Donations from the Hawaii nonprofit organization Reach Out Pacific greatly benefit libraries, schools and hospitals throughout the Republic of Palau, according to President Thomas Esang Remengesau Jr.
Palau, an island nation in Micronesia comprising more than 500 islands and a population of about 20,000, receives surplus books and medical supplies from Hawaii that would otherwise end up in local landfills.
“Whether it’s support for the hospitals or for education, the fact is people are able to utilize the donations to further improve their livelihoods and way of making a living,” Remengesau told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser after speaking at last month’s International Coral Reef Symposium. “Any time you make someone’s life better, that’s an achievement, so that’s the most important part of this contribution.”
Currently the only internet service available in Palau is via satellite dial-up, which is slow and expensive, so students rely more heavily on books for research and classroom instruction. According to Remengesau, the country’s fiber-optic cable will connect to Guam in October, “connecting Palau to the world” through faster internet service. But over the past decade the shipments filled with an average of 6,000 books have become the foundation for literacy in Micronesia.
“I think for education, you’ll never have enough resources to support what really needs to be done, but for Palau we are a small population base, a small island economy, and our resources are meager,” Remengesau said. “Therefore, these partnerships and reaching out from other people can mean a whole world of difference.”
State Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake) and his wife, Miki Wakai, started Reach Out Pacific in 2004, providing books, hospital beds, wheelchairs, computers and many other items to the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, American Samoa and other islands in the South Pacific.
Sending educational and medical supplies helps Micronesians live a healthy, prosperous life, Wakai said.
According to Wakai,
80 percent of books in libraries of the islands receiving shipments come from Hawaii. He and his wife visited some of the libraries and hospitals in Palau and feel they are affecting the quality of education and health care in Micronesia on a personal level, which to them is the most gratifying part of the project.
“We saw the libraries with the shelves and books REPAC donated, and the staff there are very appreciative of what we’ve been doing,” said Miki Wakai. “It was a very rewarding experience.”
The most recent shipment comprised 10,000 books left over from the Friends of the Library annual book sale, Wakai said. The books were split into two separate containers and sent to Palau and Pohnpei. In addition to those left over from the sale, books donated from Punahou, ‘Iolani and Moanalua high schools, school desks from Palama Settlement and wheelchairs and medical supplies from Shriners Hospital were included in the shipment.
“Trucking is donated by Pacific Transfer, and Matson donates the shipping. We do all the loading through volunteers,” Glenn Wakai said. “Everything is done with a budget of zero dollars. Just a multitude of good hearts.”
