Kosrae Disability Act of 2021 

Kosrae Special Parent Network (KSPN) is influencing government policy and raising public awareness to support people living with disability in the Federated States of Micronesia.  

When the Kosrae State Government was formed in 1979, there was no policy in place to protect people living with disability. After ratifying the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) in 2016, KSPN worked with partners to seek support for the Kosrae Disability Act, which was signed into law in 2021. 

The Kosrae Disability Act of 2021 calls for equality, inclusion, quality healthcare, education, enhanced social services and respect. KSPN will work with Kosrae State Government to implement and enforce the Act.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:  

• review and amend the Disability Act of 2021
• deliver public awareness and advocacy activities to increase public understanding and support for people living with disability.  

Refinement of knowledge management system to accommodate communications needs

The Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) supports biodiversity conservation and related sustainable development for the people of Micronesia in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of Palau (ROP), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the US Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

The amount of information MCT collects and stores has been rapidly increasing, creating a need for more efficient ways to manage and secure data. A new knowledge management system is nearing completion, and will allow MCT to better store, manage and integrate data.

MCT is also developing a communications strategy to share knowledge and experiences with a wider audience and draw greater attention to conservation issues in Micronesia. The new knowledge management system requires some refinement to ensure that it supports the communications strategy.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• select and contract an IT specialist
• support the IT specialist to scope, design, install and deliver a knowledge management system that supports MCT’s communication strategy.

MCT has policies governing diversity and inclusion, especially around gender, disability and vulnerable groups, which will be applied to this project. The project will include training for MCT's staff on the updating and routine maintenance of the knowledge management system and database.

Women's menstrual pad sewing and outreach program 

The Chuuk Women’s Council project will support women in Mortlocks and Northwest communities to produce reusable fabric menstrual pads. Participating women will improve their literacy, numeracy and small business skills business as well as accessing health and food security support services. 

‍Many families from the Mortlocks and Northwest regions of Chuuk have established their home on Weno to attend school, find work and to seek medical assistance, while waiting to join their partners in Guam, Hawaii or the United States. Some men have remarried while abroad, leaving women and children on Weno with no financial support. These women are capable and resilient but have limited access to opportunities for skill development or income generation. 

Women participating in this project will learn how to sew reusable menstrual pads with support from the Chuuk Women’s Council project team. They will also access literacy, business, health and food security programs as well as support services. 

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, the project activities will include: 

• ‍outreach to identify suitable candidates for the project 
• skill development and training of participants 
• support for participants to develop their own small businesses and to purchase their own equipment. 

Participating women will have a sustainable means to generate an income, increasing their self-confidence and self-worth. It will also help young women in the broader community, who will be less likely to miss school or other community events during their menstrual cycle through access to menstrual pads.