THE Marianas Alliance of Non-Governmental Organizations, or MANGO, celebrated its 15th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 30, with an open house and member exhibit at its office in Gualo Rai.
According to Shawna Babauta, MANGO’s member services coordinator, the milestone reflects both the group’s progress and its plans for the future.
“Because of the growth and demand from members of the community, we’re going to have to keep up,” Babauta said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily space that we need, but more the ability to meet the demands our members are asking for. It’s more about building up our staff.”
MANGO describes itself as an “umbrella organization” for the non-profit sector. It guides member non-profits toward registration with the CNMI and federal governments, helps them gain tax-exempt status and find funding, and assists them in “having a say in the community.”
Variety has previously covered several workshops MANGO has hosted, including its Lemmai-Mai Incubator project, which trained participants on how to build, manage, and sustain a non-profit organization.
Babauta said Saturday’s activities were both a celebration of MANGO’s achievements and a chance for the community to see the work that members and the alliance are capable of doing. Visitors also toured MANGO’s recently expanded office.
Numerous partner organizations joined in the celebration. Also present were food vendors and rancher Eusebio Borja, who displayed some of his livestock.
“We wanted to invite the community because our previous membership meetings were just for members,” Babauta said. “We wanted to take a different approach with this open house, since we now have a new space, and invite the community as well.
“When we started, we had no staff. Later, we hired an executive director, then grew from a team of three to a team of eight. At first, we had no office space, then we expanded next door. After generating enough funding, we saw a growing number of requests and services needed. Now we are looking at expanding even more,” she added.
MANGO Executive Director Frances Sablan takes a selfie with community members.
A photo booth was part of the open house at MANGO’s 15-year celebration on Aug. 30, 2025.
Local rancher Eusebio Borja brought a cow, a calf, and a deer to the celebration for guests to take photos with.
