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) […]
It took four friends four days to learn a new trade and create local coconut graters from scratch. Such is the story behind four classmates from Marshall Islands High School during their practicum program at the Waan Aelon in Majol (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) program earlier this month. The girls, Miram Paul, Sisteria Baso, […]
EVE BURNS Waan Aelon in Majel (WAM) suffered a devastating fire recently that destroyed its office and workshops. In an outpouring of solidarity with WAM, local and international donors from every direction have put up their hands to help with the reconstruction. Monday this week, Australia joined other donors to support WAM rebuilding efforts through […]
GIFF JOHNSON Fires have long been the scourge of Majuro and Sunday’s blaze that destroyed the Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) two-story offices and workshops proved that point.Firefighting equipment and know-how is rarely able to stop a fire in progress. The best that can be hoped for in Majuro is that […]
