Mission Statement

WAM canoes by the shore

WAM canoes by the shore

Waan Aelõñ in Majel (WAM) is committed to empowering the young men and women of the Marshall Islands, endowing them with the skillset essential to bring them into the global society in which we find ourselves today.
WAM uses traditional Marshallese skills for men and women as a medium to transfer needed life skills and capacity building to the youth of the Marshall Islands.
The WAM program promotes sustainable economic and cultural development, national unity and self-identity.

The Waan Aelõñ in Majel Program, using the medium of canoe and boat building and basic English and math skills, directly contributes to the achievement of the national development objective of fostering economic and cultural development, national unity and self-identity. It empowers the youth of today by teaching them sustainable skills, enabling them employment and income generation in order to contribute to their family and community, reducing poverty.

The program raises public awareness, while transferring knowledge and appreciation of Marshallese culture. This capacity building in a drug and alcohol free program is one of WAM’s building blocks for the future.

Vocational skills including outrigger canoe building, maintenance, sailing and navigation will ensure that this unique aspect of Marshallese culture will be kept alive.

WAM establishes collaborative partnerships with agencies of the Marshall Islands Government and Non-Government sectors that are concerned with the promotion of sustainable economic development to move the culture and tradition into a modern set of economic circumstances.

The integration of contemporary boat building with the program ensures the success of this initiative that the income generated from wood and fiberglass boat building will help sustain the program in the long term. This program links with international organizations concerned with skills such as outrigger canoes and navigation to promote their use, building bridges across cultures.