News from Matènwa

Bree Legrand is only 13 years old, but she’s been fundraising from a very early age. With the support of her mother, Bree contacted me via e-mail asking how she could help fundraise for Friends of Matènwa. While speaking to her on the phone, I discovered that she was…

Matènwa musicians are putting their creativity to good use. Our fifth grader Djoudnie sounds so good as she urges everyone to Stay Home. MCLC students understand the power of their voices and advocate for preventative practices as Corona spreads across Haiti. If you…

MCLC’s staff is at it again! Check out another tune Aba Kowona (Get Rid of Corona) by Vagens. Calling out to communities across La Gonave, this catchy number focuses on containing the virus. Vagens’ song calls out all the preventative methods, like washing hands and…

MCLC’s Director of Communications, Makanacky Magloire, who goes by the stage name Strong G, released a new single. In the catchy Lave Men Nou, Strong G urges his listeners to wash their hands, stay home whenever possible, and wear masks outside of the home. The song…

As our present pushes forward in difficult and uncertain ways, survival holds a multi-layered definition that is unique for each of us. Self-preservation is not only in mask-wearing and hand-washing, but also in finding our center and remaining hopeful amidst the…

Today, we honor mothers around the world for selfless dedication to nurturing, raising, and supporting without condition. Your commitment to the work that we do has transformed mothering in Matènwa and many of its neighboring communities. In poverty-stricken, rural…

Here’s what’s happening: The Haitian government declared victory over the Coronavirus and reopened factories. This will be a disaster. COVID-19 has yet to hit with full force in the Caribbean, and it is expected to intensify in the next few weeks. This is not the time…

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…

The Matènwa Community Learning Center Summer Camp has just ended! It was one of our most successful programs ever! How so? We will let Jemima Douyon do the talking. Jemima is a Haitian-American and was a teaching fellow at the New York City Department of Education…

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…