Home » Our Mo‘olelo

Our Mo‘olelo (Our Story)

Our community of Wai‘anae is located on the west side of the island of O‘ahu and consists of six major ahupua‘a (ancient land divisions).  In ancient times, Wai‘anae was a self-sufficient region that produced adequate amounts of food for its people while managing its land and water resources sustainably. 

Wai‘anae’s isolated and rural geographic location mirrors the considerable political, economic, social, and cultural barriers facing our ‘ohana (families), especially for youth.  Over the years, Wai‘anae residents have witnessed the gradual overdevelopment of scarce resources such as land and water, the negatives of urbanization, and the resulting disconnection of native Hawaiian ‘opio (youth) and their families from the ‘aina (land) that had once nurtured a strong and cohesive culture.

Wai‘anae youth struggle to achieve their socio-economic goals. The statistics suggest a bleak future for many native Hawaiian youth with the State’s highest rates of teen pregnancy, school suspensions, incidents of substance abuse, and juvenile arrests. In addition, Wai‘anae is recognized as the most food insecure region of Hawai‘ with native Hawaiians having the highest rates of preventable disease including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Despite these statistics, Wai‘anae residents still maintain a rural vision, a willingness to perpetuate our community’s ‘country’ values and to offer hope and validation to our ‘opio of their personal and cultural identities. 

Our Movement

Established at the turn of the new millennium with a desire to address the important needs of our youth and community, a group of residents, traditional practitioners, teachers, and business experts created the Wai‘anae Community Re-Development Corporation (WCRC), a federally recognized 501 c 3 nonprofit organization.  Our goal was to build a strategy that would impact five critical areas of need: out-of-school youth, sustainable economic development, agriculture, health, and Hawaiian culture.  Youth leadership and social enterprise development became our core objectives, with strategies to build a localized movement to put the value of aloha ‘aina into action.

Wai‘anae boasts fertile soils, an abundance of ocean and marine resources, land suitable for agricultural production, and commercial areas ripe for business activity.  Most importantly, Wai‘anae still possesses a community that has a strong cultural tradition of working closely with the land.  Our goal is to re-establish our community through ‘aina-based activities, nurturing and growing our youth and their families within an environment of communal ownership and pride.  In ancient times, the maka‘ainana (common people) regulated their lives in accordance with nature and what nature provided in the uka (uplands), kula (plains), and the kai (ocean).  Over time, it is our hope that the ‘opio will once again identify themselves to the ‘aina that nourishes them, re-building a strong sense of stability, security, and belonging to the ‘ohana nui (larger community).

Our Leadership

During the last eight years, the WCRC Board of Directors have provided inspired and visionary leadership.  Founders and past Board Directors have allowed our organization to flourish, able to innovate in challenging areas while still making progress upon paths not forged before.  With their voice, their mana‘o, and mana, our efforts to empower youth and families through community based economic development initiatives’ continue to be rooted in the values of our community.  Current Board Directors all reside in the Wai‘anae moku, they are:

Kaimana Pine, Board President
Melva Aila, Board Vice President
Cris Akao, Board Treasurer
Kawika Naho‘opi‘i, Board Secretary
William Aila, Jr., Director
Candy Suiso, Director
William & Ruby Aila, Sr., Kupuna Advisors