Marshalls woman receives posthumous honour

TAIPEI – A Marshallese woman who died fighting for justice for the survivors of US nuclear weapons tests on her country’s islands is being honoured in Taiwan this week with the Global Love of Lives award from a Taipei non-profit foundation.

Darlene Keju, who exposed a United States cover up of nuclear test-caused health problems in her islands, also formed the internationally recognised non-profit group Youth to Youth in Health in the Marshall Islands.

She died nineteen years ago from cancer and is the only Pacific islander in the group that is being so honoured.

The Chou Ta-Kuan Educational and Cultural Foundation is honouring 19 people from around the world in an annual ceremony launched 18 years ago following the death of the foundation’s namesake, a Taiwanese boy who died aged 10 from cancer.

The other winners of the foundation’s award this year are from South Korea, Norway, Turkey, Ecuador, China, Belgium, Japan, Germany and Taiwan.

They are active in a range of peace, climate, education, health, human rights, and artistic projects.

The group will officially receive their awards on Thursday in Kaohsiung.

The 19 recipients were chosen from over 2000 applicants from around the world. During their visit to Taiwan this week, they will share their stories with high school students, meet with President Ma Ying-Jeou and the mayors of New Taipei City and Taichung City, and visit with children in local hospitals to share messages of hope.

Darlene Keju will being represented in Taiwan this week by Marshall Islands Journal newspaper editor Giff Johnson, her husband of 14 years, and his wife Mathilda R. Johnson.

The Chou Ta-Kuan Foundation described Keju as “the Environmental Godmother”

of the Marshall Islands who revealed the story of the 67 US nuclear weapons tests at Bikini and Enewetak to protect

the safety and health of Marshall Islanders.

Despite Keju’s death in 1996, the youth health organization she established continues providing Marshall Islanders with healthcare services and youth leadership training programs.

Giff Johnson published a biography about Keju in 2013 titled, Don’t Ever Whisper – Darlene Keju: Pacific Health Pioneer, Champion for Nuclear Survivors.