand with funding for the census.
August 23 is the official day for the population count, when the actual counting of citizens and housing details begins. As of late last week, enumerators have “listed down and tagged the majority of houses in Rita, Delap, Uliga and parts of Batkan,” said deBrum. Now, they are making timely progress towards Rairok and further down until they’ve reached Laura. To those whose houses haven’t been listed, Minister Loeak urges that the public give their “support and understanding on why the enumerators have arrived on their doorsteps.”