January 31st, 2026
Dear Friend,
Happy 2026! We at Roots had a busy, exciting start to the year—starting with Gwoup Konbit’s national Soup Joumou event on January 1st, continuing with our joint publication of “Why Disaster Funding in Haiti Must Change” with the Funders Coalition for Haitian-led Development, and ending with a strategic retreat with the Gwoup Konbit team in Guadeloupe last week.
KONBIT SOUP JOUMOU
On January 1st, Gwoup Konbit hosted its annual Konbit Soup Joumou in locations across Haiti and in the diaspora! Joumou, Creole for squash or pumpkin, has been grown in Haiti since it was a slave colony. The enslaved people of Saint-Domingue often made the rich, luxurious Soup Joumou for their enslavers, but were themselves banned from ever eating it. On January 1st, 1804, when the revolution officially earned Haitians their freedom, they celebrated by eating the forbidden soup–and the tradition has continued each year on January 1st to celebrate Haitian independence.
More than 21,000 bowls of Soup Joumou were served at 26 events for the 2026 edition of Konbit Soup Joumou.
1,300 donors, hundreds of volunteers, and dozens of local organizations, churches, schools, youth groups, women’s groups, and community leaders mobilized across Haiti and the diaspora to make the annual tradition possible.
Here’s what Gwoup Konbit said about the day: “Konbit Soup Joumou is not just an event—it is a leadership and civic training platform. Each site was managed by its own local committee responsible for mobilization, financial management, logistics, and accountability. This made Konbit Soup Joumou 26 leadership laboratories, where communities learned to organize, collaborate, and succeed together based on Konbit values. This model proves that when strong values and shared principles guide communities, they can take charge of their own development and achieve large-scale national impact.”
CHANGING DISASTER FUNDING IN HAITI
On January 12th, the 16th anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake that claimed hundreds of thousands of Haitian lives and mobilized billions of dollars toward disaster relief, the Funders Coalition for Haitian-led Development (FCHLD) published our first joint statement, entitled “Why Disaster Funding in Haiti Must Change.”
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Community-based organizations are often described as first responders, but they are also the last responders, remaining long after emergency funding dries up and international attention moves on. Their approaches are holistic by necessity, naturally linking climate adaptation, food security, livelihood development, mental health, environmental protection, and peacebuilding.”
FCHLD is an informal, regular gathering of funders, the goal of which is to increase coordination and cooperation among those funding Haitian-led aid and development. The article was compiled by Roots of Development with input and collaboration from the Coalition. FCHLD includes: Ansara Family Fund, Ayiti Community Trust, the Dalton Foundation, Haiti Community Foundation-ESPWA, Haiti Development Institute, the Network of Engaged International Donors, Roots of Development, and others.
Read the full article (available in English, French, and Creole) at substack.com/home/post/p-183940726.
STRATEGIC RETREAT TO GUADELOUPE
From January 19th to 26th, the Roots and Gwoup Konbit teams headed to Guadeloupe, a French island in the Caribbean, for a strategic retreat to prepare and plan for the year ahead. The group of 14 included representatives of Roots, Gwoup Konbit, Rasin Devlopman, Leaders de Demain, Konbit San Pou San, Metanoia, Rajepre, Posiblite, Le Paradis Haitien, and a close partner and funder, Montica.
Throughout the week, we used the time to reflect on Gwoup Konbit’s values and vision for Haiti, rest and recharge after a difficult year, and further strengthen our relationships. The trip included long days of work that stretched into the night—but also excursions to beaches and waterfalls around the island, the downtown of Pointe-a-Pitre, and the local Mémorial ACTe museum.
“We’re fighting for ourselves, but not just ourselves, for our communities” —Lineda Paul, Rasin Devlopman
“Haiti has an extremely beautiful history…not just for Haitians, but for everyone in the world.” —Andy Vibert, Leaders de Demain
January was a powerful start to what we know will be an incredibly challenging but impactful year. To support our work in 2026, visit rootsofdevelopment.org/donate.
Best,
Chad Bissonnette
President & Co-Founder