Micronesia Climate Change Alliance Launches Solar Generator Loaner Program for Mothers on Tinian

As the Marianas prepares for yet another typhoon, the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance (MCCA) announces the launch of its Solar Generator Loaner Program on Tinian. This is an initiative rooted in community care that provides portable solar generators to mothers and expecting mothers across the islands. The program officially begins today, July 3rd, 2026, in San Jose, Tinian. Chamorro-Carolinian Culture and Language Educator and MCCA Coordinator Carmen San Nicolas is overseeing this project in Tinian. Selection for the program is based on existing relationships with mothers that have demonstrated responsibility, care and respect for self, family and community.

The Solar Generator Loaner Program provides clean, reliable backup power to mothers and expecting mothers on Tinian. This will also expand to the other islands in the coming weeks and months. This family-centered initiative eases the burden of power disruptions on essential needs such as refrigeration for medicine, formula, lighting, and communication. This program is made possible through the collaborative efforts led by MCCA, a grassroots organization committed to uplifting and uniting Micronesian communities to create culturally-centered solutions that protect and heal our sacred islands, waters, and peoples as well as The Solutions Project, a national organization that accelerates the transition to 100% clean energy and equitable solutions. Together, these organizations are committed to building local resilience and supporting the well-being of families in the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

This Solar Loaner program is trust based, rooted in the principles of mutual aid and Just Recovery.

● Trust Based- a framework rooted in mutual respect, open communication, equity, and transparency.

● Mutual Aid- the CHamoru/Chamorro value of inafa’maolek and practice of chenchu’le is mutual aid. It is a collaborative community system where people directly pool and exchange resources, skills, and labor to meet their shared needs. Grounded in solidarity rather than top-down charity, these grassroots networks bypass formal institutions to provide localized, unconditional support.

● Just Recovery- a framework that centers the people impacted by disasters and ensures they are the ones leading and making decisions about recovery. It ensures that the most vulnerable peoples are taken care of and not left behind. It asserts that disaster recovery must address underlying inequalities. It prioritizes grassroots community support, public health, workers’ rights, and systemic equity.

Former Tinian and Saipan Resident and MCCA Co-Executive Director Moñeka shares this about the loaner program, “MCCA is run by mothers. Across the islands, most efforts to support people, and protect land and water are led by women. Post-disaster women innately share resources, check in and provide for their wider familial networks. We know that resourcing mothers will cast a wider net of care across the community.”

To learn more about The Solutions Project and the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, check out their respective websites: https://thesolutionsproject.org/ and https://www.mccalliance.org/