By Melvira Kyarii Kazuma, Family Educator and Indirah Tochi Tirso, Family Educator
Rooted in the spirit of Klaingeseu (“to help one another” in the Palauan language), WestCare Pacific Islands’ Cheberdil Belau Center (CBC) has opened its doors to serve the community of Palau with two new programs for youth and young couples, the Tutoring Program for youth and the Tabesul Deleuill relationship enrichment program. The Tutoring Program serves youth in elementary school while Tabesul Deleuill focuses on the enhancement of healthy relationships and healthy families by providing educational workshops to young couples ages 18 – 30.
CBC’s Tutoring Program is supported through a partnership with the local high schools and Palau Community College. These community partners helped identify eight tutors with high academic performance and who are ready to assist elementary students. Since its opening in January, the program continues to see a steady increase in the number of students served and has been warmly welcomed by the families. Although the school year is ending soon, the CBC team will use the summer break to enhance its services and prepare for the next school year.
The Tabesul Deleuill program is Palau’s first relationship enhancement program that provides educational workshops on healthy relationships, positive parenting, and financial stability. The team has successfully implemented two workshops with young couples since its initiation this year. Although the local community was disrupted by the COVID-19 surge and posed many challenges due to the restrictions, the program is seeing a growing interest from the community. The team is preparing to host its next series of workshops in the northern side of Palau.
As CBC continues to provide its services to youth and families, it also strengthens the spirit of Klaingeseu across the community. Our team in Palau aims to be an added resource to support the success of Palau youth and resilience of families. After all, we rise by lifting others.
