GIFF JOHNSON There is so much going on at Waan Aelon in Majel that you may be forgiven for wondering if you wandered into a time warp locating you in another country or time period. On any given day, you may find 25 young people learning and hands-on practicing English and math, carpentry skills, sailing […]
GIFF JOHNSON Twenty-five Marshallese young people are mid-way through a life-changing training program — following a path that hundreds more have followed in recent past years. The Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) program operates a six-month life- and vocational-skills training program that is unlike any other in the Marshall Islands. For […]
GIFF JOHNSON The Rongelap community, local government leadership, national RMI government leaders, traditional and religious leaders turned out to provide a warm welcome Tuesday at Uliga Dock for the arrival of Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior III. The vessel was greeted by three outrigger canoes from Waan Aelon in Majel as it approached Uliga Dock. Then, […]
HILARY HOSIA The arrival of Miss Pacific Islands Moemoana Schwenke to the Marshall Islands will go down in history as the most unique and entertaining of VIP arrivals to date. In her own words, Miss Pacific said “arriving in the Marshall Islands with a heart full of gratitude — I feel the love in my […]
EVE BURNS Families, friends and supporters gathered at the Waan Aelon in Majel program last month to witness the latest successful graduation for the program’s long-term life and vocational skills training program. The WAM vocational training is known for helping young adults getting back to school or getting into the work force. The program combines […]
The Marshallese dance group Bukon Labod participated in the Pasiwali Festival in Taiwan last week. They performed lively songs and dances at the indigenous cultural festival. “Pasiwali” is a word from the Amis tribe in Taiwan, and translates as “going east” in the direction of the sunrise. The eastern side of Taiwan is home to […]
EVE BURNS* Ama Town, Japan – Separated by nearly 2,400 miles, a Marshall Islands program and an American in Japan are working to rebuild and maintain a thousand-year old boat building tradition. Howard Rice is a renowned boat builder and maritime enthusiast known for his dedication to preserving traditional boat-building techniques while embracing innovative designs. […]
Windy and sometimes rainy conditions prevailed during last weekend’s Kwajalein Cup outrigger canoe race. But that didn’t dampen the turnout of canoes, only made it more challenging for the captains to demonstrate their skills. First place canoe was “Nana” built and captained by Clancy Takia, an experienced canoe builder at the Waan Aelon in Majel […]
A year ago Waan Aelon in Majel lost its building to a fire. Last week, WAM broke ground for a new building that will be constructed with the help of Majuro Atoll Local Government, the United States and Australian governments, Council of Indigenous People of Taiwan, K&K Island Pride Supermarket, Iroojlaplap Mike Kabua, MISCo and […]
A well-attended graduation ceremony last week celebrated the completion of three new boats built locally for remote outer atolls. Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) completed its fourth Low Carbon Lagoon Transport Boatbuilding Workshop. Last week’s graduation showed off the work of Timius Torelik (Namu), Waihee Hanchor (Wotje) and Job Jibok (Maloelap) […]
