Charter School in Chuuk Aims to Revive Loom Weaving

An innovative Charter school is reintroducing old cultural skills to local students on Weno, capital of the most populous state in the Federated States of Micronesia. A distinctive form of backstrap loom weaving was once ubiquitous across the Caroline Islands, today’s Federated States of Micronesia. Now the intricate work of crafting these textiles endures only … Continue reading Charter School in Chuuk Aims to Revive Loom Weaving

New Scholarship Honors Late Micronesian Chief Justice

Habele, a US nonprofit established by former US Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Micronesia, has established a new tuition scholarship honoring the late FSM Supreme Court Justice Martin G. Yinug of Yap. Since 2016, Habele’s K12 tuition scholarships have helped students across the FSM attend independent elementary and high schools by offsetting a large … Continue reading New Scholarship Honors Late Micronesian Chief Justice

Pohnpei Robo Day 2022!

Teams of students from public and private schools across Pohnpei gathered in the Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School gymnasium to showcase their robotics achievements for “Robo Day 2022.” This annual gathering offers high school robotics clubs an opportunity to close out the school year by matching skills with peers in a friendly competition … Continue reading Pohnpei Robo Day 2022!

McREL Staff Donate Books to Remote Micronesian Readers

Staff at McREL International, a non-profit educational research organization, have teamed up with Habele to provide books for school libraries in Yap State, Micronesia. Halley Halford, the Support Specialist at the McREL International office in Hawaii, spearheaded the book drive. She recruited remote peers as well as those at the Hawaii and Denver offices to … Continue reading McREL Staff Donate Books to Remote Micronesian Readers

Pohnpei high school students leverage online training for STEM development

Students at high schools participating in the Habele Robo League across the FSM are taking advantage of online training opportunities to develop new skills for their school robotics clubs. At Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Pohnpei, seven students and a teacher recently completed a twenty-hour training course to become certified in the … Continue reading Pohnpei high school students leverage online training for STEM development

Unique Adze Blades for Traditional Micronesian Canoe Carvers

Keeping traditional Micronesian canoe carving alive: modern tools based on ancient designs The outrigger canoes of the western Pacific islands of Yap are famous for their speed, performance and seaworthiness. The combination of hull shape, symmetry, and outrigger allow the craft to be quickly reversed when winds change, without the need to turn the hull … Continue reading Unique Adze Blades for Traditional Micronesian Canoe Carvers

Kind words from Eauripik School for book donations

Months ago, Habele's volunteers gathered books for the students and educators on the small isolated Atoll of Eauripik in Yap State, Micronesia. Habele donors contributed to have them sent. The books made it Guam, then south to Yap Proper, and finally all the way to Eauripik aboard the small state-owned field trip ship. A teacher … Continue reading Kind words from Eauripik School for book donations

Preservation of Traditional Pacific Loom Weaving

"Loom is a solution for saving traditional Pacific island weaving from extinction" McClure, Joyce, Pacific Island Times, February 1, 2022, pages 31-32 When the young women of Yap’s remote outer islands leave home to seek a college education, better work opportunities or medical care on the U.S. mainland, the risk of leaving their cultural traditions … Continue reading Preservation of Traditional Pacific Loom Weaving

Books headed to schools on Woleai, Fais and Eauripik

Schools across Micronesia need books for classrooms and school-based libraries. Habele pairs individuals and groups who have books with educators in the FSM who are seeking them. We’ll even pay the postage! Micronesian schools make specific requests for books to Habele, most often elementary or high school level reading books. Volunteers, donors and other friends … Continue reading Books headed to schools on Woleai, Fais and Eauripik