A Message from the Founder
Dear Friends,
Wenimomoto! Welcome to the Fanapi Foundation. The word Fanapi [fan.ah.pee] is a Chuukese word (literally translated “islands of the sand”) refers to the low-lying islands outside of the Chuuk lagoon comprising of the regions of Pattiw, Namonweito, Pafeng. Together with a group of mentors and friends, we have founded this nonprofit organization to support those islands where I was born and raised as a child before the inevitable winds of change carried me beyond their shores to the cement shores of the United States.
The Foundation’s role is simple: to do whatever it takes to support the local efforts by bridging those needs with global resources….all with the goal of empowering self-sufficiency in those islands which are grouped by the government as the Northwest Region.
At the Foundation, we are humbled by the immensity of hope and aspirations of the grassroots movement in the fanapi islands to take ownership of “our problems and our solutions.” Their hope is to create a locally-led Fanapi Center on the main island of Weno to centralize the programs and services in education, community development, healthcare, and economic opportunities for the outer islanders from the Northwest region of Pattiw, Pafeng, Namonweito. The Foundation is the US-based bridge for that Center.
The first phase of our initiative was simply to set up the Fanapi Foundation as a sponsored project of the United Charitable Programs (www.unitedcp.org), a registered 501(c)3 public benefit non-profit organization headquartered near Washington, DC. As a program of UCP, we are able to offer tax deductible donations capabilities. We are now implementing the second phase of our approach which is to seek funding for capacity-building training programs for the the fanapi leadership to build the Fanapi Center’s programs and to create more local and global partnerships.
I encourage all sons and daughters of the outer islands living back in the islands and those in Guam, Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland to join our movement. We welcome all efforts, all talents, all levels of commitment to work with us in improving the lives of people back in the islands. We must unite as a people to help each other, to build an organization to address the various needs of our people. Register your email below so we can update you on the latest development of our movement. You can also view videos from our islands on our YouTube account (www.youtube.com/fanapicenter), follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/fanapicenter), sign up to receive our news feeds, and network with us on FB group (www.facebook.com/fanapi) or join the Outer Islands Partners (www.facebook.com/outerislands).
We also seek global partners to help build the dream of a multipurpose Fanapi Center (Uuten Ataween Fanapi) that will be centrally located on the main island of Weno to implement the programs and services of the NGO. Please contact us at info@fanapi.org or fill out our online form if you have any questions.
Killisou chapur,
Vid Raatior
Founder & Program Director, Fanapi Foundation
vid@fanapi.org
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