In order to prepare for the eventual ending of the Compact II economic provisions in 2023, we need to seek ways to use the limited congressional appropriations to transform old systems, innovate into the future, and empower our Northwest citizens abroad to help our regional needs. We envision changing the old model of government-controlled “Authority” system which has been in existence since Compact I (1986) yet into a new model of publicly owned, multi-functional hub called Fanapi Center (Uuten Ataween Fanapi) to centralize the educational, cultural, social, economic, spiritual, and transportation needs of the Northwest citizens at home in the islands and overseas.
Gathering Place
The Fanapi Center will be a welcoming gathering place (uutulap) for ALL citizens of the Northwest region visiting, living, working, seeking medical attention, attending schools on Weno island. We envision having a large open multi-purpose conference room to function as a drug-free meeting place for a number of needs of the Northwest region:
- Youth gathering for singing practice for church functions
- Leadership training workshops for teachers, principals, mayors, church leaders, women leaders, youth leaders
- Fundraising activities for Northwest groups
- Rented to non-Northwest groups for approved functions; rental fees go back into supporting the programs and services of the Fanapi Center.
School Support
The Fanapi Center will become the hub of all educational reform and support structures for Northwest Unified Schools to coordinate all efforts to support the elementary and high schools in the Northwest. It will become the support structure for academic excellence for the underprivileged, underserved, and underachieving Northwest youth to become successful leaders.
- Manage all educational reform support activities for the public schools in the Northwest Unified Schools including classroom renovations, teacher training, curriculum development, parent / teacher partnerships, school supplies, textbook purchase and shipping, etc.
- Open a library / internet cafe at the Center to provide after-school tutoring programs, study sessions, adult literacy programs, teacher development opportunities, computer training opportunities, and college advising for Northwest students and teachers attending the local colleges and schools.
- Build partnerships with the local college to bring volunteers, interns, or paid tutors for the underserved children from the outer islands of Micronesia.
- Administer college scholarships for academically successful college students from the Northwest region.
- Planning, implementation, and evaluation of all Northwest Educators Summer Training at Xavier High School or Northwest High School.
- Coordinate teacher credential training and scholarship for Northwest teachers to complete their degrees and credential requirements.
Cultural Preservation
The Fanapi Center will serve as a hub for cultural preservation and perpetuation efforts for the outer islands.
- Open a Living Cultural Museum at the Fanapi Center to bring awareness to the traditional cultures and practices of the region.
- Bring cultural practitioners from the outer islands to teach traditional navigation, canoe-building, dances and chants, language programs as part of the Living Cultural Museum offerings.
- Incentivize youth to participate in these cultural preservation efforts
- Develop a schedule for staff to lead public education workshops in schools and communities to help the people understand and manage the changes that are occurring in the communities.
Health Care
Preventive and acute care for the outer islanders has been unjustly minimal due to lack of health insurance and the lack of priorities given by the State to needs of the outer islands. Working with the Fanapi CARE project, the Fanapi Center will coordinate the following:
- Open a health clinic to serve the health care needs of the Northwest citizens and coordinate training and support for the dispensaries in the Northwest region
- Develop global partnerships with other nonprofit organizations and humanitarian agencies that address global health needs to support the health care needs of the fanapi islanders.
- Coordinate Fanapi CARE doctors to provide direct medical and acute dental care to Northwest citizens in Chuuk
- Provide training and supplies for the local medics in the outer islands.
Economic Empowerment
The Northwest region must prepare for the eventual end of the Compact economic provisions in 2023 by lessening dependency on government funding. Using innovative strategies for social entrepreneurship, the Fanapi Center will be the hub for economic empowerment for the outer islanders in the Northwest and those living abroad.
- Open a Fanapi Store at the Center with an online store to sell locally produced handicrafts, mats, coconut fibers, etc. with profits returning to the local entrepreneurs.
- Provide on-the-job training for Northwest youth who wish to work on Guam, Hawaii, Saipan, or elsewhere.
- Create a secure online service for Northwest citizens living abroad to wire money or buy products in the Fanapi Store’s inventory to help needy relatives back in the outer islands.
- Serve as a local field partner for Kiva and other globally-based micro-financing organizations to fund promising Fanapi entrepreneurs to operate successful small business enterprises in the community.
- Generate other revenues to sustain the Center’s programs and services for the people of the Northwest to lessen our dependence on Compact funding.
Transportation Needs
The Fanapi Center will coordinate transportation needs to help Northwest citizens thrive in their local communities.
- Purchase and operate a school bus on Weno to transport Northwest students attending college and other public and private schools to and from their homes.
- Coordinate the charter or operation of ships to regularly service the Pattiw, Paffeng, and Namonweitte islands to transport food, medical, school supplies to the region.
- Coordinate repatriation of Northwest citizens back to islands for burial.
- Support the transportation needs of youth groups to celebrate cultural, educational, and religious activities among the islands.
Resources & Development
Given the distance of the Northwest from the main center of government and to curb the impact of global warming, the Fanapi Center will lead a series of community resource & development food security projects for all the islands.
- AGRICULTURE: Bring experts from universities and NGOs to research and develop alternative agricultural projects to curb the saltwater erosion of taro patches and other food security threats in the outer islands.
- WATER: Develop water catchment and other water sources to provide potable / drinking water for the islands during droughts.
- CONSERVATION: Apply for international grants to develop environmental conservation projects to prevent fishing depletion and coral erosion
- ENERGY: Bring environmentally sustainable alternative sources of energy including solar to provide power to the region.
Get Involved
Contact Dr. Vidalino Raatior (vid@fanapi.org) if you wish to support any or all of these programs and services of the Fanapi Center.
