As part of our long-term recovery efforts, the American Red Cross has partnered with various organizations through grant programs to let the impacted Maui community guide in its disaster response. Each of these specialized partners works to connect the people of Lahaina to means by which they are given a greater measure of control over how their own recovery.

Kaibigan ng Lahaina strives to provide mental health and wellness, socioeconomic mobility, professional advancement and education to the Filipino and immigrant community of West Maui. The Red Cross is proud to partner with them and their work being done in Lahaina.

What is your name and title?
Eric Arquero, Executive Director, Kaibigan ng Lahaina.

What has the grant from the Red Cross allowed your organization to do?
American Red Cross grant has provided for

1. Tagumpay Pondo: A one-time direct financial assistance program that provided $1,000 to each approved applicant for recovery needs.
2. Padigo Project: A seven week food distribution program that focused on providing free culturally significant Filipino foods to the community.
3. Disaster Recovery Training: Attendance to the 2025 National VOAD Conference; and a two-day Ilokano Language training course to assist community and professionals assisting with the recovery navigation of Ilokano speakers.
    

What have been your organization’s biggest successes so far?
The grant from American Red Cross has intensified our auxiliary case management program which is has grown exponentially during this grant cycle.  We went from servicing 50+/- survivor families in early January to nearly over 200 active cases where we are helping families and individuals who were deeply impacted by the fires towards long-term recovery.  Our biggest success has been our ability to keep services personable, and really meeting our clients where they are (physically, financially, emotionally and mentally).  Through the Tagumpay Pondo and Padigo Project we were able to create trust in our community by assuring our clients dignity and dedicated support in their recovery journeys.

What does your organization still have planned to accomplish?
Kaibigan ng Lahaina is slated to open our Lahaina Filipino Resource Center in Fall of this year.  At this facility we will be able to provide more consistent hours of service and assistance as well as provide dedicated space that honors culture and language in support mental health and wellness, youth advancement and workforce development.

What have been the most powerful moments or lessons learned while working towards Lahaina’s recovery?
We have learned that community is built in being a partner, vs being an agent or just giving handouts.  The recovery journey after a disaster like the 2023 wildfires on Maui, requires the kind of care, compassion and strength that possesses the right amount of endurance and faith.  We have seen our community lose hope, we have seen lights dimmed by the high uncertainty of recovery and what we are learning through our work is that no one needs a savior but everyone needs good neighbors.  Our approach from the beginning was to be “kaibigans” or friends and I think that is fortified in our work that we never want to walk too forward trying to corral people in their recovery plans; nor is walking behind a good option as many people need better guidance - but really our work is about walking aside with our community and being a partner in their recovery so that we can lead but also so we can give them the dignity to carve their own paths towards resiliency.

What is the impact your organization has seen in the community?
I believe through our work, our community acknowledges that we hold our culture, language and values at a premium where these components are evidently present in our day to day work.  I think because our community can see faces like theirs, hear their language and without having to compromise or provide contingencies for cultural misunderstandings, the community knows that we have their best interest at heart and that we will continue to work for them and with them.  American Red Cross gave us the chance to how our viability but also to show our heart for our community and at the end of the day, that is what matters the most to us - that our community knows we are here and will continue to be here for them until everyone is on a path towards long-term and even generational thriving.

Mahalo to Eric and all of the friends at Kaibigan ng Lahaina for sharing their stories and contributing to the work being done to see Lahaina shine again.