Marshallese Youth and Women

Marshallese Educational Initiative is a nonprofit in Springdale that serves and advocates for the Marshallese community in Arkansas, which is home to the largest concentration of Marshallese in the continental United States. 

For NWA Gives, we are asking for support for our Youth/Education Program and our Women's Advocacy Program. 

MEI hosts a Marshallese youth academy, where we promote Marshallese culture and teach the Marshallese language. We also help students apply for financial aid for college and facilitate a mentorship program with Marshallese college students, who are also in need of scholarship assistance. Because Marshallese youth are exceptional at expressing themselves through art, funds raised here will also go toward purchasing art supplies for students to express their thoughts on climate change and the nuclear testing legacy. 

We are also raising funds to purchase school supplies for our families back in the Marshall Islands on Ebon Atoll.

MEI's Women's Advocacy Program promotes women's empowerment and a wholistic view of health and wellbeing. Part of our Advocacy Program also raises awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault. We work with several local partner agencies to provide survivors with the resources and support they need. Funds raised here will go toward building our capacity to serve Marshallese women, specifically to support our monthly workshops.

For more information about MEI and our work, please visit our website at www.mei.ngo. While our fundraisers for NWA Gives are focused on youth and women, we have several programs that you could also support: elder programming, nuclear and climate awareness, culture classes and trainings, and other humanities, arts, and cultural programming, like Songs of Our Atolls. Just let us know!

Kommool tata!  Thank you!

Team MEI