(Compact of Free Association Migrants) Closeout Ceremony

The U.S. Census Bureau, the Governor's Office, the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, the Guam Department of Labor, and the University of Guam completed its fieldwork on the 2008 Survey of Compact of Free Association (COFA) Migrants on December 31st, 2008. The media conference is the final step of the COFA outreach strategy to acknowledge the successes and efforts of all the collaborators, enumerators, project workgroup, and most especially the residents responding to the "Count Me In" campaign. 

This Press Conference also provides an opportunity for the community to follow the progress of the COFA timelines and next steps towards securing the island's share of the $30 million of Compact Impact funds are available. COFA funding reimburses government cost of providing services to regional immigrants and services that directly benefit all our people and improve our community. The survey results will directly affect how much Guam receives out of the total amount.  Since 2004, $14 million dollars of Compact Impact funds have helped our community build new schools and funded the purchase of school buses, ambulances, fire equipment, and medical supplies.

We would like to acknowledge the community leaders representing Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands for promoting the survey work and for recruitment of survey workers. "When you answered the survey you contributed to the improvement of services available to all residents. Your responses are important for the future development of Guam."

Collaborating in the survey project are the U.S. Census Bureau, the Governor's Office, the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, the Department of Labor, and the University of Guam. For more information about the 2008, Survey of Compact of Free Association (COFA) Migrants call Pete Barcinas, University of Guam's Cooperative Extension Service at 735-2050 or Monica Guerrero, Bureau of Statistics and Plans at 472-4201.