(click on photo to enlarge)Sixteen students in the Central Pacific Island nation of Micronesia will be enrolling in prestigious independent schools this fall, thanks to more than $7,500.00 in scholarships awarded by a South Carolina based charity.
The Habele Outer Island Education Fund is an all-volunteer, US-based, nonprofit organization that works to promote academic attainment and opportunities for outer islands students.
Habele works with local educators and traditional leaders to stock libraries, provide school supplies, and issue tuition scholarships for deserving students to attend prestigious private schools on the more populated “high islands” that serve as Micronesia’s state capitals.
Need-based tuition scholarships were awarded to students from the islands of Kutu, Ta, and Lekinioch in Chuuk State, and from Ulithi, Woleai, Ifaluk, Eauripik, Satawal, and Fais in Yap State.
Parents of the students have committed to paying transportation and other fees, as well as to provide Habele with report cards and progress reports. Checks were mailed directly to schools in Yap, Chuuk, and Pohnpei.
David Reside, a former US Peace Corps official in Micronesia, has praised the work of Habele, noting that “it is particularly important that there be opportunities for those students who show great promise but are at a great disadvantage in accessing continued education.”
The average Habele scholarship for 2009-10 was just under $500.00. The awards were funded by the gifts of seventeen individual donors and two corporations, representing cities from across the United States.
The full press release about the scholarships can be found at the College of Micronesia's website.
Learn more about Habele at www.habele.org and check out photos of Habele students and the schools it supports at the HabeleFund Picasa picture gallery.
