Dear Friends of Coco Point Fund (CPF),
As we near the end of 2021, we want to thank you again for your commitment to Barbuda and your generous contributions to the Coco Point Fund throughout the past year.
As we pull out the holiday decorations, wishing health and bright futures to our friends and families, we are reminded of how precious those things are in our lives and how much more there still is to do for those on the island we love. The CPF is staying true to its mission and continues to assist the people of Barbuda in their recovery from hurricane Irma by addressing the many infrastructure, healthcare and education needs.
There were many successes this year in those arenas. Because of your generous contributions thus far and the partnerships we have formed with the Jumby Bay Fund, Mill Reef Fund, and Barbuda Ocean Club, we were able to stretch donations to accomplish the projects below.
Please enjoy our Year in Review and hearing about what more we have planned.
Summary of 2021 Efforts
INFRASTRUCTURE
CLEAN WATER is flowing in Barbuda! The new 100,000 gallon water tank is operational and providing clean water 24/7 to all residents. Please celebrate in this win with us that took almost 3 years to accomplish. Despite the frustration at times working with the bureaucracy we did not give up!
BUS STOP SHELTERS – Shelters are now functioning on the island. While one remains to be built, four bus stop shelters provide shelter for those waiting to commute.
DOCK SHELTER – This is a project to build a shelter at the ferry dock for 50 people so they will be protected from the elements as well as a storage locker for shipped goods. We are awaiting final approval from the Antique and Barbuda Port Authority to erect a long needed shelter at the dock in Barbuda.
HEALTHCARE
The Wellness Center is one of the success stories of the year. It is up and running with people from the island using the facility often. The Fund provided the material and the labor to accomplish this rehab the building. The was a joint project with the Mill Reef Fund and Barbuda Ocean Club and we are very proud of its success.
While the center is a success, there are various needs that are still glaring that our Fund hopes to address in 2021. The people of Barbuda are in need of an Ambulance as well as Dental Care and equipment. If you would like to contribute or know of any connections to an entity with an old ambulance they might contribute or in Dentistry that might be able to help, please contact us.
EDUCATION
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Our scholarship fund continues to support incredible candidates. Each year the Coco Point Fund continues to ask for scholarship donations to allow more candidates to pursue their education. As it operates in it’s 22nd year it continues to be a critical resource. We have assisted 25 students in the last 5 years.
This year we spotlighted EZEKIEL FRANCIOS of the University of West Indies, Five Islands Campus who has put together many Outreach Campaigns on his campus, as well as STARR GEORGE at Waldorf University, studying Journalism. You can read more about their success here on our blog.
RICCARDO NEDD received throughout my entire academic journey and recently conferred a Master’s of Science Degree in Human Resource Management and Development, from the University of Salford. He mentioned in a letter to the Fund that his recent degree opened the door for him to gain employment on Barbudan soil as the operations manager at the now Barbuda Ocean Club (formerly Coco Point). Read Riccardo’s Letter Here.
Finally one of our largest success stories continues to be Allyson Trunzer. She has successfully trained as a dancer in New York, Toronto and Antiqua/ Barbuda and is currently enrolled in Shenandoah University working on a Bachelor of Arts in Dance program, as well as looking to add the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program to her studies. Her passion is evident for the people of Barbuda – she is proud to be part of the special community and wants very much to help it expand.
This year, Allyson, in conjunction Directors Cleo Isaac, Catie Kohler executed a concept called BECOMING 2021, to empower the young girls of Barbuda. Girls attended camp over a three week period and underwent intrapersonal and interpersonal development processes. They learned about healthy eating, meditation, participated in art projects, dancing and carpentry lessons, received mentoring and empowerment skills, gave back to the community with a beach cleanup, and got some pampering with hair and makeup! The Fund was thrilled to contribute to this event and to see its success. Please view the photos of that amazing event.
Allyson has a vision for a Cultural Center on the Island for events such as this and more. It is something the Board talks of often and may be a focus for 2022.
Special Education
We strongly believe that the GREATEST long term gift we can give this island is a vastly improved educational system. We are very focused on developing a special education program. There are over 20 children under the age of 18 that are in desperate need of these services. A qualified person is currently running the program on a volunteer basis.
We recently received a meaningful gift from a donor to create a lasting program. At the present time special education is our biggest focus to please consider a donation for this crucial need. Stay tuned for our next newsletter with more on this story.
HELP US IN 2022
| Please consider a donation to the Coco Point Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to the Island and the people of Barbuda. If you know of any other individuals or charitable foundations that might be interested in helping our mission, please let us know! MAILING CHECKS If you would like to mail a check to The CPF, please send checks to: Coco Point Fund c/o Joan Minshall 12 Oxford Street Chevy Chase, MD 20815 WIRE FUNDS If you would like to wire funds to The CPF, please contact [email protected] for the wire instructions. TRANSFERRING APPRECIATED STOCK If you would like to transfer highly appreciated stock to The CPF, please contact [email protected] for the wire instructions. DONATE WITH PAYPAL Donate with Paypal by using this link. REMINDER: We NEVER co-mingle any of our funds with the Antiguan Government or the Barbuda Council. We are diligent shepherds of your very generous contributions. Please contact any of our Board members should you have any questions or comments. Thank you in advance for considering a donation this year end. We wish you all the happiest and healthiest Holiday Season! Please visit our new and improved website at www.cocopointfund.org. Sincerely, The Coco Point Fund Board of Directors |
EZEKIEL FRANCIOS
University of West Indies, Five Islands Campus
Ezekiel is a great recipient who touched base with the Fund recently. He explained his work creating a Constitution at his campus and his outreach efforts. He explains here:
"At the UWI Five Islands Campus and every other UWI Campus we have a Guild of Students. I had the great opportunity to create our Constitution, which outlines all the roles and responsibilities of each and every member of the Guild of students. So, essentially I would have created my own roles and responsibilities. The Constitution was so well done that it is in the works currently to be adopted as the foundation for a "One Guild" Constitution, this is basically a constitution to govern all of the campuses as one unit."
"As Vice President the main role I had was to foster relations among students through the creation of Clubs and Societies. I was ecstatic at the fact that during the year we were able to successfully start about 15. These have been a huge success so far, with many students saying it has allowed them to experience University on a more social level."
"Another role as Vice President is to have different community outreach programs. The outreach program that I am most proud of is one that has helped the students in Barbuda. Basically what was done is that we sell merchandise based on Five Islands Campus and a percentage of the proceeds go towards the most improved Primary and Secondary school student to help with school supplies and other needs. Another program I have started is the Internship program to enable our students to receive valuable work experience while studying."
"The last project that I had recently concluded was a Continuity plan. This plan is to ensure that even after our current Guild is gone that a foundation is there to guide incoming Guilds for years to come."
We accomplished a lot in 2019. We rebuilt several teachers’ homes, supplied paint for 40+ homes, rebuilt the three bus stops on the island, and participated along with the Barbuda Ocean Club (BOC), the Jumby Bay Fund (JBF) and the Mill Reef Fund(MRF) in both installing a 100,000 gallon water storage tank and refurbishing the existing desalination plant on the island. We are hopeful that, for the first time in over 2 years, the people will have fresh, quality running water 24/7 before!
After having rebuilt the Nursery School and the Daycare Center in 2018, we partnered with Meteor Education in Florida to send two teacher trainers to the Nursery School for four days. We also sent new furniture, teaching materials, iPads, and much more so that we could start the process of 21st century “differentiated” learning in this school. The trainers also did an evaluation of the Holy Trinity middle school as we think about improving educational outcomes there as well! This initiative was a huge success!
Through our Scholarship Fund, we continue to support qualified students in attending universities in Antigua, the U.S., and around the world! With $38,000 in grants, we currently support 11 young men and women from Barbuda in furthering their post-secondary education. As more families return to Barbuda, we expect the demand for these scholarships to continue, if not grow!
As a board, we are still looking at many new projects. Our first focus will be to continue and expand our educational improvement plan. We are working to develop a five year plus plan (rolls out in stages) for grades 1-7. The cost of this initiative will be at least $1 million in total over the next five years. It will involve training 3x per year in each grade, new modem classroom design, furniture, technology and curriculum. We hope to get support from our other partners (JBF, MRF, BOC, and others). We believe that this initiative would bring lasting social and economic change for decades to come.
Our other big initiative is to participate with JPF, MRF and others in building 20-30 new, two-bedroom, hurricane proof homes in a new “subdivision” that will be built on higher ground near the high school. This initiative will cost around $2-3 million (approximately $100,000 per home). We hope to participate in the building of three to five homes. JBF has committed to building fifteen to twenty homes.
While life is certainly better than it was two years ago, it is nowhere near back to normal. Work is moving at a feverish pace at the 
Please consider a donation to the Coco Point Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to the Island and the people of Barbuda.