Micronesian Stick Chart Institute -MSCI

05/02/2026

The Freely Associated States (FSM, RMI and Palau), have among the highest per capita rates of service in the U.S. military. Local outreach estimates put the total number of veterans living across the FAS at roughly 1,100 and this number is only going to increase.

These countries also have a large, sustained development pipeline: Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map reports a combined USD 7.1 billion (constant 2023 US$) committed to the three FAS: FSM $3.7B, RMI $2.3B, Palau $1.1B; representing major demand for project delivery capacity across energy, resilience, water & sanitation, transport, and government systems.

Veterans bring mission tested, transferable skills that are essential to successful development delivery: leadership and team management, operations and logistics, disciplined planning and risk management, engineering and technical trades, procurement oversight, monitoring & evaluation, and stakeholder coordination. These competencies map directly to the high development, project management needs across the FAS, from renewable energy and climate resilience to infrastructure and public sector reform.

If you’re a veteran (or working with veteran talent): consider how your skills can meet a growing demand for strong project ex*****on in FSM, RMI and Palau. Increasing local participation alongside veteran expertise will boost sustainability and local ownership of projects for the long term. The FAS can also do more to promote veteran hiring: adopt public-sector hiring preferences, fast-track recognition of military credentials, host veteran-focused job fairs and apprenticeships, offer employer incentives, and expand small-business/contracting set-asides. These steps would place more veterans in impactful roles and strengthen local capacity.

04/06/2026

Non-communicable diseases now drive the majority of deaths across the Pacific. But this was not always the case.

Earlier generations of Micronesians thrived on diets built around locally harvested foods such as breadfruit, taro, cassava, fish, coconut, and pandanus. Within just a few generations, however, imported and highly processed foods have replaced many of these traditional staples.

Micronesia is not alone. Indigenous communities around the world are confronting similar health challenges.

On the Navajo Nation, leaders are encouraging a return to traditional diets as part of their response to rising diabetes rates. Their efforts include the Healthy Diné Nation Act, which introduced a 2 percent tax on unhealthy foods while funding community wellness projects.

Read the Navajo story here:
https://coloradosun.com/2026/03/27/how-the-navajo-nation-is-tackling-diabetes-with-a-return-to-its-ancestral-diet/

What can Micronesia learn from Indigenous communities that are reclaiming their health through traditional knowledge and local food systems?
Our latest article examines the history of diet and health in the Freely Associated States and asks whether returning to traditional foods could help address the region’s growing NCD crisis.

Read the full MSCI article here:
https://www.stickchart.institute/essays/from-the-navajo-nation-to-micronesia-how-indigenous-food-systems-can-help-defeat-the-ncd-crisis

Sometimes the path forward begins by rediscovering what sustained our communities for generations.

03/22/2026

World Water Day | March 22

Today on World Water Day, we are reminded how fortunate the Freely Associated States - the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau - are to live in a region where rainfall is generally abundant. For generations, rain has sustained our islands, replenished our streams, filled our catchments, and supported the lush watersheds that nurture life across our region.

At the same time, our geography reminds us that fresh water can never be taken for granted. Many of our communities live on low-lying atolls, where fresh water comes primarily from rainfall stored in catchment systems or fragile underground lenses. During drought periods, these supplies can quickly become strained.

Even though severe water scarcity is not a daily reality for most of our islands, protecting this precious resource remains essential.

This means:
• Preserving our watersheds and forests so rainwater continues to flow cleanly into our streams and aquifers
• Protecting groundwater from pollution and saltwater intrusion
• Investing in reliable water infrastructure so safe water reaches all citizens
• Planning wisely for droughts and a changing climate

Fresh water is one of Micronesia’s greatest blessings. By caring for it today, we ensure that future generations will continue to benefit from the rain, rivers, and aquifers that sustain our islands.

💧 On this World Water Day, let us celebrate the water that nourishes our lands and recommit to protecting it for generations to come.

03/07/2026

Micronesian women have always been knowledge keepers, navigators, organizers, and leaders.

Across our islands and throughout our diaspora, women have sustained communities, preserved culture, and carried forward the knowledge that guides our future.

From classrooms to research, from community leadership to policy advocacy, Micronesian women continue to shape the trajectory of our region.

On International Women’s Day, the Micronesian Stick Chart Institute celebrates the women whose work strengthens our communities and inspires the next generation.

The future of Micronesia is being charted by them.

02/21/2026

🌺 International Mother Language Day | February 21

In the Freely Associated States, language is more than communication. It is identity. It is navigation. It is genealogy. It is memory.

Our mother languages carry the stories of our ancestors, the knowledge of the ocean, the names of winds and reefs, the protocols of respect, and the values that hold our communities together. Whether it is Marshallese, Chuukese, Yapese, Kosraean, Pohnpeian, Palauan, or the many outer island languages spoken across our atolls and islands, each one is a living archive of who we are.

Yet across Micronesia and in the diaspora, many of our languages face pressure. Migration, urbanization, and education systems that prioritize dominant global languages can unintentionally weaken transmission at home. When a language fades, we lose more than words. We lose worldview, cultural nuance, and connection.

International Mother Language Day is a reminder that preserving language is not only a cultural responsibility but a developmental one. Research consistently shows that children learn best when foundational education is grounded in their first language. Strong mother-language education strengthens literacy, confidence, and long-term academic success.

Families play a central role. Speaking our languages at home, teaching children traditional terms, songs, stories, and place names, and encouraging pride in our identity are some of the most powerful acts of preservation we can make.

For the Freely Associated States, protecting our mother languages is protecting our sovereignty, our knowledge systems, and our future.

Let us speak them. Teach them. Celebrate them.

🌊🌺

02/11/2026

🔬 International Day of Women and Girls in Science 🌺

Across the Freely Associated States, women and girls are shaping the future of science, health, climate resilience, and environmental leadership. This day is a moment to celebrate their brilliance and to ensure the next generation knows that Micronesians belong in STEM.

We are proud to highlight just a few inspiring women from our region:

🌊 Dr. Nicole Yamase (FSM)
A marine biologist from Pohnpei, Dr. Yamase is the first Micronesian to earn a PhD in marine biology and the first Pacific Islander to reach the Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the ocean.

🌿 Moriana Phillip (RMI)
An environmental scientist and General Manager of the Republic of the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Authority, Moriana leads science-based work in water management, environmental monitoring, and climate resilience. She also earned her Master’s in Water Management in Australia.

🌱 Dr. Kyarii Ramarui (Palau)
A Palauan scientist with a PhD in Environmental Molecular Science and Technology, Dr. Ramarui represents the growing strength of Palauan women in advanced environmental research.

As the saying goes: “If she can see it, she can be it.”
That is why it is so important to uplift these women and many others across the FAS. When our children see Micronesian women leading in science, they begin to imagine new futures for themselves.

To every girl in the islands or the diaspora who is curious about the ocean, medicine, engineering, technology, or climate: science needs you, and our nations need you.

Let us continue to celebrate, invest in, and amplify women and girls in STEM across Micronesia.

01/22/2026

International Day of Education | January 24

“Our greatest responsibility is to prepare our people for the future.”
— Tosiwo Nakayama, Founding President of the Federated States of Micronesia

On International Day of Education, we recognize the educators across the Freely Associated States. Our teachers, school leaders, support staff, mentors, and community champions nurture young minds every day. You make learning possible in diverse classrooms, on outer islands, and across urban centers. Your dedication builds the foundation for stronger futures.

The Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map shows that the education sector has received significant development financing over the last 15 years, but not always in the ways we need most. In the Marshall Islands, education projects have consistently featured among major development finance flows, alongside health and infrastructure, reflecting its central role in community wellbeing. In the Federated States of Micronesia, roughly ten percent of aid that has flowed into the country since 2008 has been tagged for education, a share moderately above the Pacific regional average.

Despite these investments, many schools continue to face challenges that undermine educational outcomes. These include limited resources, gaps in learning materials, teacher shortages in remote areas, shrinking support for human development sectors relative to rising infrastructure spending, and underinvestment in systems that help young people thrive. These challenges show up every day in our schools, influencing the choices students make and the support educators can provide. At the same time, families and parents have an essential role to play, and it is important to reaffirm that learning starts in the home through encouragement, routine, and shared responsibility for education. Perhaps one of the most important things parents and families can do is help young children dream about their future potential and see education not as a single path, but as many possible pathways that can lead to purpose, opportunity, and fulfillment.

This day is both a moment of gratitude and a call to action. We thank those who educate, uplift, and advocate for learning in our communities, while also urging governments, development partners, and citizens to do better. Future investments in education must match the scale of our aspirations, strengthen local capacity, and prepare our youth for meaningful work and leadership.

Education is not just about funding. It is about how that funding translates into quality teaching, relevant curriculum, access for all, and lifelong learning pathways. As International Day of Education is marked, let us recommit to turning investment into real impact so every child in the FAS can reach their potential.

01/14/2026

🎉Excited to announce MSCI’s holiday engagement winners! 🎊

The goal of this giveaway was to grow the MSCI community and reach more Pacific Islanders, students, researchers, and diaspora voices around the world.
To celebrate the season, we are giving 10 winners an MSCI prize pack.
Each prize pack includes:
• MSCI stainless steel tumbler
• MSCI t-shirt
• One Micronesian-themed book from our curated selection:
– Father Francis Hezel: The First Taint of Civilization, Making Sense of Micronesia, Strangers in Their Own Land
– Robert Evans: Palau: A Cultural Geography
– Jack Tobin: Stories From the Marshall Islands
– Indigenous Literatures From Micronesia edited by Evelyn Flores and Emelihter Kihleng

The winners of the 2025 MSCI giveaway are

Palemer (Yap)
Ewarmai Vanessa (Kosrae-Satawal)
Kimber Rilometo (Marshalls)
J Pedro (Palau)
Terry Marcus (Pohnpei)
Benson Gideon (Marshalls)
Pedro (Palau)
Antonio (Palau)
Wanes Katuli (Marshalls)
Echang (Palau)

If you have not been contacted directly by MSCI, please message us directly to claim your prize!

Thank you for your participation!

🎄 MSCI HOLIDAY ENGAGEMENT DRIVE: WIN MSCI SWAG + MICRONESIAN BOOKS! 🎄

The Micronesian Stick Chart Institute is launching a Holiday Engagement Drive from today through December 31. Our goal is to grow the MSCI community and reach more Pacific Islanders, students, researchers, and diaspora voices around the world.

To celebrate the season, we will award 10 winners an MSCI prize pack.

Each prize pack includes:

• MSCI stainless steel tumbler
• MSCI t-shirt
• One Micronesian-themed book from our curated selection:

– Father Francis Hezel: The First Taint of Civilization, Making Sense of Micronesia, Strangers in Their Own Land
– Robert Evans: Palau: A Cultural Geography
– Jack Tobin: Stories From the Marshall Islands
– Indigenous Literatures From Micronesia edited by Evelyn Flores and Emelihter Kihleng

These books represent some of the most important writing about our region as well as collections of indigenous stories and folklore. MSCI wants to increase awareness of the powerful literature that tells the stories, histories, and cultures of Micronesia.

How to Enter and Win

1. Comment and share where you are from.

2. Mention as many friends as you want in your comment thread.

The ten people who mention the most friends will receive an MSCI prize pack.

Every mention helps MSCI reach a wider audience and supports our mission to uplift Micronesian knowledge, culture, and policy.

Winners will be contacted and announced after December 31.

Thank you for helping MSCI grow this holiday season. 🎁
It’s a great day to be informed!

01/08/2026

Happy New Year! As we enter 2026, the first year of the second quarter of the 21st century, I have been spending time looking at the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map and what it shows for the Freely Associated States. At first glance, the picture can feel discouraging. Since 2008, the map shows US$2.6 billion spent in the FSM (US$3.7 billion committed), US$1.6 billion spent in the Marshall Islands (US$2.3 billion committed), and US$932 million spent in Palau (US$1.1 billion committed).

When we compare that level of investment to where we still struggle in health, education, and private sector development, it raises difficult but necessary questions. Life expectancy remains in the high-60s across much of the FAS (compared to around 84–85 years in Japan), secondary education completion varies widely, and private sector opportunities remain limited for many young people. At the same time, basic infrastructure continues to deteriorate. Roads in many areas are in poor condition, transport costs remain high, and energy remains unreliable for many households and businesses, constraining economic activity and daily life. Our hospitals and health systems are under-resourced, and the inability to adequately treat chronic conditions locally, especially heart disease and diabetes, has become a major economic drain as patients must be sent overseas for care. These are not abstract statistics. They shape whether people see a future at home or feel compelled to leave.

But this map is not only a warning. It is also hope. The committed funding represents a future that is still being written. What we cannot afford is to let the next wave of commitments follow the same path as much of the past spending. We have to do better, and we have to advocate for doing better, together.

This map is not just for economists or development specialists. Other countries are already studying it, looking closely at where large, long-term commitments are flowing and thinking strategically about how to position their firms, labor, and services to capture those opportunities. That reality should be a wake-up call.

This map should be used by our schools at all levels to build economic and development literacy early and, just as importantly, to get our young people excited and hopeful about what is possible at home. It should be actively used by our national banks and financial institutions to understand where capital is flowing and how Micronesian businesses can compete and retain more value locally. And it should be used by our local, state, and national government departments to design smarter incentives and policies so that committed funding strengthens domestic capability, circulates within our economies, and inspires the next generation to see a future worth building here.

The Pacific Aid Map reminds us that money alone is not the answer. But paired with local capability, ambition, and smarter partnerships, it can still be a powerful tool for change.

https://pacificaidmap.lowyinstitute.org/map/

12/25/2025

Since MSCI’s incorporation in April of 2025, we have achieved several miles stones including:

1. Institutional representation from each of our countries, members from our diaspora, and members from our highest impact state.

2. Publication of a diaspora tracking tool that sheds light on our population abroad.

3. Collaboration with schools in the islands to help center Micronesian history, culture, and art in formal education.

MSCI is proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a community in a short time and look forward to continue our work for all Micronesians.