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LT joins other child-serving organizations in the Mālama ʻOhana Working Group

LT joins other child-serving organizations in the Malama ʻOhana working group

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Liliʻuokalani Trustʻs involvement in the newly formed Mālama ʻOhana Working Group is consistent with the trustʻs strategic vision of E Nā Kamalei Lupalupa (thriving Hawaiian children). Of specific concern to LT is the kamaliʻi who are involved in "systems," such as the foster care and juvenile justice systems.

Established in February 2024, the Mālama ʻOhana Working Group’s mission is to change Hawaiʻiʻs welfare system, through recommendations and redesigns. The Hawaiʻi State Office of Wellness and Resilience announced the group’s formation earlier this year.

The Mālama ʻOhana Working Group evolved from the Nā Kama a Hāloa Network, a hui of 30 organizations formed more than six years ago. Their collective goal was to transform the lives of Native Hawaiian children and families, for the better.

Chiemi Davis, vice president and chief programs officer for Liliʻuokalani Trust, was an early member of Nā Kama a Hāloa. Now the trust’s designee for Mālama ʻOhana, she serves on the group’s Systems Improvement subgroup.

Mālama ʻOhana has 17 members. They comprise birth parents, foster parents, licensed resource caregivers, and leaders from various organizations focused on the wellbeing of children.

The diversity is a major strength for Mālama ʻOhana, as it supports youth and their ʻohana from various backgrounds. “Bringing our own life experience to the table, having lived experience and involvement with the system, has been a positive impact on the group,” Davis says.

As the trust continues its involvement with the Mālama ʻOhana Working Group, its top priorities include: 

In addition, Mālama ʻOhanaʻs members represent the following groups: