HILO, Hawaii (USDA) — Hirobo Obeketang, a resident of Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, thought he and his family would have to live with his mother indefinitely.
Then, while reading the local newspaper, The Marshall Islands Journal, he found out about the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program.
In fiscal year 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development approved the Marshall Islands Development Bank for a $236,700 Section 523 Technical Assistance Grant.
This grant was eventually used to assist 22 families build their homes, utilizing the self-help method of construction.
As beneficiary of the very first mutual self-help housing technical assistance grant in the Western Pacific, MIDB announced that it was accepting applications from potential homeowners who were willing to participate in the self-help project.
After finding out about the program, Obeketang eagerly attended several meetings that were conducted by MIDB, in conjunction with USDA Rural Development.
The hope was that the grant would be able to assist 17 families, working together in the community spirit, to build their own homes.
However, MIDB was pleased to discover that with the same grant amount, they were, instead, able to assist 22 families.
According to Lorraine P. Shin, USDA Rural Development state director, “The delivery of the Self-Help Housing Program in the Western Pacific is consistent with USDA Rural Development’s commitment to expand homeownership for low-income persons in rural areas – one homeowner, one rural community at a time.”
After 12 months of constructing his home through the self-help method of construction, Obeketang, his wife, and their four children became proud owners of a new three-bedroom, two-bath home on June 16, 2006.
“I thought I was going to live with my mother all my life, but, luckily, USDA Rural Development has now changed my life style. Today, I am with a group of young families christening their homes that were also funded through the Self-Help Housing Program. My family and I would like to say ‘komol tata’ — thank you — to USDA Rural Development.”