Provide food, water, and critical care in Haiti.

In our efforts to provide adequate food, water, and critical care in Haiti and mainly to those fled from gangs violence that are internally displaced in the North and North-East of Haiti, Sonje Ayiti did provide 1,300 bowls of pumpkin soup (Soup joumou) on January 1st, 2024 and we used the pumpkin seeds to set up the 2 hectares solidarity garden of pumpkin and yucca as an experimental farm while equiping and motivating more to do the same.

January 1st is a doubly symbolic date in Haiti: it is both New Year's Day and the celebration of independence, acquired in 1804. Soup joumou, an emblematic dish of this freedom won, symbolizes the struggle for the emancipation of the Haitian people. This pumpkin soup, deeply rooted in history, creates a bridge between the past and the present, connecting Haitian culture to its roots.
For its second edition, January 1st 2025, Konbit Soup Joumou wishes not only to preserve this tradition, but also to encourage sharing and strengthen community solidarity. Through this event, we wish to recall the importance of local agriculture by encouraging the population to revalue the cultivation of pumpkin and yucca, an essential product of our land.
During the first edition, pumpkin seeds and yucca stem were collected and planted. Today, our gardens are full of them, testifying to the ability of our people to feed themselves with their own resources. This collective effort, or konbit, illustrates the strength of unity, not only in our traditions, but also in our economy and agriculture.

For this second edition, Konbit Soup Joumou plans to distribute 2,500 Soup Joumou dishes in the cities of Limonade, Quartier Morin and Cap-Haïtien, in tribute to Haiti's independence and the spirit of sharing.
Details of the initiative:
• Distribution date: January 1, 2025
• Distribution locations:
   Limonade
   Quartier Morin
   Cap-Haïtien
• Number of dishes planned: 2,500
• Suggested contribution per bowl of soup:  $5 USD
• Suggested contribution to expand the solidarity garden:  Any donation from $5 to $50,000 USD

Specific objectives
• Celebrate Haiti’s independence: Offer communities the opportunity to celebrate the 221st anniversary of national independence.
• Promote solidarity and sharing: Give everyone the opportunity to share what they have to achieve a common goal.
• Strengthen community ties: Encourage solidarity through the konbit, a symbol of national unity.
• Revalue local agriculture: Highlight the production of pumpkins, yucca and other local crops. The project demonstrates that food self-sufficiency is possible through collective efforts, as demonstrated by the success of the pumpkin/yucca plantations from the first edition.

Cassava products has a well-established customer based in the Haitian Diaspora. While produced and transformed in many regions of the country, the Northern Cassava is Haiti most cherished and prized Cassava. It is requested by members of the Haitian Diaspora whenever a chance is presented. It has an ever-growing market and can play a key role in making Yucca farming a resilient business, creating jobs and money for thousands of rural women. Cassava remains a favorite snack and staple of pride. Today, yucca is increasingly becoming an important crop in the struggle against climate change North and North-East areas of Haiti. The crop is mainly grown by smallholder farmers (on 1-2 acres of land) for food security and income generation. Most of it sold as dry cassava, chips or flour milled from the dried chips but gradually more and particularly in urban areas as fresh cassava roots. Sonje Ayiti Organization is joining forces with local women, youth volunteers and the Ministry of Agriculture for large scale production for the ever-increasing commercial uses of yucca and cassava. The yield from an acre of cassava ranges 4-8 MT, which translates into 1.5-4 metric tons of dried cassava chips and 1.2 -2.5 metric tons of cassava flour

We encourage donors to support this initiative, by adopting a model of social responsibility.

More than 50 volunteers will be mobilized for the preparation and distribution of the soup. The konbit will be at the heart of the organization, reinforcing the spirit of national solidarity.

Konbit Soup Joumou goes beyond the simple symbolic gesture. It embodies the strength of unity, present in our traditions and in our agriculture. It is a key to building a more autonomous and prosperous future for Haiti.

Links:

• 1st Edition
• Yucca Plantation Launched
• Background of Solidarity Garden