Since February, lessees from the Na’iwa Agricultural Subdivision Alliance (NASA) have been training in job skills to support the development of their homestead community. The hope is that in the near future, these trainees will be employed on their own land, building their own homes.
Working in carpentry, plumbing, electric and more with Aloha Construction, “the goal is to eventually have them have the proper skill sets to maintain their homes and assist with the building of the future homes,” explained Liliana Napoleon, an advocate for the Aloha Construction training program.
This last cohort was comprised of Richard Maikui, Kirk Kiaha Sr., Melissa Poepoe, Lanre Kekoa, Tammy Kalua, Obrian Muller, Lloyd Acasio and Liam Davis. They also received their CPR, first aid and OSHA 10 certifications, with the hope that they will be able to use these skills in employment outside of the Na’iwa homestead as well.
“We wanted to increase their skill sets to become employable within the workforce for those particular sectors,” Napoleon said.
While currently still in the planning phase of the operation, Napoleon explained that the Subdivision Alliance hopes to break ground on the construction of permanent homes in 2026. Right now, lessees can live on their land in non-permanent dwellings, with limited access to water and infrastructure.
As an agricultural homestead, residents will be responsible for farming two thirds of the land, and have been working with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience Molokai extension office to approach the farming in a cost effective, piecemeal way.
Aloha Construction plans on holding another training cohort in spring 2025 with a further emphasis on solar energy and agriculture education.