We just spent 7 weeks exploring the outermost Atolls of the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands are a sovereign nation supported in many way by the USA and a few other countries.
Places like Majuro and Kwajalein are very "Americanized" but even a few hundred miles from these places puts you in a world where "being connected" is just a dream....
We were blessed in our journey to meet some amazing people. From Queens to children, the Marshall Islands people have brought us more joy than we could ever give.
Monetarily, these folks seem to be doing OK. They harvest Copra (Coconuts) and have a few small scale fishing operations. As for infrastructure, it all seems to have been donated from one country or another. The real challenge for these people is connecting with the outside world. Most islands rely on short wave radios to communicate with the major centers. Most islands only see a supply ship a few times a year.
Many of these island were occupied during WW2 and many reminders of that time are present even today... There are shell craters with palm trees growing out of them, there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of dilapidated and bombed out buildings, scores of abandoned artillery weapons, and many airplane skeletons all over the place... From time to time an islander looses their life when an ordinance long forgotten explodes... The US military continues to help remove these hazards if they are found before they cause any more destruction...
Our time here was incredibly rewarding. Like so many other places we have been, they work with what they have, and while education seems important to the Marshallise government, implementation, still struggles.
We delivered almost 400 pencil cases and a few cases of teacher supplies over 6 local schools. each school we visited really seemed to have a need for what we brought....
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| Shelley baked cookies! What a treat! |
The people here are very generous. For example, when the Queen of Maleolap Atoll found out what we were doing she invited us over an presented us with a beautiful woven mat that she had made herself.... It was important for her to share what she had as we were sharing what we had.... People are so amazing!
We will be heading back toward Fiji over the next few months where we will leave the boat for one month and return to Canada to see family and friends. Over the last few months Shelley has collected many shells from the beaches we walk almost every day. We have started making jewelry and will be selling it when we are home to help raise funds to continue our work. Some items are as little as $5....
God Bless....
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