Guam- Non-profit organizations on Guam and the pacific region are getting significant assistance from the White House.
Payuta Secretariat Sarah Thomas-Nededog says President Barack Obama has put a lot of resources behind the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She explains under this initiative, non-profits participate directly with White House staff every two months. She mentions this direct relationship helps with federal funding and acts as a liaison between top decision makers in the country. In fact, Nededog says the next video conference on the White House initiative will be next week Tuesday, June 12. She encourages all non profits to connect with Payuta.
“We have had great success in communicating with the federal government, helping them understand and appreciate the unique role we play and the sustainability of our communities” said Nededog. “And we truly want to bring them all together to advocate for better policy and for higher standards of service and we really believe that collectively we can do this.”
Nededog also recently came back from Washington D.C. because she was selected to attend a policy academy sponsored by the Asian American Pacific Islanders Congressional Studies Institute, which she says was co-founded by Dr. Robert Underwood when he was Guam’s Delegate to Congress. The 4 day academy was connected to White House briefings on programs targeted for Asian American Pacific Islanders.
Payuta, which means umbrella in Chamorro, is Guam’s umbrella organization for non profits. For more information, email payutainc@gmail.com .
