Ebeye

I had a chance this weekend to visit one of the islands that is neighboring Kwajalein. The island is called Ebeye, and it sits around 4 miles from Kwaj. In fact, it's so close that during low tide, it's technically possible to walk between the islands (but not generally a good idea).  Ebeye is not owned by the United States, but is a part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). A ferry runs between Ebeye and Kwajalein about 10 times a day to shuttle workers and visitors back and forth.

The ferry, right before boarding

The trip by ferry takes about 20 minutes, and is a fairly pleasant journey across a small part of the lagoon. We enjoyed the short journey and as we got closer, Ebeye became visible off the side of the Ferry.

Ebeye has a population of around 16,000 people, but has an exceptionally high rate of poverty and unemployment. It's unfortunately been nicknamed the slum of the Pacific. The population density is enormous and the quality of housing is rather poor. That said, the people were all exceptionally kind and we had a great opportunity to walk around the island and do a little shopping.

Those are just a few shots of the island - I took quite a bit more, but it gives you a general idea of what the place looks like. On some level, it's not a bad place to be really, crime is low, people are friendly, and climate is fabulous. But the overcrowding and dire living conditions are abundantly clear.

Yet these islanders are generally the ones who provide the lower wage labor on Kwaj, from the maintenance staff to the check out clerks, the people of Ebeye are a critical part of the operation at the Kwajalein base. Without the base, many of these folks would have even fewer economic opportunities.

And the United States recognizes this contribution... we allow students from Ebeye to study at the American school system on Kwajalein. About 40 or so kids from Ebeye come over on the ferry every morning to go to class at the American school, There, they gain a stronger education than would be possible on Ebeye, and ideally get a chance at college or career readiness. Better still, due to a compact of free association with the Marshall Islands, anyone on Ebeye can come to the United States without a visa, at anytime.

So ultimately, we stayed on Ebeye for about an hour and a half, explored a bit, and took the next ferry back to Kwajalein. It was quite the contrast going between the two islands...

Quite the difference - a Kwajalein neighborhood