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Ione ready to take up Ebon challenge |
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GIFF JOHNSON
It is rare for a person to accept a new job that requires a 50 percent pay cut. It is even rarer to find a person who is enthusiastic about it. Despite this being the case for new Ebon Mayor Ione deBrum (pictured), she is bubbling with excitement about the new work ahead for her. Stepping down from many years of employment with the RMI government, most recently as Director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program at the Ministry of Health, deBrum is also breaking ground as a long-time Majuro resident moving from the urban center to an outer atoll. DeBrum explained her plan to head to Ebon later this week for an initial council meeting to consult on a series of development ideas, and then to return to Majuro to follow through on several grant funding opportunities. She then plans to move to Ebon. “I’ve dreamed about going back to Ebon one day,” said deBrum. “I see many things on Ebon that could be done but are not.” Her plan, she said, “is to live on Ebon for the duration of my term.” Her actual move may be delayed as she said after the first council meeting, she needs to get back to Majuro to marshal resources to implement a series of local food and self-sufficiency projects on the atoll. The Ministry of Internal Affairs-provided funding only pays for council operations. There is no money for operations or activities, she said. “There is nothing to work with now,” she said. “I’m starting from zero. I’ll return to Majuro to find ways to get things going.” Ebon is the southern-most atoll in the RMI and because of its geographic location, receives the most rainfall of any atoll in the Republic. Ebon is known for producing taro, bananas and many other local products, though deBrum said some of these are in decline. “People are moving away from local foods to western foods,” she said. “I’m surprised how much rice is imported to Ebon.” She is keen to work on a variety of improvements, including:
• Expanding food production and marketing of local produce.
• Screening for diabetes and stepping up illness prevention among island residents.
• Developing agreements with the Ministry of Education for its outer island schools to purchase local foods grown on Ebon to improve the nutritional status of meals for students and create income generating opportunities for outer island residents.
She sees income generating activity as key to improving life on the atoll. |
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National Alele Museum and Library closed |
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ISAAC MARTY
The national Alele Museum and Library (pictured left) shut down last week for lack of funds. “We are temporarily closed until money is available,” said Alele Director Newton Lajuan.
Financial problems for Alele are many, stemming largely from Nitijela slashing its budget by nearly 25 percent — to $64,917, which doesn’t cover payroll and leaves nothing for basic operations. “Less money from the government makes it hard to pay bills,” said Lajuan, who noted the Alele owes tens of thousands of dollars to MEC, NTA and MISSA. Nitijela-approved funds only cover 20 pay-periods for the year, leaving six not accounted for. This has resulted in Alele closing its doors for weeks at a time.
Lajuan said, however, “we’re still around cleaning the area, making reports and proposals.”
He is hopeful of a drawdown soon from a US Institute of Museum and Library Services grant for program services. |
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