In our last newsletter readers met some of the inspiring workers of THTI in Klawock Alaska. Thanks to these talented and motivated workers the partnership in Alaska between the Native American Document Conversion Program, Tlingit and Haida of Alaska, and Data Conversion Laboratory has been a success. This edition takes us from Alaska to another one of the 12 Native American facilities mentored by DCL through the NADCP, this time to the warm islands of the Pacific where Hawaiian Homestead Technology Inc.,(HHT) runs three production facilities that provide employment for 29 families, many of which, have only one working member. There are no minimum qualifications for the entry-level jobs because workers are given basic computer skills and as they advance in their careers, are trained on more advanced software skills.

Hawaiian Homestead Technology strives to create and sustain living wage technology jobs in economically challenged Native Hawaiian communities. And profits are invested back into community-based initiatives. Wholly owned by the nonprofit Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), the community production facilities operate on a philosophy that balances the "soundness of a business approach with the inherent strengths found in Native Hawaiian culture and values."

Native Hawaiian communities, often called homesteads, are not large parcels of land like the reservations of the American mainland. On the islands, native land was built around existing communities of native peoples, some of whom have inhabited the land for many generations. Some homesteads are small isolated towns. Others are native communities located within large metropolitan areas. In this feature we visit the small town of Anahola, Kaua'i, and Papakolea, Oahu, a homestead set within the city of Honolulu.

Between its mountain peaks and deep canyons, on the island of Kaua'i, or The Garden Isle,fertile soils give life to sugar cane and tropical fruit crops where agriculture was once the primary source of employment for natives. Today, though sugar cane is still a significant enterprise, like in the rest of Hawaii, tourism is the biggest industry in Kaua'i. In recent years, in the remote areas surrounding the Anahola homestead, unemployment has been as high as 50 percent among some of its residents. Now, the high tech document conversion jobs at HHT are providing the only source of employment within the Anahola homestead.

Anahola is home to about two thousand people, including Keoki Cummings, 28, a Native Hawaiian who has worked for HHT for four years. Like many others, his first job with HHT was on the production line, and because of his willingness to learn and his ability to lead, in that short time he was promoted first to team leader and then to site supervisor.

The idea of building employment within a homestead is one a recent report, Social Return on Investment Analysis: Hawaiian Homestead Technology, Inc. A Dual Dividend Company, (3Point Consulting)calls an element of Social Return on Investment. HHT's close proximity to its workers allows workers to attend to the needs of their families, which helps them remain productive and builds better communities through stronger families. For Keoki, that has been an important part of working within his homestead rather than commuting up to 40 minutes to his former jobs in construction or security.

"My mom had back surgery and the company was flexible enough to let me go and take care of her and come back and do my work. And now when she needs help, I can go home and help her. It's a real local company where they help you work around your schedule-planned or unplanned. If you have an emergency you can take time off and then come back."

The company uses a "dual dividend" model for business. It strives for profitability, while at the same time it pursues a social mission that puts the profits right back into the community. Keoki sees that business model play out every day.

"It's the best opportunity that I've seen in Anahola. If we make money everyone reaps the benefits, we get raises and bonuses. It has been an opportunity to have jobs here that are convenient for people and hopefully it gets bigger and we can hire more local people that can work closer to home."

As more industries (healthcare, law, and government) see the advantages of converting legacy documentation into structured formats, it's likely that the cycle of profitability and improved community-based initiatives will continue.

That's an idea Faye Kubo of Papakolea, Oahu says is important to her and her family as well. "This is really good for the community, part of this community's history. I'm really pleased about that," she says.

Faye works at the newest HHT technology production center in Papakolea (opened May 2006), which is a homestead in the highly populated area of Honolulu, Hawaii's capital city. The Papakolea facility operates in the spirit of Pono; to do (or be) upright or good. For Faye and the other workers that spirit allows the "family first" philosophy to flourish, and in turn, give back to the community.

"Having the project primarily native operated is definitely a bonus. When you are Hawaiian, you speak from your gut, you speak the truth even if it hurts, or you don't say anything at all. You have an understanding and a bonding that comes from your heart. (One that is) true to your culture, your homeland, the community, your co-workers. That's one of the things that bonds us very well."

Faye is a remarkable woman with the energy and personality to take on any task. She returned to the work force after spending many years raising her two adopted grandchildren (a granddaughter, now age 12, and a grandson, age 14) and taking care of her mother. She is now a Data Conversion Technician at the facility in Papakolea.

"My mom has since passed away and the kids are bigger, so it was time for me to go back to work," she says. And she jokes about being "computer illiterate" when she fist started her training. "I didn't know what a hard drive was, let alone how to turn it on. They sent us to school. They hired an instructor just for us, so the classroom consisted of nine technicians and one site supervisor. Now we are working with three different software programs at the same time. We've learned the new software programs thanks to DCL."

When asked about the benefits of her new career in terms of the kids, without hesitancy she replies, "This is really good for them to see grandma working in a Hawaiian community-based program and advancing in my computer skills. We still have ongoing training."

Hawaiian Homestead Technologies president, Jade Danner sees the bigger picture illustrated in all the communities that house these high-tech centers. The projects not only enhance the communities (such as transforming a drug house into a facility in Anahola), but they also boost the individual.

"This has given meaningful work to people who may otherwise be unemployed," she says. "It gives folks the leg up they need by teaching them basic computer skills and investing in their skills."

Click here for Part 3 of this series

Click here for Part 2 of this series

Click here for Part 1 of this series

DCLNews Editorial
March 2007