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Community Development

What is community development? How should community development be governed?

Preschool Travels for Keiki

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

Preschool Travels for Keiki

 

Every Monday and Wednesday morning, the Mitchell Pauole Center is transformed into an area of learning and discovery as caregivers bring their keiki to Tutu and Me Traveling Preschool.

“It’s fun for me and it’s fun for them,” said Jerrilu Heen, who brings her granddaughter, Alai Miguel, to the free program. “Over here there are no distractions. We’re here and we’re focused on playing together.”

That’s the idea behind Tutu and Me, a free program dedicated to the development of keiki. Head teacher Kanoe Paleka said the caregivers – often grandparents – bring children as old as 5 to interact over games, songs, stories and playtime.…

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New Homes Coming for Habitat for Humanity

Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Molokai Habitat for Humanity (MHFH) received a grant that will allow the organization to build four to 10 homes over the next two years. In mid-April, MHFH was awarded $290,000 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), which will support the Molokai organization’s Native Hawaiian Housing Program. MHFH was one of five organizations awarded funds under OHA’s new Stability in Housing initiative.

Since taking the position of Executive Director of MHFH two years ago, Zhantell Dudoit said the organization has been working to restructure and build sustainable partnerships with agencies like OHA and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL). She said with a lagging economy, funding has been harder to obtain while the cost of building is rising.…

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Occupational Therapy Position Available

Friday, April 19th, 2013

Pakolea Rehab News Release

Jobs on Molokai are scarce, and unless you open your own business or work in agriculture, the future may seem bleak to the residents of our small island. However, there is a glimmer of hope for a dedicated individual interested in the healthcare field. Pakolea Rehab is offering a unique opportunity for a Molokai resident interested in pursuing a career in healthcare as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, or COTA.

Pakolea Rehab is offering a paid position upon graduation. We are looking for dedicated, caring, and hard-working individuals willing to attend Kapi`olani Community College in Fall 2013 to complete this two-year program for an Associates Degree as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.…

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Meth Project Hosts Community Forum

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

 

Former meth users stood before community members last Thursday night and shared how the drug affected them, what led them to recovery and how they are working to reduce the drug’s presence on Molokai.

Georgianna Decosta of The Hawaii Meth Project said she used meth until Honolulu police arrested her in the mid-1990s. Now she goes to schools across Hawaii, educating youth about the dangers of using meth, even just once.

“We’re all about the kids and saving the next generation from this horrible drug,” Decosta said about The Hawaii Meth Project. “When you do this drug, people are left to die.”

Decosta spent Thursday at Molokai High School, presenting information to students, stressing the message “not even once.” That evening she offered the presentation to adults, sharing what they tell youth and explaining the organization’s mission.…

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Library Turns the Page on Hawaii History

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

Library Turns the Page on Hawaii History

The Native Hawaiian Library quietly serves Molokai, offering programs and resources to children and adults while enduring as a place of learning and discovery.

Located in behind the Lanikeha Community Center and the Ho`olehua fire station, the library is the only one of its kind currently operating in Hawaii. It features an array of Hawaiian resources together in one place. Program Assistant Nani Kawa`a said this allows for new discoveries about the history of the islands and a place to share these discoveries with others.

“Our books are being rewritten because of people looking closer at history and looking for actual documents,” she said, noting a presentation in January offering discoveries on Hawaii becoming a state.…

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Kupuna Take a Stand Against Drugs

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

 

Molokai residents concerned with methamphetamine use on the island are working to bring change to the way officials address the issue.

“We’re advocating for a full-time vice officer on Molokai to concentrate strictly on our drug problems now,” states a petition created by a group of kupuna that has garnered signatures and support across the island. Molokai kupuna Judy Caparida said she will present it at the upcoming Maui County Molokai budget meeting on April 15.

“If they were doing their job, we wouldn’t have this cycle,” she said of how police address the widespread use of drugs on Molokai.…

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Managing the North Shore

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

Traditional fishing practices along Molokai’s north shore could soon be supported by law if a new proposal is approved by the state.

The Mo`omomi area, which provides food for Ho`olehua homesteaders through its ocean resources, is closer to receiving official state designation as a community-based subsistence fishing area (CBSFA). Conservation group Hui Malama O Mo`omomi organized the official proposal for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)  and has presented it at a series of meetings with fishermen, homesteaders and the public. After the group has allowed time to receive public comments and questions, they will present it to the DLNR at a public hearing.…

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Feeding Molokai Sustainably

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Feeding Molokai Sustainably

Molokai used to be known as “Molokai `Aina Momona,” or the abundant land, for its plentiful food supply that fed a population many times its current size. Like much of the state, Molokai now imports most of the food found in its stores and restaurants — 98 percent, in fact.

But the food served on Molokai’s dinner tables is a different story. About 40 percent of food consumed comes from subsistence sources such as hunting, fishing, gathering and home grown fruits and vegetables, according to a 2012 study conducted by Sust `aina ble Molokai.

“[The high level of subsistence] means that if disaster hits, Molokai is actually better off than other islands even though food production is less [than other islands],” said Emillia Noordhoek, executive director of Sust `aina ble Molokai.…

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Health Practitioners Share ‘Talking Circle’

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Health Practitioners Share ‘Talking Circle’

“Close your eyes,” began Molokai Kahupono Francis Wong.

Young and old, patient and practitioner followed suit and allowed Wong to guide them in an exercise to empty their minds and let go of their problems.

Wong explained that our emotions guide us throughout our day and it’s important to calm that emotion sometimes to prevent injury to yourself and others.

Hawaiians have long believed that thoughts and words can become a reality, manifesting in our daily lives and affecting those closest to us. Wong’s exercise was a lesson in meditation and ho`oponopono, a Hawaiian practice used to restore and maintain good relationships within a family or group.…

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Farming in the Shade

Monday, March 25th, 2013

Farming in the Shade

Along Hua`ai Road in Ho`olehua, there’s a wooded area grown over with weeds and bushes. This area is disguised as a simple, unkempt forest, but within it lays a flourishing garden of fruits and vegetables, all growing in the shade.

Molokai resident Joe Kennedy is the man behind the food forest. He began planting crops there last March, and a year later he has healthy, productive plants that use each other for support and protection. Avocado, taro and spinach are just a few of Kennedy’s crops. He founded the forest based on the idea of permaculture, a conservation theory that reflects his own love for the earth and a desire to preserve the land for future generations.…

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