LIHU‘E — Cece Kilma, the interim secretary of the Marshallese Association of Kaua‘i, announced the association will celebrate the 44th anniversary of the Marshall Islands and the second anniversary of the Marshallese Association of Kaua‘i, at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a.
Kikko Betti of a Marshallese group vending a variety of Marshallese handiworks during the Local Treasures Marketplace at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center on Sunday said they plan on being at the celebration as well.
“Normally, we have a baseball tournament with the finals being held on May Day (RMI Constitution Day),” Betti said. “We should be having food, dance and other events, too.”
He said the appearance at the Local Treasures Marketplace was the first time for his ‘ohana.
“We have a lot of things unique to the Marshall Islands,” he said. “The shells, even the pearls, are from the Marshall Islands. They’re all put together by hand. We even have handbags.”
Kilma himself is no stranger to making life easier for Mashallese people living on Kaua‘i. He was personally involved in getting these families helped during the food and household necessities relief distributions during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while the language barrier prevented a lot of Marshallese from receiving benefits, Kilma coordinated special vaccine days to accommodate the work schedules and coordinated imports of school supplies and other necessities from O‘ahu for Marshallese children.
“Their island is sinking,” said Debbie Yanagihara, one of the coordinators of the Local Treasures Marketplace. “They need somewhere to go.”
In a news report aired on March 10, 2023, Hawai‘i News Now stated that within the next 40 years, the Marshall Islands will cease to exist, according to the Kwajalein Atoll Sustainability Laboratory that cites data from the U.S. Department of Defense research.
The meeting covered by HNN was between scientists, military leaders and community members to discuss economic opportunities and cultural preservation.
During the 2022 RMI Constitution Day, the meeting of county and state leaders with other officials celebrated the first anniversary of the Marshallese Association of Kaua‘i. The state Department of Health, through the Kaua‘i District Health Office, sent a team to assist with some of the health issues outside of the pandemic that affect Marshallese people.
