Moving Past Maysak: Outer Island Students Arrive on Yap

Students from storm-wrecked Ulithi have  arrived on Yap. Please consider giving to provide them with necessary toiletries and school supplies.

Outer Island students are facing unique challenges in the wake of Super Typhoon Maysak.

Every year, hundreds of children from dozens of isolated islands travel across the open ocean – some students traversing hundreds of miles – to attend Outer Island High School in the isolated atoll of Ulithi.

Everything changed when Super Typhoon Maysak obliterated historic Outer Island High School. Students (OIHS) from storm-ravaged islands were suddenly left without even basic educational facilities, or supplies to finish the school year.

Local stakeholders and community leaders quickly put into place an alternate plan. With no local option for schooling, thirty-two seniors from devastated Outer Islands matriculated to the state capitol of Yap to complete their studies and graduate.

Many of these students have had their own homes destroyed, and are now now attending an unfamiliar school, far from their families, on an island with a different language and customs. To make the situation even more pitiable, many of these students have arrived without even basic personal belongings or school supplies.

Habele Listening Tour 2012

Habele Directors and supporters just completed the 2012 “Listening Tour” in Yap State, Micronesia. Meetings were held with state government officials, traditional chiefs, public and private school educators, as well as parents and community members in the villages.

Also attending the meetings was Nils Winkler, CEO of Yapital, a European-based electronic payments company. Yapital sponsored the Statewide Dictionary Project, delivering 1,000 dictionaries to middle school students, as part of its ongoing partnership with Habele to support K-12 students across Yap State.

Here are some of the trip highlights:

Yap State Legislators passed a resolution officially praising Habele’s six years of service to the students of Yap. The Speaker and Governor both believe that targeting support for students in intermediate and high school grades remains the best use of Habele’s limited resources.

The Council of Tamol and other traditional leaders encouraged Habele to expand its mission to serve all economically disadvantaged students, rather than only those from outer and distant lagoon islands.

Principals and teachers told Habele that after school programs such as Waa’gey (traditional canoe carving and weaving) and the Vex Robotics clubs have been genuine “game changers” for participating students. They asked for support to expand these extracurricular efforts.

FSM 101

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Habele Releases 2009 Annual Report

"Habele," a US-based charity serving Outer Island students in Micronesia, released it's annual report this week, detailing the nonprofit's accomplishments over the last year.

According to the report, the all-volunteer group provided 17 full tuition scholarships to low-income children attending private elementary and high schools in the Micronesian States of Yap, Chuuk, and Pohnpei. Habele also provided over sixty boxes of textbooks and donated school supplies to public schools on isolated islands throughout Yap and Chuuk.

Charitable work of this kind has received praise from FSM and US officials alike.

"The initiative of former Peace Corps Volunteers and teachers in supporting local-driven educational programs reflects the best hands-on spirit that we can share with the Federated States of Micronesia" explained Miriam K. Hughes, who served as US Ambassador to the Micronesia from 2007 to 2009.   

Habele Annual Report Coming Shortly

Habele volunteers and donors will be eager to hear the Fund is set to release its annual report within the next two weeks.

Details of the report include over $10,500 in spending for the year, covering the tuition costs of 17 Outer Island students at private K12 schools.

The pie chart above provides an indication of how the Fund spent its money in 2009, with over 90 percent of expenditures directly dedicated to the scholarship and school supply programs.

Learn more about the Habele Outer Island Education Fund, and download copies of past annual reports, at www.habele.org

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Habele featured on Nonprofit Awareness

The Habele Outer Island Education Fund has been featured on Nonprofit Awareness, a blog that highlights outstanding charities and provides hints on best practices in philanthropy.

"Our objective is to help individuals find causes they are passionate about supporting," said Nonprofit Awareness founder and CEO Courtney Brickman, "Toward this end we provide profiles of nonprofit organizations, spotlights on philanthropist, and interviews with nonprofit leaders."

To learn more about Habele, and its educational development work in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia, visit the article at Nonprofit Awareness or go to www.habele.org.

You can also read more about Habele's library donations and scholarships in Yap and Chuuk States on this blog.

Habele 2008 Annual Report forthcoming

The Habele Outer Island Education Fund will be releasing its 2008 Annual Report later this week. Board members are in the process of reviewing the final draft and hope to distribute copies to donors and volunteers later this week.

Highlights of Habele's 2008 accomplishments have already been posted to the habele.org website. Among the accomplishments detailed in the report:

Tuition Assistance – SEVEN SCHOLARSHIPS

• Bethania High School, Republic of Palau
  • Joeann Malchemar, Junior from Falalop, Ulithi
• SDA School, Yap
  • Shania Marpa, Fourth Grade from Mogmog, Ulithi
  • Gilmmer Marpa, Second Grade from Mogmog, Ulithi
• Saramen Chuuk Academy, Chuuk, Micronesia
  • Parky Mwarike, Freshman from Moch, Chuuk
• Berea High School, Chuuk, Micronesia
  • Mavrick Hellmas, Freshman from Ta, Chuuk
  • Jodie Sam, Freshman from Kuttu, Chuuk
  • Bradley Rubin, Junior from LeKinioch, Chuuk

Public School and Library Support – EIGHT MAILINGS

• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Eauripik
  • 20 Boxes, Eauripik Community School, 02/25/2008
• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Eauripik
  • 2 Boxes, Eauripik Community School, 03/16/2008
• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Ulithi, Yap
  • 4 Boxes, Asor and Falalop Elementary School, 03/16/2008
• Purchased School Supplies – Mailed to Weno, Chuuk
  • 4 Boxes, Moch Elementary School, 06/17/2008
• Donated Shirts – Mailed to Ulithi
  • 4 Boxes, Outer Island Elementary School, 07/01/2008
• Purchased Library Supplies – Mailed to Eauripik
  • 2 Boxes, Eauripik Community School, 10/12/2008
• Purchased School Supplies
  • 2 Boxes, Fais and Wooleai Elementary Schools, 11/12/2008
• Donated School Supplies – Mailed to Yap
  • 2 boxes, Students attending SDA School, 12/10/2008

Habele is an all-volunteer IRS-recognized charity, committed to expanding educational options and promoting educational accomplishment in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia. Since its foundation in 2006 over $10,000 in tutition scholarships have been awarded to K-12 students in the states of Yap and Chuuk. Learn more at www.habele.org

2007 Habele Annual Report Released

The Board of Directors of the Habele Outer Island Education Fund is proud to announce the publication of its 2007 Annual Report. The report highlights a wide range of accomplishments from library development and school donations to the awarding of tuition scholarships.

An electronic version of the report is now available from the downloads page of the Habele website. Hard copies will be mailed to Habele donors and volunteers in the coming days.

The Fund, incorporated in 2006, is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities and accomplishment in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia.

Also of interest to Habele volunteers is a letter received by the Fund several days ago from a staff member at the Head Start Center on Falalop, Ulithi. Habele has been sending donations of school materials and toys to the center and Mrs. Andresina Letalim was kind enough to send us her thanks.

Habele Spending Breakdown for 2007

The Habele Outer Island Education Fund has released initial accounting numbers for fiscal year 2007. According to Habele Treasurer Tom Lutte, more than 90 cents of each dollar spent went directly to K-12 scholarships and library development in the Outer Islands of Micronesia.

One of the keys to Habele’s efficiency is the fact that we have no paid employees explained Lutte. The Fund spent roughly $6,300 in FY 2007. The breakdown by category was:

58% - Scholarships
33% - Library Development
5% - Domestic Postage & Printing
4% - Fees and Dues

The Fund was able to use this money to finance two complete scholarships (tuition, room, and board) to the prestigious Bethania High School in Palau for low-income students on Ulithi. Habele also made ten shipments of books and school supplies to public school libraries in the islands.

It is frustrating that we had to pay money to the state in fees and that we have unavoidable fixed costs like website hosting and our PO Box, noted Neil Mellen, President, but we are lucky that so many donors give time and talent - the content of our beautiful website, habele.org, is a great example of such a donation.

A more detailed analysis of these figures will be included in the 2007 Annual Report, which will be released by the Habele Board of Directors in early January 2008.

Habele is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities and accomplishment in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia. Visit habele.org to learn more.

Habele: Lean and Efficient

The South Carolina Secretary of State has reported that Habele devoted 82.8 percent of its total expenses to program services during the 2006 fiscal year.

Tom Lutte, the Fund’s Treasurer, noted that Habele is able to maintain such an efficient organization by not having a single paid employee. Unlike most development organizations, Habele is organized and administered exclusively by volunteers – both US and Micronesia based.

Looking further into the numbers reported by the SC Secretary of State, Mr. Lutte noted that the remaining 17.2 percent of expenses were broken down in the Fund’s financial report as:

0.95 percent for “occupancy, rent, utilities and maintenance"
4.47 percent for “printing, publications, postage and shipping”
11.85 percent for “other”

The largest portion, “other” consisted of fees paid by Habele to the US Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the State of South Carolina during the process of formal incorporation and tax exemption. Habele donors will be pleased to hear that these are primarily one-time expenses. The “postage” expenditures include the parcel costs of sending Habele’s shipments of donated school supplies to public schools in the Outer Islands.

Further details of the Fund’s expenditures can be found in its annual report.

To help Habele in its work promoting educational opportunity and accomplishment in the remote Outer Islands of Micronesia please consider donating today.

Rave Reviews

Habele’s first annual report is receiving rave reviews from volunteers and donors to the Fund. We thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. Habele is now working on a major website revision and the development of print media in preparation for our 2007 summer fund raising campaign. All this PR will be the result of donated time and talent, ensuring Habele directs the bulk of its financial resources to scholarships for the 2007-08 school year. More details in the weeks ahead. In the mean time here are some Outer Island links from around the web.

Paradise, if you can find it
Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2007
Yap, one among the Caroline Islands, is in the Western Pacific and part of the Federated States of Micronesia, or FSM. I visited last summer with my ...

FSM Congress Passes Govt Worker Wage Hike
The Kaselehlie Press, January 29, 2007
At the Christmas and New Year celebration of the FSM National Government on January 12 Speaker Peter Christian had a grand announcement to make….

Guam's environment, culture may be factors in homelessness problem
Pacific Daily News, January 29, 2007
How do we wind up, on this small island, having so many homeless people? I think it is a great thing that a coalition of concerned groups get together to count the homeless on Guam. But I would think it is a far better thing not to just count them…

Also check out www.olekoi.com for an excellent overview of all things Central Pacific and visit www.myspace.com/14582929 to see Habele's new Myspace page photos.

Habele Annual Report Posted Online

To download a PDF copy of the Habele Outer Island Education Fund FY 2006 Annual Report visit Habele.org and click on downloads.

The format for this report is based upon the “CIAO” acronym which stands for Customer Feedback, Incentives, Accountability, and Outcomes. Dr. William Easterly, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and a former research economist at the World Bank, developed this rigorous standard of evaluation for foreign aid in development. The report also includes copies of Habele’s IRS 501(c)3 tax exemption determination letter. Among the highlights are nearly $3,000 in scholarships awarded to students from the remote and underdeveloped atolls of Yap State.

The Habele Outer Island Education fund is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities and accomplishment in Micronesia’s remote Outer Islands.

Habele Annual Report Mailed

This week Habele is mailing its inaugural annual report! The document details the Fund's accomplishments in promoting educational opportunity and success in the Outer Islands of Micronesia.

In FY 2006 the Fund received over $4,400 in donations from individual donors across the United States and Micronesia. All our US donors are eligible to claim these gifts as deductions, in accordance with our tax-exempt 501©3 status.

These gifts financed two complete scholarships (tuition and board) for Outer Island students studying in Palau. Habele also mailed five separate shipments of school supplies to Atolls from Ulithi to Eauripik. The Fund received school supplies and basic clothing from a range of individual and group donors, and spent over $200.00 to purchase additional educational materials. International postage fees for all these donations exceeded $130.00. These include the t-shirts donated by Rick Quinn, such as the one worn by a student at Falalop Ulithi Elementary School in the picture above.

The report includes pictures of students enjoying book donations, as well as personal letters of thanks from our scholarship award winners. For full details you can request a copy of the report by visiting www.habele.org and clicking on “email” to contact the fund.

Efficiency and Outcomes: Habele’s Early Budget Numbers

Volunteers and board members working on Habele’s annual report released a preliminary glimpse at the Fund’s spending breakdown today, covering the eleven months from January through November 2006.


The percentage breakdown is: scholarships 81%, incorporation 9%, administration 4%, international postage 3%, school supplies 2%, and domestic postage 1%.

In these eleven months, Habele was able to deliver 85 percent of all expenditures directly to the scholars and students of the Outer Islands. The bulk of the support (or administrative) costs were one-time fees associated with the process of incorporation. “With these set-up costs out of the way we look forward to maintaining an even leaner and more efficient organization in 2007” explained Fund Treasurer, Tom Lutte. In fact, excluding these set up costs, Habele was able to send 93 ½ cents to the islands (in scholarships, materials, and postage) for every dollar that was spent by the Fund.

Major outputs for the year included two full scholarships for Ulithian students attending Bethania High School in Palau, as well as four mailings of purchased and donated supplies for Outer Island public schools on Ulithi and Eauripik Atolls.

More details in the forthcoming annual report. Please consider donating today!

About the Fund: Habele is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation run by unpaid volunteers. We are dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities in the remote islands and atolls of Micronesia, an impoverished former American colony in the Central Pacific. Our primary goal is to provide scholarships and tuition-assistance grants to children living in the “low” or “outer” islands, so they can attend independent schools located in the larger district centers. We also provide support to public schools through book donations, material assistance, and performance-based teacher awards.

Habele's 501c3 Tax Exemption Received

It’s official! On September 19th, 2006 the Habele Outer Island Education Fund received notification from the IRS that it has been granted exemption from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

For more information on what this means we suggest you look at
this wikipedia article, as well as this IRS page.

Simply put, we are now fully “charitable” (as of September 13, 2006 – the processing date) and all donations are deductible, including gifts back to May 4, 2006 (our initial date of incorporation).

Habele would like to extend its gratitude to the numerous legal, policy, and tax experts who selflessly donated their time and talent to help us reach this point. We look forward to continuing our efforts, now as a full 501c3, and working towards expanding educational opportunities for Outer Island children in the impoverished former colony of Micronesia.

First FSM Citizen Donation

Habele has received its first financial donation from a Micronesian citizen this week.

Tom Lutte, the fund’s Treasurer explained “This is really amazing. We have received great support from the Outer Island community, so much time and talent, so much ownership, but we never expected financial inputs as well!” The donor, a Ulithian who is living and working in the United States, asked to remain anonymous. He simply noted:

I have been lucky, and landed some unique opportunities here in the US. Sadly this was the result of exceptional circumstance. Most Outer Islanders have no way to move out or up. Education can change that – now tell those kids to study!

The Habele Outer Island Education has announced two scholarships for 2006-07, awarded to girls attending Bethania High School in Palau, and will be mailing checks to the school later this month.

Steady Progress

Habele is proud to report that, as of mid July, we have reached one third of our summer fundraising goal! We are seeking the funds to award two girls scholarships to the prestigious Bethania Boarding School, located in the Republic of Palau. This will require a total of US$2,810, which is a HUGE sum by Micronesian standards, but something we are working to reach through a multitude of $20 to $200 individual donations.

More details about the scholarships here, and more background on the outer islands here. Easy to use Paypal and Amazon donation links on the right-hand side bar. Thanks, and keep getting the word out!

501(c)3 Application Mailed

Today Habele mailed its IRS form 1023 Tax Exemption Application Packet. Once we receive our formal recognition, the 501(c)3 exemption status will be backdated to our incorporation date (May 11, 2006), and will cover all donations from that point.

We also mailed the first box of donated t-shirts to the elementary schools on the Ulithian islands of Falalop, Federai, and Asor. Photos will follow once the shirts arrive! We continue to make steady progress towards our summer fundraising goals. Please keep getting the word out!

Summer Fundraising!

Habele has kicked off its summer fundraising program with a recent mailing to the Friends of the Ulithian Libraries! These are groups and individuals who have an outstanding record of contributions and assistance to the elementary school libraries on Ulithi.

The Fund is working to gather enough money to continue its sponsorship of Outer Island girls at Bethania High School in Palau. Two of the Habele Board members have committed personal funds already via the Pay Pal donation link at www.habele.org.

In other news, Habele is crossing the “T”s and dotting the “I”s on its IRS form 1023 Non Profit Exemption Application. With the donated time and talent of several South Carolina based attorneys and tax-experts we hope to have the application posted by month’s end!

The Habele Organization

Habele is a nonprofit corporation, dedicated to the advancement of educational opportunities in the remote islands and atolls of Micronesia.

Our primary goal is to provide scholarships and tuition-assistance grants to children living in the “low” or “outer” islands, so they can attend independent schools located in the larger district centers. We also provide support to public schools through book donations, material assistance, and performance-based teacher awards.

Three young Americans, all of whom have lived and taught in Micronesia, established the fund in 2006. Habele maintains no paid employees and solicits donation requests for all administrative functions

For more information please visit our website: www.habele.org