Every day, Rosnain Moth tells her kids to study.

"Don't end up like me," Moth says. "Go to school, graduate and you guys won't have to worry. Education is the way up. Everything is after education."

Moth came to the Islands in October 2005 from Guam to give her six children a chance at a better life — and a better education. She stayed with a friend for a month, but was then forced to move onto the streets with her kids.

They got into the Kaka'ako Next Step shelter when it opened in May, and recently moved into the Onemalu transitional shelter in Kalaeloa. At the converted Navy barracks, they share two bedrooms — one for the boys and one for the girls.

On the day before Thanksgiving, the kids gathered in one room, excited about the prospect of a short vacation and a break from schoolwork. Three-year-old Rikko, following his siblings' footsteps, giggles raucously and jumps up and down on the bed. Moth tries to calm him down, sitting next to him on the thin mattress and wrapping an arm around him to hold him close.

"I try my best," she says. "But I'm worried about my kids."

The family gets by on little. They are able to get food stamps and Moth gets odd jobs in town when she can. Most days, she has to take care of her youngest children at the shelter. Rikko's little brother, Thank You, is 2.

To improve her English and set a good example for her children, Moth enrolled in a community school program at Kapolei High School. She'll attend classes at night. Her biggest goal, she said, is to be able to read English.

"I'm really going for my kids," Moth said, with a laugh.

Moth also wants to get a job, once she finds childcare for her younger children. Thank You, her youngest, needs special care. Though the toddler has not been diagnosed with a disability, Moth said he is behind for his age. He has not yet learned how to stand or walk.

Moth and her family are from Micronesia, though they lived in Guam for 10 years before moving to the Islands. Besides the six kids with her, Moth has two older children in their 20s. One lives in Guam and the other in Micronesia.

Moth's biggest dream is to bring her two older children to Hawai'i.

But she must first find housing and secure enough money to support the family. She knows those goals are years away but isn't swayed.

For Christmas, Moth would love to surprise her children with a computer — new or used. She hesitated to ask for one but said it would greatly help her kids in school, especially her 13-year-old daughter. Her children would also enjoy books, a dictionary and a radio. And they'd appreciate any donation or gift certificate that could be applied toward buying new clothes, shoes and household items.

RECENT DONATIONS TO THE ADVERTISER CHRISTMAS FUND

Robert Keefer — $500

Adrienne Lally — $500

Anna and David Sneed — $500

Chunn, Kerr, Dodd, Beaman and Wong, Staff Attorneys — $250

Philibert & Ernestine Akau and Philibert Kaufman — $200

Perry and Joan White — $200

Reginald Gooding — $150

In memory of PoPo, GungGung Loui and GungGung Ho — $150

Milda and William Burkhalter — $100

Clara Foo, in memory of the late Richard A.L. Foo — $100

Thomas and Ethel Fragas — $100

Betty and Walter Harimoto — $100

Paul and Mary Heyd — $100

Honolulu Senior Citizens’ Club — $100

Mark and Robin Librie — $100

Mark and Robin Librie, in loving memory of Bob Windle — $100

Mark and Robin Librie, in loving memory of Alice Windle — $100

Raoul and Yoko Menard — $100

Roy and Frances Oshiro — $100

Dorothy and Warren Smith — $100

Richard and Pauline Yanagisawa — $100

Micah, Katie and Kimi Ann Ramos — $75

Vikki Scialabba — $75

Marian and Robert Allard — $50

Art and Nani Cruz — $50

Jim and Liz Ferguson — $50

Mary Chang and Robyn Fing — $50

Thomas and Ethel Fragas — $50

Wallace K.Y.T. Ho — $50

Jane and Milton Iha — $50

Rosemary Jones — $50

Lindsey and Rand — $50

Norma and Richard Ma — $50

Kalyan Muralidharan — $50

Jon Tsukamoto — $50

Shantelle Witt, in memory of my husband Gary Witt — $50

Georgia Ann K. Cabang — $40

Merv and Joni Young — $30

Amy Chung — $25

Sharon and Harold Fujioka — $25

Mallory Iha — $25

Dana and Patrick Lorenzo — $25

Richard and Florence Okamoto — $25

Beth Rodenbeck, in loving memory of Jean Gotshall — $25

Lt. Col. James T. Rosenswike, Retired — $25

Sherlynn Agpaoa — $20

Edna and Harvey Kawasaki — $20

Anonymous — $200

Anonymous — $200

Anonymous — $100

Anonymous — $50

Anonymous — $30

Anonymous — $25



Total: — $ 5,440

Previous total: — $ 73,838.34

Total to date: — $ 79,278.34