Marshallese came because of overcrowding, but life here is challenging

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

— Sandy Hainline-Williams, a nurse from Gravette who has spent the past 10 years working with the Marshallese people in the Springdale area, explained to the Eagle Observer some of the challenges of the healthrelated program. Her words were spoken softly, with compassion and understanding, as she painted a tragic picture of a people who came to America - Springdale - because of overpopulation of their Pacific home.

Their arrival from the Marshall Islands was a humanitarian effort because those islands offer little arable land to grow food or sustain raising of livestock.

“The Marshall Islands were one of the last places on earth to be inhabited by humans,” she said.

When the population passed the critical 60,000 mark, a crisis situation resulted.

The Marshallese culture is dramatically different, she explained. Most of the immigrants arrived in the United States on a worktype I-94 Visa. They came to the Springdale area because it was the location chosen after several sites were considered and because it was believed best suited for ease of adjustment. Their move to America was assisted by firms in the area.

Their Challenges

Their arrival occurred mainly in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sandy said. Most were unschooled, very few spoke any English, most had never held a “job” as we know it. And since American-type marriage is not observed, establishing paternity of children is very difficult. Sometimesas many as three families live together in the same household.

Upon their arrival in America, they were issued Social Security cards, and their visas allow them to remain, Sandy said. Most are employed but obtaining insurance for dependents, especially children whose status cannot be documented, is practically impossible to get. Hence, medical problems escalated along with debts, complicating their living conditions.

Working with the people in understanding theirculture, and particularly translating their language, remains a challenge, especially when completing the necessary paperwork required for almost everything.

Sandy admits she has “learned enough of the language to get by,” but sometimes when she speaks what she believes is a correct word, it turns out to be “hilariously funny” to the person with whom she’s working.

The Language Problem

She explained that the translation process usually involves three persons, each working on a document and then “putting the three attempts together to determine what we believe to be correct. It is very time consuming and difficult since the language consists of roughly 30,000 words,” she added.

Sandy is proud of the new clinic that has been needed for so many years. It is decorated in colors to which the people can relate.

“The floor is bright bluelike the ocean and the walls are light blue like the sky. Bright reds and greens are used extensively in the furnishings, and a huge map of their homeland (the Marshall Islands) will soon be placed on a wall,” she said.

After 10 years working with the people in their community, which she believes really has about 6,000 people, Sandy continues to have the patience and compassion to help these visitors to our area be as comfortable and healthy as possible.

Much progress has been made in solving the health problems, particularly tuberculosis. And about 1,600 Marshallese children are in English as a Second Language classes as this second generation begins to adapt to Americanism, Sandy said.

But, as she explained, the challenges remain great as these people struggle out of their difficult condition. And because of the cultural differences, it will be a long, tedious and painful struggle.

News, Pages 6 on 11/30/2011