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VfP Partner Highlight

About Coalition of Children in Need Association (COCINA)

Coalition of Children in Need Association (COCINA) is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) organization that provides technical assistance, volunteer coordination and funding to assist a high-quality private school and a community medical clinic in the Ouanaminthe region of Northeast Haiti, close to the Dominican Republic. Here are some facts about COCINA:

• COCINA is a national, volunteer-driven network that sponsors short-term service trips to Haiti involving more than 200 volunteers per year.
• 97% of all contributions COCINA receives go directly to Haiti programs.
• COCINA has a strong board of directors including entrepreneurs and retired executives of major companies, assuring sound and fiscally prudent guidance.
• The Haitian programs have been strongly endorsed by the international aid organization PLAN, as exemplary programs for a third-world setting.

International Voluntary Service Activities

COCINA sponsors approximately 10 volunteer service trips per year, with approximately 150 participants. The purposes of the trips range from assisting with medical services to performing construction and equipment maintenance. COCINA has access to a national group of about 200 volunteers from states ranging from Maine to Florida.

COCINA's growing needs will call for some highly specialized types of volunteers in the future, to support new programs in vocational education, water and sanitation improvement, and agriculture.

Volunteer for Prosperity Opportunities
Number of Opportunities	150
Geographic Regions	Caribbean
Health & Prosperity Sectors	Agriculture, Economic Growth, Health, Education, Water
Types of Opportunities	Support
Average Duration of Projects	10 days
Volunteer Profile Summary
COCINA volunteers have ranged in age from 15 years to 80! Volunteers register for trips with specific purposes, such as assisting the school summer education programs, conducting a health care mission to benefit the clinic, assisting with building construction tasks. The health care trips call for specific expertise in nursing or other medical fields. Education and construction trips require less specific expertise, though team leaders may be teachers or persons with trade's experience.