COCINA Newsletter

WIN TE R 2 0 1 6
COCINA
CULTIVATING HOPE IN HAITI
COCINA Celebrates 25 Years!
coalition of children in Need association
A Message from cocinA
Founder, Hugues Bastien
It has been 25 years since COCINA was established as a
non-profit organization with the objective to cultivate
hope in Haiti. Over that time, God has worked through
COCINA to accomplish some amazing things in Haiti:
A school of 2,400 students was built, now educating children in pre-kindergarten through
high school.
A vocational school was established to welcome approximately 150 students.
A 30-bed hospital was built to serve 150,000 people, with 35,000 patients now treated yearly.
An egg farm of 5,000 chickens was created on 200 acres of land.
A complex of 19 apartments was constructed that welcomes professionals in the region.
A bakery business was launched that provides fresh bread, pizza, and pastries to the
community and supports the ministry.
A barber shop was started to serve the community.
A total of 250 employees are employed from the Ounaminthe area.
A group of 14 Institution Univers graduates have returned to serve with COCINA.
An impressive 300+ students have graduated from IU, of which 60% have continued on to
college or other higher education.
So much has been accomplished over the past 25 years, yet a lot of challenges are still ahead.
I am forever grateful to all of you who have been praying for the longest time and given your
time and financial support so generously to this worthy cause.
Since 1990, our budget has grown from $2,500 per year to $1,000,000 per year. To continue to
serve the children and families of Ounaminthe, Haiti, we are in desperate need of your continuous
prayers and financial support. Will you please help?
To give to the many
efforts of COCINA, visit
haiticocina.org
Do justice,
love mercy,
and walk humbly
with your God.
Micah 6:8
2
cocinA Goes Digital!
the option of mailing your donations to
our P.O. Box at: COCINA, P.O. Box 12695,
Columbus, Ohio 43212.
a Message from
Tony iannetta, cOciNa
Board President
If you haven’t yet noticed, COCINA has
made a move into the digital world. In late
August we released a renewed website at
haiticocina.org. We believe it is much easier to use and access information. We also
integrated a giving tool used by many
churches today called SecureGive. They are
a Christian organization that specializes in
assisting churches and Christian ministries
to make it easier for people to donate in
today’s digital world. If you set up an account on SecureGive through our website,
you can designate gifts and amounts to be
one-time, weekly, monthly, or whatever
you choose. While we are charged a small
fee for the transactions, the costs actually
go down with volume. Your gift is automatically acknowledged via email, resulting in cost savings associated with check
handling and receipt mailing.
We do recognize that digital giving isn’t
for everyone, so we will continue to offer
In addition to making giving easier, and
through the kindness of one of our
donors, we have contracted with Anna
Lile to assist us with our marketing and
communications. Anna edited and designed our last couple of newsletters and
is now working to keep our website up-todate, manage our social media presence,
and is helping us with various campaigns.
She is using multiple communication
channels including Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, MailChimp and others to get our
COCINA message out. Anna attends
Christ Community Chapel’s Aurora campus where her husband, Mark, is the
Campus Pastor. They traveled with their
children to IU in 2011 on a mission trip
with Christ Community Chapel.
Because of that same donor, we were also
able to contract with Andy Nixon of Rock
the Word ministry which focuses on helping churches and other Christian organizations with development and fundraising.
Andy lives in Houston, Texas and attends
The Woodlands United Methodist Church.
He comes with much experience in helping organizations like ours build a strong
development program.
Kim Spontarelli, who attends Christ Community Chapel in Hudson, is assisting me
Follow COCINA on social media for
all the news from Institution
Univers, Univers Medical Center,
and more! Connect with us on:
f
i
l
r
Facebook at cocinA– coalition
of children in need Association
instagram at cocinAHaiti
Twitter at HaiticocinA
Online at haiticocina.org
Do you prefer to stay in touch
electronically? To receive this
newsletter via email and to subscribe
to the cOciNa blog, sign up at
haiticocina.org
administratively and has been a real blessing to the team.
We recently updated all of our videos and
photo library with the assistance of Grant
Knisely and Megan Kramer of Code Red
Ministries. Grant produced videos for us
several years ago and loves Hugues and
the work in Haiti. Watch for the release of
these videos over the next several months.
They are wonderful!
Thanks to Grant and Megan, we have a
great digital library and thanks to Anna,
Andy, and Kim we have a team that can
effectively utilize that library and make it
work for us. Anna and Andy are working
as a team to develop various campaigns,
and Kim will assist administratively with
the workload of the president.
Thanks, also, to Eric Spires, VP of Finance; Carol Davis, Treasurer; and Karen
Wiant who faithfully work with me to
manage our funds and acknowledge your
generous gifts.
check out what’s new in the cOciNa digital world at www.haiticocina.org.
All of us are focused on one thing: To
honor our Lord by “Cultivating Hope in
Haiti, One Life at a Time” by helping
support the needs of children of Haiti
and keeping COCINA and IU strong
for many years to come!
3
Graduate Placement Update
Greetings from Marylee Lewis
and Emmanuel Joseph in the
Office of the high School
Graduate Placement Program
Currently, fourteen Univers graduates
have returned to Ouanaminthe and
are working within the COCINA organization; Emmanuel being one of
them. Of those in the College Scholarship Program attending college, 21 are
in the United States, four in Haiti, two
in the Dominican Republic, and one is
in Taiwan. The states represented are
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Maine, and Massachusetts.
Four students are preparing to depart
for Colorado for college, technical
school, and two apprenticeships.
Right now we are actively seeking funding for Haiti College Scholarships in the
amount of $8,000 per year to attend a four-year college within Haiti. This amount includes all expenses associated with attending college.
Additionally, we need funding for the following IU students to attend college in the
United States:
• Hebert Johnson ELIEN has been accepted into the Univers College Scholarship
Program to attend Elim Bible Institute and College (Lima, New York) to study
Christian Ministries/Pastor-Counselor. He will be educated and trained to return to
Institution Univers and serve under the Lead Pastor as a Chaplain for the school
and clinic. He has been granted a 50% tuition scholarship, yet still needs $6,280
per year for the two-year Associate program, plus a one-time $2,500 for his visa,
travel, and clothing expenses. The total needed for Hebert’s education is
$15,060.00 for Associates degree, or $8,780.00 for one-year intense training.
• Jaccine JEADOR has been accepted into the Univers College Scholarship Program
to attend Lindsey Wilson College (Columbia, Kentucky) to study Biology. After
receiving her Bachelor’s of Science degree, she will return to Institution Univers to
teach Biology and/or work at Univers Medical Centre. She has been granted a
100% tuition scholarship. Thus far she has received $3,200 in gifts for her room
and board and living expenses. We have a grantor who will match 100% of the remaining balance for this year. Therefore, we need a sponsor for $7,000 and he will
then match $7,000 for the first year’s room and board and living expenses. These
amounts include the one-time visa, travel, and clothing expense. For the remaining
three years, $12,000 will be needed each year. The total needed for Jaccine’s education is $42,000.00.
• Jennie Gaël FLEURANT has been accepted into the Univers College Scholarship
Program to attend Red Rocks Community College (Lakewood, Colorado) to
study Water Quality Management Technology. A host family has been secured for
room and board and living expenses. A financial coordinator (Univers short-term
missionary) has raised $11,450 thus far. There is also a $10,000 matching grant
program in which every dollar raised will be matched by the grantor up to $10,000.
Once this is met, only $9,275 will be needed to cover all three years of Jennie’s education. Jennie is scheduled to begin classes in Fall 2016.
PLEAsE CONsIdEr sPONsOrING A sTUdENT! For more information about the
Graduate Placement Program and sponsoring a student, please contact Marylee Lewis
at [email protected].
ThaNk yOu FOr yOur LOvE aND PrayErS!
OUr GOAL is to raise a new generation of
christian leaders in business, government,
and education that can build a sustainable community in and around ouanaminthe, Haiti. Upon graduation, if students have an opportunity to further
their education outside ouanaminthe, they agree
to return to serve with cocinA. Every student
knows it is up to them to be the change agents for
their nation. iU students are studying in Haiti, the
United States, the Dominican Republic, cuba, Senegal, and Taiwan.
We are proud to share a few of our graduates’
success stories:
in 2013, hantz Jerry Pierre, our first college graduate returned from college in the U.S. As of 2015,
fourteen iU graduates are now employed at
Univers, of which twelve have earned their undergraduate degrees at a university or college.
in 2013, Frandy cador, studying at The University
of Akron, was part of a team of “lunabotics” to create a robot for use on the moon. His team competed against 50 U.S. universities and presented
their projects at nASA in Florida. Their team finished among the top ten teams in the nation.
in 2010, chenel Elistin took a competitive exam
and was selected to receive a full scholarship to
study medicine in cuba. Fatima Estimable and
three others were admitted to the oldest university
in the western hemisphere, the University of Santo
Domingo. Donel Saint-Juste was in Port-au-Prince
looking for a school when he heard of a unique
possibility from Senegal which offered a full scholarship (including travel, tuition, room and board) to
study at the University of Dakar.
iU students in U.S. colleges and universities have
performed remarkably well with many of them
earning 4.0 GPAs and all at least a 3.30.
in 2009, The University of Akron, Kent State University, Big Sandy community college, Harrisburg
Area community college, and Georgetown college
welcomed iU students. Beginning in 2011, the following colleges have received iU graduates:
Millersville University, University of Virginia at Wise,
Alice Lloyd college, University of Kentucky, Jacksonville State University, Gloucester county college, Georgetown University, Madison Area
Technical college, Lindsey Wilson college, Messiah
college, cuyahoga community college, Berea college, and Bunker Hill community college.
in 2009, Emmanuel Joseph was elected president
of the student body of Big Sandy community college in Kentucky for his second and final year there.
As a result, he was privileged to give an address at
the graduation ceremonies in May 2011.
Deloitte, an international accounting firm, selected
Sony Q. Ton-aime (who graduated from Kent State
University in December 2014) out of 1,000 student
applicants for their internship program .
4
cocinA Budget Report
improving Financial Processes
One of the key initiatives for the 20152016 fiscal year at COCINA is to improve
the financial reporting between Univers
and COCINA. We are developing a
monthly dashboard so the COCINA Executive Committee can have a monthly
snapshot of Univers finances. This will
allow the committee’s financial experts to
make projections based on financial trends
and make recommendations as needed.
Other financial initiatives are focused on
controlling costs by improving infrastructure at the school and medical clinic. An
engineering study is currently underway
that will recommend modifications to the
electrical generator system at Institution
Univers. The modifications will reduce
diesel costs by over 30% and will double
the life of the generators. Another project
is a top to bottom evaluation of the electrical solar panel (photovoltaic) systems.
The goal of the evaluation is to optimize
the system performance to get as much
energy use as possible out of the system;
which again will reduce diesel costs by
minimizing generator operation. Another
way to control costs is through long-term
planning of building repairs and improvements. By planning for these items,
finances can be strategically budgeted and
cOciNa Operating Budget for Fiscal year 2016 and Performance to Date
category
allocation
Budget
FyTD Budget
FyTD actual
Net
$ 17,431
$ (28,402)
6,283
$ (2,884)
administration
25%
$ 137,500
$ 45,833
Operations
5%
$ 27,500
$
School
37%
$ 203,500
$ 67,833
$ 48,111
$ (19,722)
clinic
33%
$ 181,500
$ 60,500
$ 30,620
$ (29,880)
Total
100%
$ 550,000
$ 183,333
$ 102,445
$ (80,888)
we can minimize crisis situations where
unexpected expenses are incurred.
In 2016, we are also developing a campaign to give donors an opportunity to
sponsor a child at IU. For a monthly contribution (amount to be determined), a
donor can financially support one child.
With 2,400 students, we believe this
could be a strategy that greatly increases
the financial resources available to IU,
and strengthens the bonds between our
donors and the ministry. Would you
please pray for this effort? Our goal is to
launch this campaign before Easter.
In the chart above you will find our operating budget for fiscal year 2016 and performance to date, excluding special
projects and programs. As you can see,
9,167
$
we are running a significant deficit that
has impacted our operations. We are
working with Hugues and the IU team to
determine ways to be more efficient; and
are blessed by the many ways people,
churches, and foundations have supported us in the past. We have seen overall giving go up with special projects and
programs, but a giving decline to our general operating budget.
We need your support!
Would you please pray and
consider a special one-time
gift to help offset our deficit?
With Thankfulness,
Jim MacMillan, COCINA Missions and
Facilities Chair
Tony Iannetta, COCINA President
iU Ministry Pastor Search committee Update
At the Spring 2015 Board Meeting, a Pastoral Search committee was established
with the charge to find a replacement for
the nurturing of souls that Pastor Dave and
Pam Mann faithfully provided for many
years at institute Univers. Who could possibly replace their faithful ministry? The
charge was, from a human perspective, impossible. But with GoD, all things are possible! So we began, claiming GoD’s promises.
The Search committee includes Frandy
candor, Emmanuel Joseph, Marylee Lewis,
Marti Torbeck, Joshua Jennings, and chair
Dennis Kachmarsky. The committee began
with establishing a formal job description
and budget with input from cocinA President Tony iannetta and other Board members. The committee began meeting via
teleconference last summer and through
the fall; faithfully meeting every two to
three weeks. Each meeting included Scripture reading appropriate to the task at
hand, prayer, and discussion of activities
and progress. The committee has met
eight times to date.
To get the word out, the committee has
posted the job position and solicited many
organizations and church denominations
in seeking GoD’s man for this important
position and ministry. Additionally, committee members have actively pursued
candidates through networking their contacts of friends of institution Univers. Although candidates have been few, the
committee perseveres and diligently prays
and looks to identify GoD’s man.
We covet your prayers in this undertaking.
if you haven’t been praying, please do so as
we proceed forward. Pray for wisdom and
persistence for the committee. Pray for
GoD’s man to hear the cALL to serve at
institute Univers.
“For i know the plans i have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 cocinA’s Foundational Bible Verse
5
Economic Development news
THE DREAM
iS BEcoMinG
A REALiTy
by colleen Gill
This part of the production line is making the top and body
of a bag used to hold knitting supplies. When the bag is
completed it will be packaged and exported to the US market.
Citadelle Manufacturing is not just a dream anymore. It is no longer at its beginning
stage, nor has it reached its full potential. But, we are now beginning to see our dream of
a material positive impact in northern Haiti become reality. The factory tables are filled
with materials, the chairs are occupied by dedicated and enthusiastic workers, and the
sewing machines are running with a sound that is already becoming familiar.
We started production in mid-October 2015 after months of preparation. Those months
were filled with anxiety, frustration, and a lot of hard, hard work. We also learned a lot in
the process. We relearned that patience is indeed a virtue. And, we learned that we have
many, many people rooting for us to succeed.
After waiting for a month for our first containers to clear customs, we set out to prepare
and improve our premises composed of the factory floor, warehouse, office, mezzanine,
and residences. After another month, we had sewing machines setup and were ready to
start hiring and training.
Daniel Roodly, institution Univers graduate,
prepares tables for production.
Training for sewing, printing, and assembly required over a month. At the end of the
month, however, Citadelle had selected approximately two dozen Haitians from the surrounding towns to join our team. In addition to the production team, we are fortunate to
have recruited an extremely experienced team leader for our cut and sew operation and
an experienced compliance professional. Along with our Accounting Supervisor and
QA/QC intern, Citadelle is ensuring that Haitians are involved in all levels of creating
quality “Made in Haiti” products for our American customers.
With our first order currently in production, we recognize that we could not have made
this happen by ourselves. It is a melting pot of ideas and great work from a group of which
we will be eternally grateful. We want to thank our team of twenty-seven people here in
Caracol, Haiti. We are
also particularly grateful for our friends at
COCINA who have offered their continued
expertise, encouragement, and support.
Sony Ton-Aime, returning iU graduate
and Kent State graduate, translates at
the new employee orientation.
chedeline nemorin, iU graduate, is our
Quality Assurance intern.
“citadelle is ensuring that
haitians are involved in all
levels of creating quality
‘Made in haiti’products.”
6
Medical center Miracles
clinic Grows in Diversity and Strength
by Karen A. Bradley, M.D., chair of the cocinA Medical committee
In the Fall 2014 newsletter we read the inspiring story of a difficult surgery performed by a
visiting orthopedic surgeon. We are continually blessed by the gifts of time and talent of
our visiting medical and surgical teams.
Dr. Lamah chirugien serves as the new Haitian
Medical Director of Univers Medical center
This year it is time to tell the story of the increasing diversity and strength of our Ouanaminthe-based staff and their growing collaboration with U.S.-based supporters and volunteers. COCINA now has an active medical committee, which works to support Univers
Medical Center by obtaining equipment and supplies, and by addressing other clinic issues.
One of our committee members, Frandy Cador, is a Univers graduate who earned his BS in
biomedical engineering from The University of Akron.
Through God’s grace and Hugues’ persistence and initiative, we now have a Haitian Medical Director, Dr. Lamah, plus a strong contingent of Cuban physicians.
For several years we had general medical, surgical, and dental services. With the addition
of our Cuban physicians, UMC now provides full-time specialty care by a pediatrician, obstetrician-gynecologist, ophthalmologist, and anesthetist.
In addition, a retired psychiatrist, Dr. Jim Druckenbrod and a therapist, Donna Roland,
have started a Mental Healthcare program to address serious issues of untreated psychiatric illnesses.
Premature twin girls were recently delivered safely
thanks to our pediatrician, oB-Gyn, and anesthetist.
One recent, poignant story of UMC’s impact was the successful delivery of premature twin
girls. They would have died without the care of our pediatrician, Dr. Girate, our OB-Gyn,
Dr. Barrios, and our anesthetist, Rital Parra.
Another example of God’s loving grace was the discovery and successful treatment of a
severe case of diabetes. Mercie, mother of Pascal, a Univers graduate attending college in
Pennsylvania, became very ill. At UMC she was diagnosed with potentially fatal diabetes.
With the intervention of Pascal’s host family, Mercie is now receiving her life-saving insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring at UMC and is receiving excellent care from
our Cuban internist, Dr. Guillermo Morales.
We ask for your ongoing prayers and financial support to ensure that the crucial, lifesaving
work of the Universe Medical Clinic continues.
Mercie is now receiving life-saving insulin
treatments and monitoring for her diabetes.
Looking for ways to help UMC?
• $490 would support a nurse for a month.
• $1,100 would support a UMc doctor for a
month.
• $360 would help meet the clinic’s needs
for a day.
For more information or to donate, please
visit our website at haiticocina.org.
7
What institution Univers Means to Me
MoRE THAn HoPE
by Kelly Moore
After returning from a 12-day trip to Haiti,
I was asked to write a piece on what Institution Univers means to me. I graciously
agreed because talking about IU and Haiti
has become one of my favorite pastimes,
and anyone who knows me is, quite
frankly, tired of hearing about it. But as I
sit down to write this, I realize it’s going
to be harder than I imagined, especially to
keep it at a reasonable length. You see, IU
means everything to me, and to the future
of Haiti. How do you put that into words?
My first exposure to IU and Haiti was in
2007 when I signed up to be a part of a
mission team called Hope in Haiti. Our
primary responsibility was to teach a week
of summer camp. Being the personality
type I am, I did as much research as I
could about COCINA, the school, and the
country. But nothing could prepare me for
that initial trip, or how it would change
my life in so many ways.
Within the first day or two, I knew this
place was very special. It started with the
most exhilarating church service I’ve ever
attended. I sat in awe of the beautiful people of Haiti, dressed in their finest, singing
and worshipping the same God we do at
home, but with so much more passion,
and with so much less reason to do so.
The next day, I was greeted by hundreds of
smiling children who seemed ecstatic just
to have us there. Throughout that week
and in all of my subsequent trips, I have
continue to be amazed at how little it
takes to amuse them. A single balloon,
some bubbles, or a clapping game entertains for hours, not to mention the makeshift toys created from what we would
consider trash. These children are not only
happy and grateful, they are super inventive, smart, and talented in so many ways.
Whatever challenge is given to them, they
do their best, striving for perfection.
It would be easy for one to think my opinions about Haiti and its people are jaded
by my summer camp experience. After all,
it’s only one week out of the year, and it’s
all fun and games. But I have been blessed
to get to know many of the students outside of summer camp; and while no
human is perfect, I maintain that the kids
who attend or have graduated from IU are
special. My experience during this most
recent trip was no exception.
The primary purpose for my recent trip
was actually for pleasure. I wanted to see
the Citadelle, go to the beach, and spend
time with Haitian friends. But I also had
the pleasure of working with five of the
brightest students in the 2016 graduating
class. They were studying to take the
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with the ultimate goal of being offered an opportunity to attend college in
the United States. As I have found typical
of IU students, these kids were eager,
punctual, worked hard every day, and even
asked to extend our study time. In addition to preparing for the TOEFL, they
were also studying for and taking their
school exams which were occurring during
my stay.
lowed me to witness firsthand
how IU students take their
exams very seriously. Conversations about
the exams could be heard everywhere, and
during lunch and after school you could
find small groups of students studying all
over the campus. I realized that the work
ethic I have observed in IU graduates attending college in the U.S., actually starts
at a young age.
Speaking of IU graduates, another highlight of my trip was to see several of them
finished with their college education and
back in Haiti. They are working at the
school, fulfilling the dream of the founders
who believe the key to change in Haiti is a
good Christian education. These young
adults are passionate about the school,
their community, and their country, and
are determined to make a difference. It
seems like yesterday I was sitting at their
graduation trying to envision their future.
So what does IU mean to me? If you had
asked me that years ago, I would have
said, “hope.” When I first started going to
Haiti, I remember thinking IU was this little beacon of light trying to shine through
a country filled with little promise. I
hoped that one day it would start to make
a difference. Now I can see so many positive changes all over Ouanaminthe – many
connected to IU in some way. Even just
the number of people employed at IU, the
medical center, and the bakery are all a
huge boost for the economy, and it shows.
Hope implies something you want to happen or think can happen – but, it is already happening! So, I no longer hope for
a brighter future for Haiti. Instead, I expect it. To me, IU means expectation, and I
can’t wait to watch the future unfold.
Being there during the school year was a
treat. I enjoyed seeing the students in their
uniforms, watching the flag ceremony, and
spending a little time in the classroom.
And being there during exam week al-
“Hope implies something you want to happen or
think can happen – but, it is already happening!”
Please pray for caleb Delva, Derline Meril, Jean Wesley, olandieu Belinxs, and Samuel Alcius as they prepare for the ToEFL, and that opportunities will be
available for them and other graduating iU students.
Po Box 12695
columbus, ohio 43212
haiticocina.org
A Word from our Graduates
What a Time to be Alive!
Greetings Cocina family! This semester
has been full of excitement and challenges. Coming in early this fall, I didn’t
know what to expect with it being my last
semester as an undergrad. I first had
mixed feelings about leaving college, a setting I had become accustomed to over the
past four years. The idea of having to get a
job and starting my life as a professional
was unbearable. But among all I know, I
will find my niche.
I became involved in a lot of activities and
competitions which was my idea of getting motivated for the journey ahead after
college. I took part in three competitions
this semester which involved traveling to
Ohio State University, North Western
University, and Chicago, Illinois. I was a
winner of two of those competitions and
won a prize with Microsoft Corporation. I
learned how to take advantage of the op-
by Venix cador
portunities presented.
I am part of a computer science group
known by HACKSU
and an international
group represented by
KSIM or Kent International Mentors.
One of the things I
am most proud of is
knowing (either by
talking to them or
creeping on their social media profiles☺)
that all the Haitian students in the U.S.
are achieving great things. I will always remember the late night runs to Chipotle,
staying up late with fellow residents playing cards, and finally, the late night phone
calls to Evelyn Cherenfant to help me with
my mediocre cooking (Ha!). And what
would I do without my best friend Jodex
Saintvil? Kent State University will be forever in my heart, having been the place
that shaped me into the person I am today.
Thank you cOciNa family!