Zaza and her youngest son Kwa enjoying soup joumou in Matènwa. For Haitians in Haiti and abroad, January 1st is about more than ringing in the New Year. It's a celebration of their country's independence, and a squash-based soup called soup joumou is a symbol of that freedom. January 1, 1804, marked the culmination of this a successful, decade-long slave rebellion against French colonial rule, establishing Haiti as the world's first black republic. Two-hundred-and-fifteen yea

Atis Fanm Matènwa, or Women Artist Matènwa, is a longstanding Women’s Haitian Arts collective in the Matènwa community in La Gonave. Women from the Matènwa community create and customize beadwork, embroidery, painted silk scarves and other Haitian art by hand. Some of their exquisite customized art integrated symbols from the Haitian Vodou religion. Let’s take a look at what some of these symbols mean. You can request their handiwork by clicking here. Many of the graphic desi

School is almost over, but the Matènwa Community Learning Center is gearing up for its 9th annual summer camp. We have planned a range of activities for 300 participants of all ages— students from preschool through high school, MCLC teachers, and even adults from surrounding communities. A typical day will be filled with: Morning professional development workshops for teachers. This year includes trainings on entrepreneurship and leadership and will include 11th and 12th grad