On Friday May 25, 2018 with sunny skies and happy faces, WAM hosted a handover ceremony for “the Project for Improvement of Transportation of Training Materials for Waan Aelõñ in Majel in Majuro Atoll.” The grant provided WAM with a Crane Truck and was funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Society Projects (GGP).
The ceremony was also attended by Hon. Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce Dennis Momotaro, Hon. President of Mayors Association Ota Kisino, Reverend Jimmy Moses, Commissioner of Public School System Kanchi Hosia, Director of Waan Aelon in Majel Alson Kelen, Director of Okeanos Dustin Langidrik, staff of Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce, trainers and students of Waan Aelon in Majel, as well as officials and staff of the Embassy of Japan.
WAM is unique in providing youth with not only basic education but also traditional skills and knowledge of wood working, carving, saw milling, traditional navigation and canoe building. Without its own vehicle for transporting logs, WAM could only use limited types of trees in its programs. Because of the GGP funding WAM procured a crane truck, which allows us to collect different types of training materials including coconut trees, which are the most popular in the RMI and also appropriate for vocational training. In addition, the project is expected to help replantation of old coconut trees, which is promoted by Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce, for protecting industries, environment and food security in the future.