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Living Aloha at a Manoa Refuge

Jun 10, 2009 | By Kamaile Kekahuna

Within the lush greenery of Manoa Valley sits a pu'uhonua, a refuge place, that shelters single mothers and their families within its walls.  This place is called Ka Ohu Hou o Manoa, "fresh mists of Manoa."

The Salvation Army has created a transitional shelter for single mothers who need a little extra help getting back on their feet and desire a fresh start.  In the past, these mothers have experienced various hardships such as substance abuse, homelessness, and financial instability yet have shown a resiliency and desire to move forward, thus qualifying for their maximum two year stay at the shelter. 

Although these mothers have begun to move past such hardships they still struggle to provide for their children on their own.  Some of the mothers attend school, others work, and a few do both!  Some walk their children to school every day and most have no personal means of transportation.  If you're a parent, then you know how exhausting it can be riding the bus with children and how inconvenient this makes carrying out simple, daily errands!  On top of all this, the shelter does not have the funds to employ a custodian and the mothers are responsible for daily maintenance of the shelter and are assigned chores such as scrubbing the bathrooms, cleaning up the kitchen areas, and tidying up the common areas. 

Residential manager Richard Ross lives with his wife Debbie on site in one of the two complexes and are responsible for monitoring the families and maintaining the landscape area around the shelter.  The shelter does employ someone to maintain the yard but with the limited funds he only comes around once a month and as Brent Kakesako and I took a tour with Richard around the shelter, we felt a little overwhelmed for Richard, Debbie, and the residents.  A lot of work needs to be done around the shelter by these mommies and the Ross's amidst full plates and busy schedules.

Brent is a resident of Manoa and felt an instant connection with the place itself.  I am a single mother myself who can deeply empathize with the obstacles these women face.  Yet anyone can admire the fortitude these single mothers show in their desire to better their situation for their themselves and ultimately, their children.  Please consider giving a little of your time to converse with these mothers and children, and perhaps provide comfort and advice, but more simply, to establish a connection with another human being that many of these women have been missing with the wider community.  Like the fresh mists of Manoa that the transitional shelter is so aptly named after, you can contribute a little to the fresh starts these women are trying to make for themselves and their children.

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