Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 7, 1 Iulai 1995 — OHA Update [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA Update

Hawaiian Businesses Direetory now available Copies of the recently published Directory of Native Hawaiian Owned Businesses are still available, free of charge, at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and its island liaison offices. To obtain a copy, stop by the offices, or send a self-addressed 10" x 13" manila envelof>e, prestamped with $2.16 postage for a 9 oz. package. (Limit of one directory per individual.) For additional information, please eall 5941888 or your respective isiand OHA office. OHA loan fund hires Big Island loan officer The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund has hired a new Big Island business loan officer to service existing loans and process new loan requests. Loan offīcer Noel Fujimoto has 1 7 years experience in the financial indastry, and previously worked with HONFED and First Hawaiian Bank in the commercial loan divisions. Fujimoto will be

based in the OHA Hilo office with liaison Bill Kalei and receptionist Gladys Brigham. The office is located at 688 Kino'ole St. Suite 104A, The number is 933^4349. 1 . )") Housing Larry Brynn, dba The Management Company, has contracted with OFLA as its self-help housing consultant to assist community-based organizations interested in starting self-help housing projects. Stephen Morse, OHA's housing officer, said, "The overriding consideration in our selection of Larry was his hands-on experience in managing self-help housing projects in native Hawaiian communities on the Big Island." Brynn will meet with organizations experienced in self-help housing, identify possible projects and recommend priorities for OHA assistance. He'll also secure financing and initiate and coordinate the start-up of at least one project. A general contractor, Brynn worked on the

Miloli'i self-help housing project for the Hawai'i County Eeonomie Opportunity Council (HCEOC) As the HCEOC's point man he worked with OHA on the Keaukaha self-help project. Morse is looking for Brynn to get potential projects going on the Big Island, Maui, and Moloka'i. Diabetes Conference OHA's health and human services specialist BabetteiGalang was in Winnipeg, Canada last May to attend the 3rd Intemational Conference on Diabetes and Indigenous People. Galang, who was on the planning committee for the conference, was part of an OFLA contingent that included Maui liaison Thelma Shimaoka, and community volunteer Rowena Keaka. (OHA covered Galang's expenses but not Keaka's or Shimaoka's.) Galang's primary conference responsibility was working out logistical details for lā'au Iapa'au workshops put on by Papa Henry Auwae. Galang worked closely with Auwae's

kako'o, Kana Isaacs in carrying this out. According to Galang, Auwae's workshops were some of the most successful and those attending the conference appeared unusually anxious to leam about his altemative healing techniques. She said this was a result of the fact that Canadian native healers were not wellknown in the country and did not share their knowledge extensively. Galang also attended a conference workshop on foot care for diabetics. The session included infonnation about an outreach program in northem Ontario that teaches native communities about basic foot care for diabetics and how to take preventative measures to avoid amputation. Fifteen percent of diabetics develop foot problems and many have to undergo limb amputations. It is estimated that two-thirds of these amputations are preventable. Galang says she wants to use the knowledge she gained at the session to work with native Hawaiian health groups to set up foot care programs for Hawaiian diabetics.