Matènwa Community School

Children and teachers engage in hands-on education, critical thinking, and mutual respect.

Institute for Learning

Teacher training for schools seeking to find a more effective way to teach.

Mother Tongue Books

Empowering children to become literate by reading and writing in their native language.

Women’s Leadership Fund

Seven Matènwa graduates are now continuing their university education—fully supported for the year—thanks to this community.

Creole Gardens

Students cultivate organic produce, practice environmental stewardship.

Summer Camp

Inspiring meaningful exchanges that strengthen community ties and inspire collaborative learning.

Art Matènwa

Nurturing creative expression by supporting women artisans.

Community Outreach

Help students and families care for elders and build lasting food security.

College Scholarships

Matènwa grads who've earned full-tuition scholarships need your help to cover costs like housing, meals, books, and more.

Support Matènwa programs

Learning to Care for What We Share

Sometimes learning at Matènwa looks like this: preschoolers happily giving their LEGOs a bath.

MCLC’s Louiseda Sumé Named One of Haiti’s Top 10 Teachers!

I have some wonderful news to share: Louiseda Sumé, one of MCLC’s beloved teachers, was selected as one of 10 […]…

Summer Camp LIVE!

Did you miss our live look at the last day of Matènwa’s summer camp? You can watch here!…

A Whole New Life

A Matènwa parent, student, and teacher join Friends of Matènwa supporters to celebrate the school and Chris Low’s 65th birthday!…

Join our Newsletter!

Once a month you’ll get the very latest news from Matènwa and Lagonav Island

More Stories

Working Toward Clean Water for Four Communities

Working Toward Clean Water for Four Communities

In the mountains above the Matènwa community on Lagonav Island, a place called Little Spring is a lifeline. Every day, families depend on this spring for the water they need to drink, cook, wash, and care for their homes. But getting that water is not simple. People…

From Matènwa to the Frontlines of Care

From Matènwa to the Frontlines of Care

By Williamson Jacques | Matènwa Community Learning Center At the Matènwa Community Learning Center, we often say that education is not only about the classroom. It is about dignity. It is about responsibility. And it is about preparing young people to serve their…

How the “Matènwa Way” Travels

How the “Matènwa Way” Travels

This is my third week on Lagonav Island, and yesterday I got to see—up close—the Hub School initiative, a next step in spreading the Matènwa approach to teaching across this island. In 2020, after years of training teachers in nonviolent, child-centered, Haitian…

Murals at the Matènwa Community Learning Center

What comes next . . .

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was clear about what justice meant. It wasn’t a theory or a slogan. It was about dignity—the dignity of poor people, the dignity of children, the dignity of communities that had been told, again and again, that their lives mattered less….

A Surprise Welcome Home

A Surprise Welcome Home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxTlunda7g A reminder of what life is really about. Welcome home, Chris! Yesterday, I witnessed something that touched me deeply — a moment that felt like a reminder of what life is really about. Chris returned to Matènwa after a long…

2025 Annual Newsletter

2025 Annual Newsletter

Step inside MCLC and meet the students and teachers whose stories of perseverance will stay with you. You’ll see what hope looks like, how it grows, and the difference that your generosity makes. View the 2025 Annual Newsletter

November 2025 Newsletter

November 2025 Newsletter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn5jbkuja5g Francia’s first graders learning to plant seeds in the school garden. Do you remember the first time you planted a seed — maybe in your family’s garden or a school science project? The mix of excitement and patience as…

October 2025 Newsletter

October 2025 Newsletter

Classrooms where children grow curious instead of fearful and confident instead of silent. Classrooms that embrace dignity, equality, and a lot of creative play — because joy is part of justice too. The photo above captures one of those joyful moments — a…

School Opens ENTHUSIASTICALLY!

School Opens ENTHUSIASTICALLY!

I’m so happy to share this video. It was a joyful first day of school at the Matènwa Community Learning Center. They successfully opened their doors on-time despite the growing violence, insecurity, hunger, and uncertainty in Haiti. No matter what the political crisis…