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What Causes Hardship?The assessment identified lack of income to meet individual and family needs (and wants) such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and cash as the most critical issue for all communities throughout the three states surveyed. The people surveyed said poor quality of service delivery, notably education and health services, is an important cause of hardship in many communities. Lack of facilities for skills and technical training is a particular issue for the youth. In all three states surveyed, people said landlessness, increasing drug and alcohol abuse, overcrowded households, and natural disasters cause hardship. In Chuuk and Pohnpei, people said the deterioration of customs and traditions, particularly the practice of sharing resources, and lack of community cooperation are important causes of hardship. In the more traditional state of Yap, people said restrictions brought by traditional beliefs (e.g., limited education for girls) and opposition by elders to increasing community access to basic services are particular causes of hardship. Three groups were identified as especially affected by hardship: children, the youth and women. Young Male Drifter, 24 Years Old
“Both of my parents are from Fefan. I have three sisters and four brothers. My family was difficult to live in because my father was very abusive. He always beat up my mother. He was also a habitual drinker, and every time he drank, he and mom used to fight. I was very unhappy about that. “I quit school when I was 8 years old because my mother finally decided to leave my dad, and she left us with him. Our father was not working, but every time he could get a drink from his friends he would come home and give us trouble. We never had enough of anything, such as food, clothes, you name it. We were very poor. When things got worse, I left home and stayed with my aunt and just roamed around the neighborhood, doing nothing. I was still very young so I was helpless and I sometimes had to steal in order to eat. I used to steal people’s chickens and fruit from their farms and then traded them to other people for something I needed. “As I grew older, I could never find a job because I didn’t know anything. I grew up on the street so I was helpless. Sometimes people asked me to do work for them around their houses so I could eat, and gave me their old clothes. “Then I finally found my mother again, but she married a man who didn't like me. I stayed with them for only 3 months. I left because my stepfather really hated me. He always gave my mother a hard time because of me. So I went back to stay with one of my aunts. I worked at her auto repair shop and she paid me 50 cents an hour. I worked for four months. I started to drink alcohol so whenever my aunt paid me, I used the money to buy my drinks. After she found out, she fired me. Then I moved in with another relative. “In 1995, my father died, so I moved back to live with my oldest sister. I lived with her for a while, but we had hard time living in our run-down house because we never had anything to eat. Neither of us finished our education, so we had a hard time finding a job. I now regret not finishing school because I realize that if I had, I could find a good job to support my sisters and relatives. “Now I live in my cousin’s house and help him work on his farm. I realize I cannot live anywhere without doing some work in order to survive. I really wish I had a steady job and a house of my own so I could settle down and live a happy life.” Children
During the assessment, people said children face hardship because of the breakdown of their parents’ marriages, limited access to basic services, poor nutrition, and overcrowding of households. The breakdown of marriages was said to be increasing, and has led to children being divided between the parents or put in the care of grandparents or other relatives. This usually results in conflict at home, “loss of love from both parents,” poor guidance, and lack of funds to complete the children’s basic education. Limited access to basic services by children was said to be caused by low family income, overcrowded households, and poor school facilities and staffing. Poor nutrition (too many carbohydrates and too much fat and salt) among children, particularly in Chuuk and Yap, was said to be caused by a low level of awareness of proper nutrition by parents. Overcrowding of households, particularly in Chuuk and Pohnpei, was said to be mostly caused by the migration of relatives from rural areas and outer islands to urban areas, and poor family planning because of the belief that “children are wealth.” This results in a number of children being unable to complete their education. YouthIncreasing suicide rates were reported The most commonly cited cause of hardship for the youth was lack of or limited chances to earn income. The most disadvantaged are those who have dropped out of school, due to lack of interest or lack of funds to pay for school expenses. This has left a number of young people with very few economic prospects, increasing their risk of perpetuating hardship when they have families of their own. The assessment also identified increasing alcohol and drug abuse among the youth (all states) and too much dependence on parents (Chuuk and Pohnpei) as problems. Although seldom discussed, increasing suicide rates, mostly among young males facing hardship, were reported during the consultations (mainly in Chuuk and Yap). Mother of Six, 40 Years Old
“I have lived with my family here in Madrich community on Yap proper for the last 4 years. I grew up on Satawal, the furthest outer island of Yap. My husband and I have four children; the eldest of which is 18 years old and is in Guam attending high school. We came to stay here on Yap proper for our children to attend school. Education is of a better quality here than on Satawal. “While my immediate family here is currently only four people, I have to provide for up to 20 additional family members at any given time. I have only a small house, barely enough space for the family, but we always have more people staying with us. Many of the men and boys stay in the men’s house in the community but come here to eat every day. I have to cook for everyone, usually rice and local food, and no one helps me with this and other household chores, such as getting firewood. Many of these people have come here to get medical treatment at the capital, or to attend school, and they stay with relatives, without giving our family any financial support. Because we have to buy so much food on only my husband’s salary of $85 a month, we never seem to have enough to pay for taxis, power, water, and tuition. My eldest son works to pay for my daughter’s tuition. “I wish I had enough money to support my family here in Madrich and have enough to send supplies back to Satawal. I like to go and visit the island occasionally and bring supplies such as rice and canned meat, but it costs $36 round trip. “Another concern I have is for my community back in Satawal. The youth in the community have little respect for their chiefs, and thus the traditional culture is slowly deteriorating. This is also why I want my children to go to school here because they are now used to more freedom and don’t have enough respect for our traditional culture. Living on the island would be very difficult for them.” WomenThe assessment showed that the major causes of hardship for women are low income, exacerbated by poor family planning, a high number of dependents (extended family members living in the household), and women being traditionally responsible for all domestic chores. Their role as mother, housekeeper, and budget manager was said to be made more difficult by lack of basic services such as water supply connections. Women’s difficulty in finding a regular source of income, thus increasing their dependence on relatives or their husbands for support, was said to be caused by limited education, restrictions placed on women in finding paid jobs in urban areas, and employers preferring to hire men.
The people surveyed said girls’ and women’s limited access to education is caused by low income, distance to schools, lack of safe boarding schools for girls (for those from Yap), limited access to transport and community schools (mainly in Pohnpei), and traditional beliefs against sending girls to school (mainly in Yap). Teenage pregnancies and breakdown of marriages, commonly due to stress brought by lack of income, lead to the increasing number of single mothers. Most do not receive financial support from the fathers.
Alcohol, and to some extent drug, use is reportedly increasing and further contributes to conflict between husband and wife, domestic violence, and chronic shortage of cash (mainly in Yap and Chuuk) for basic needs. The vulnerability of women to sexually transmitted diseases and infections, including HIV/AIDS, is a particular cause of hardship for women in Chuuk. Decision making on how money is spent and how many children to have was said to be shared by husband and wife in Yap and Pohnpei. However, some couples do not consciously decide on the number of children to have. In Chuuk, decisions are reportedly made mostly by the husband or by the eldest male in the family. Outside the family, those consulted said that except for church committees, women are not equally represented in decision making at the community, state, or national level. At present, there are no women in the state and national legislature in the FSM. This can be attributed to beliefs regarding the role of men and women in FSM culture. Most people consulted said women’s situation has improved over the last 5 years because of improved access to education, increased recognition by communities and churches of women’s abilities to carry out assigned tasks (mainly in Chuuk), and the organizations that help women participate in decision making, such as in municipal council elections. Some people, however, said women’s situation has worsened over the last 5 years due to lack of planning skills, not enough money for basic needs, and pressures brought about by multiple responsibilities in and outside the home. Poor Service Delivery
Water. Safe water was said to be available in five out of the nine communities. In Yap and Pohnpei, most consulted communities rated water supply as good due to the availability of clean tap water supplied by the state water system in urban areas and water tanks to store rainwater on the outer islands. The majority of households on the outer island of Mwoakilla, Pohnpei have an average of two concrete water tanks and water-sealed toilets as a result of a government program. This results in a high level of hygiene on the island. However, water supply was rated poor by all three Chuuk communities due to irregular and poor quality piped water supply in urban areas and a shortage of rainwater tanks in the rural and outer island areas. Since most households in Chuuk still depend on rainwater for their water supply, efficient collection (mostly through roof gutters) and storage were cited as very important by the communities surveyed. A small state budget for water supply services and lack of community participation were said to contribute to poor maintenance of community water tanks, thus contributing to the shortage of clean water. People in some of the rural areas said only those households along the main road could afford the connection fee. Sanitation. Most of the nine communities consulted rated their sanitation facilities as poor. Lack of properly constructed toilets and absence of piped water are the most common reasons people use the bush, sea, or lagoon as an alternative toilet facility. Other reasons include local custom, lack of awareness, or inability to afford toilets. A lack of buyers at the market was a major concern Education. Primary level education is accessible in all nine communities consulted. Most of them rated education as “good” mainly due to the availability of a school building and not necessarily the quality of education. Concerns were raised about the poor state of the classrooms, not having enough educational materials, limited numbers of qualified teachers, and difficulty reaching the school because of long distances, poor roads, and/or undependable transport service for the students. They also mentioned the inability of some parents to pay for transportation, lunch money, and school supplies.
Power. Six of the nine communities surveyed have a central power supply connection in their homes. In urban areas, most have a 24-hour connection to the central power supply, but a number of households cannot afford a continuous power connection. People explained that very low-income neighbors buy about $5 worth of electricity (using a pre-paid card), to have power for a few days. In Chuuk, people reported frequent power outages in the capital that lasted for a day or more. Most outer island communities do not have access to a regular power supply and instead rely on kerosene lamps and/or solar power (mainly in Yap). In some rural areas where power lines are visible only along the main road (in Nanpahlap, Pohnpei), less than half of the households can afford individual connections. Communications . Telephones, followed by mobile phones, are the most common communication equipment in all the urban areas visited, while VHF radios are the main means of communication between the state capitals and rural and outer island areas. However, most urban households cannot afford an individual phone line. Market. Although almost all the communities have access to a market to sell their goods, the people cited a lack of buyers for agricultural produce, handicrafts, and marine products as a major concern. In some urban areas of Chuuk, for example, a number of families sell flower leis in the state center but complained that their income has decreased as more and more people also began selling leis. In the rural islands (e.g., Chuuk and Yap), where people rely on agricultural products for income, farmers find it difficult to regularly sell their produce in the state capital due to costly and limited transport service and lack of a reliable buyer. Father of five, 38 Years Old
“I am married with five children. I only reached freshman in high school. I came from Kapinga Island and stayed with some relatives to attend high school, but I had no money to buy clothes, school supplies, and registration fees. I couldn’t cope with the demands of the new lifestyle. My parents stayed on Kapinga Island, so they had no idea how different the lifestyle was here. So, I quit school. “I ended up married to a girl from my island who also dropped out of school. She didn’t even finish elementary school. We have two daughters who are in elementary school and three boys who are too young to attend school. “After I quit school, I learned carving by watching the older men. I used to borrow their tools, and after I was able to carve my own handicrafts, I bought my own tools. That’s the good thing about our people, we learned to share our belongings since we were small. “My house now is a one-bedroom thatched roof house, 16'x12'. Although it’s not good, and it’s small, I’d rather be on my own with my wife and children than living with my relatives who are crowded in a two-bedroom house with more than ten people. “About 5 years ago, I could sell $50 worth of handicrafts in a week. That was enough money for my four children to survive. Now I have five children, but I can only make that $50 in a month. That is because the marketing of our handicrafts is very slow due to the economic problems in our nation. Tourists don’t come as often as they used to. Unfortunately, things are getting more expensive, such as water and electric power. I cannot afford to pay for my electric power so most of the time we cook on an open fire or kerosene stove. “Before, I used to send a sack of rice and other goods to my family on Kapinga Island. Nowadays, I only send them food if I have enough for my own family. I am worried that my children may end up just like my wife and me who didn’t finish school because we had no money. I cannot afford to send my children to school if the handicraft business continues to be poor. “Unfortunately, there are no other opportunities for people like us, Kapingese. I cannot ask anyone for a job in the private businesses. There are no Kapinga businesses on the island. Nothing is as frustrating as not being able to support my family because I am uneducated and the only skill I learned is not making as much money as it used to. “There is nothing else I wish for more than to have a steady job to support my five children. I really want them to live a better life than mine. I hope someone can help us.” The effects of international events have also been felt. The sale of handicrafts decreased when the tourist numbers in Pohnpei declined sharply after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, which dramatically reduced local household income and the ability to afford basic services and goods.
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