Brighter Futures, Stronger Ties: US Nonprofit Drives Educational Progress in Strategically Situated Micronesia  

News Release from HabeleInstitute.org  July 29, 2025

(Colonia, Yap) In a quiet yet determined effort to expand educational opportunities in the Western Pacific, an American nonprofit is helping students from some of Micronesia’s most remote islands access the region’s top-performing private schools. At the same time, decades long US-Micronesia ties are being strengthened. 

Habele, a U.S.-based charity founded by former Peace Corps Volunteers, has awarded more than 150 scholarships for the 2025–26 school year to students across the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Covering 75 percent of tuition costs, these scholarships help low- and middle-income students attend independent elementary and high schools in three of the FSM’s four states.

The initiative addresses a critical gap. While the Compact of Free Association allows Micronesian students to attend U.S. colleges with federal financial aid, many—especially those from outer islands and single-parent or single-earner households—lack access to the kind of rigorous K–12 education needed to succeed in higher education.

“Habele did more than support my education; they believed in my potential,” said Sheridan Giltamag, a former scholarship recipient and now a sophomore at Eastern Oregon University, where she maintains a 3.9 GPA and co-chairs a student leadership group. Four years of Habele tuition assistance allowed her to enrolled and graduate from Our Lady of Mercy, the top performing high school on the Island of Pohnpei. “Their belief in students like me inspired my dream to one day start my own nonprofit and give back to my community, just as they have for me.” 

This year’s scholarship recipients reflect the diversity and challenges faced across the FSM, a scattered collection of islands home to more than five unique languages and distinct cultures. Among the scholars are 18 students raised by adoptive or step-parents, 21 from single-parent homes, and eight who applied independently on their own initiative. Nearly half have siblings or cousins who also receive scholarships, with all maintaining GPAs above 3.5.

Habele’s approach is unique. The FSM, a nation of 100,000 people, is set to receive more than $52 million for education in 2025 from the U.S. Government through annual Compact Sector Grants. Additional funding comes from the U.S. Department of Education, which treats FSM state departments of education as local school districts, making them eligible for a wide range of federal programs and grants. By contrast, Habele’s scholarships are entirely funded by the private donations of individual Americans who give annually to the charity so bright, ambitious students can attend the higher performing independent school of their parents’ choosing. The program is operated by Habele’s sole full-time employee.

The majority of scholarship recipients—81 students—come from the remote Outer Islands of Yap and Chuuk, where educational options are most limited. Others hail from Yap Proper (36), Pohnpei (16), Chuuk Lagoon (14), with smaller numbers from the Outer Islands of Pohnpei (2) and Kosrae (1).

This year’s cohort includes 92 girls and 58 boys, spanning grades one through twelve. They attend 13 independent schools, including highly regarded institutions such as Yap Catholic High School, Xavier High School in Chuuk, and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Pohnpei. Among the 122 returning students who received renewal scholarships, the average student has received tuition support for more than three years.

“Habele is a great example of how to build the people-to-people connections that are the foundation of ties between the United States and the diverse islands of Micronesia,” said Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine officer, former diplomat, and business executive with extensive experience in the Asia-Pacific region, on a recent trip to Yap. “Even more, Habele sets a standard that other parts of the US Government and development agencies should emulate.  It’s amazing. A small, locally engaged nonprofit, dependent on private donations, and with minimal overhead, is achieving measurable results down to the local village level, where its efforts are highly valued.  That tells you everything.”

“Habele’s nimble, efficient operations reaching all parts of the FSM contrast with the ponderous, siloed, and often geographically limited efforts of the U.S. government – even if well intentioned.”  

“Speaking as a former diplomat and military officer with experience in development operations,” Newsham continued, “we need Habele doing more of what it does.  Pound-for-pound I’d say it’s one of the most effective efforts of its kind – anywhere on earth.”

“And Habele’s work is even more valuable as we are at a time when malevolent third-party nations are actively working to win hearts and minds and undermine the Compact.” 

Since awarding its first scholarship in 2006, Habele has supported more than 300 students. But demand remains high: over 225 students submitted on-time applications this year, highlighting the unmet need in these island communities ahead of the June 30 deadline. Late applications continue to come in.

In households where this year’s scholarship recipients live, an average of 7.6 people share a home, with only 1.4 wage earners per household. The scholarships ease financial burdens while preserving families’ ownership and responsibility for their children’s success.

In May, eleven Habele scholars graduated from high school, headed off to four-year colleges on Guam, Hawaii and the US mainland. For these young islanders, the journey from remote atolls to college campuses thousands of miles away often begins with one simple but transformative act: someone believing in their potential.

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