The US government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has awarded $1 million to the College of the Marshall Islands (CMI) to provide 24,000 local language, place-based books to public schools, libraries, and learning centers across the Marshall Islands.
The Pacific Sustainability Readers series of 24 books will address critical issues such as health and hygiene, gender equity and social inclusion, food and water security, and weather and climate-related topics.
Through USAID’s five-year Pacific American Fund grant program, this grant will enable CMI to promote inclusive, contextually appropriate learning among Marshallese youth. CMI will train teachers and community leaders to use the readers and incorporate them into class coursework.
“Research shows that learning to read in one’s mother tongue early in school makes education more engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable for children,” said the Deputy Mission Director for the Philippines and Pacific Islands, Betty Chung. “The US government is committed to strengthening the ability of the Pacific Islands most vulnerable communities to improve learning outcomes, promote literacy in Marshallese, and enhance understanding of critical health, environment, and social issues through contextually appropriate and place-based readers.”
This grant will promote the active participation of women and underrepresented populations in the design and implementation of grant activities. The Pacific American Fund’s year-three grant cycle is open to applications and will deliver up to USD $3.3 million in grant awards to organizations focused on climate change adaptation, biodiversity, conservation, disaster risk reduction, and water, sanitation, and hygiene approaches.
Launched in 2020, the Pacific American Fund awards grants on an open and competitive basis to qualifying local, national, and internationally operating civil society organizations, including private small-and-medium enterprises, non-governmental organizations and institutions, universities, and faith-based organizations. To learn more about the grant three cycle: https://www.socialsolutions.biz/pacificamericanfund/.