By Rolando Rodriguez Soto, Reporter
Baylor students are starting the first student led nonprofit organization in the Baylor Journalism, Public Relations and New Media Department. Inite collects funds to provide an education, supplies and other basic needs to children in underdeveloped countries.
The word “Inite” is Creole for unity. Creole is the main language in Haiti, which is Inite’s current primary focus.
Inite partners with the Sisters of San Juan Evangelista in Wanament, Haiti. The Juanistas provide the children with necessary supplies and resources, but the nuns aren’t able to help every child. Inite is raising money for these children, so they can get an education.
“They have had to turn some away because they can’t afford it,” said Boerne sophomore Jake Moore, vice president of Inite. “What we’re trying to do is raise money for that organization to basically help them expand and just to be able to get as many children in there learning instead of on the streets.”
Inite also supports Refugio Internacional de Niños, an organization based in Rio Grande City, which lies in Texas along the Texas-Mexico border and Casa Hogar de Camargo in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The nonprofit collects donations for the foster home.
Inite is based in two parts. The first is helping students in underdeveloped countries meet their basic needs and get an education. The second is offering a lab for Baylor students to run a nonprofit.
“When people donate to Inite, they are donating to help children in other parts of the world, but they are also helping students here in America by helping them get that experience,” said Austin sophomore Hannah Neumann, student president of Inite.
Macarena Hernandez, lecturer and the Fred Hartman Distinguished Professor of Journalism, started Inite with a simple idea, and she gathered students that were interested in investing their time.
“Inite is a natural fit for Baylor because there are so many students that want to do nonprofit or ministry work,” Hernandez said. “Something like Inite is a perfect fit for our university and our students.”
Nuemann said it’s important the students aren’t receiving just a one-time service. Their goal is to provide the students with an education, so they can develop skills to become successful and make a change for themselves.
“Volunteering at these places is fine, but what these organizations really need are resources,” Hernandez said. “What we want to do is provide resources that can actually help provide the very basic needs.”
Moore said 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to paying for someone’s education or feeding children because Inite is completely volunteer based.
“Since ‘students for students’ is our motto, that is where we came up with unity,” Moore said. “We happen to be in a situation where have access to education, so our whole goal is to be able to provide that for others and give them the same opportunity we were born into.”
Inite is planning on hosting a brisket party in November as their first major fundraiser where the community has the opportunity to watch the football game and donate. The date and location are tentative.
For more information on the fundraiser and on how to be involved and participate, email Hannah_Neumann@baylor.edu or Jake_Moore@baylor.edu.
