Pictured: the high school robotics team at Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, California stands with donated books for students in the Central Pacific.
The Charminade students have gathered text and reference books which they will be sending to impoverished public schools in Yap and Chuuk States, part of the tiny island nation of Micronesia.
The Federated States of Microensia (or FSM) is a remote and under-resourced nation of hundred of small islands that span thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean. The region is roughly northwest of Melanesia and due west of Polynesia. The FSM, and its neighbors in Palau, the Marianas, and the Marshalls, were formerly administered by the United States government and still enjoy close relations with America.
The Charminade Robotics Team book drive was intiated by Amelia Weiss last school year. Amelia has since graduated and is now attending the University of California at Berkley. She visited Micronesia during the summer and saw first hand the need for basic educational materials in the Pacific.
The team has completed similar service projects for the Massai, New Zealand, Hawaii, Mexico and Baku. This year a small group from the teams is travelling to japan for a robotics event.
The students are working with Habele, a charity that promotes educational opportunities in Micronesia's Outer Islands. Habele donors have committed to pay for the books gathered by team members to be mailed directly to students in the Pacific.
Learn more about Habele coordinated book drives and consider making a donation to help this important work!
