Micronesia

Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, composed of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is divided politically among several sovereign countries. One of these is the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) which is often called "Micronesia" for short and is not to be confused with the overall region. The Federated States of Micronesia are grouped into four states, which are Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae.

Sebastian Yinnifel ( right) of the Cooperative Research and Extension Program demonstrates disaster-resilient techniques for cultivating traditional crops for Beatrice Libchan and her nephew, Jacob Nathan in Yap, . Photo by Jason Sulog for CRS

The region has a tropical marine climate, and is part of the Oceania ecozone. There are four main archipelagos along with numerous outlying islands.

Located in the western Pacific Basin, Micronesia is annually threatened by violent storms and each year experiences three to five typhoons, Catholic Relief Services is located in Yap, which is drier than other states of the FSM, so droughts and limited water storage capacities impact residents’ water and food supplies.

CRS supports communities in Yap, FSM, to effectively prepare and respond to natural disasters. And with your help, CRS also helps communities make informed decisions in their livelihood preferences.

By supporting CRS, you also help the local leaders and community members effectively prepare and respond to natural disasters, adopt typhoon-resilient livelihood strategies and good hygiene practices.