02/12/2026
A friend messaged us last week, she had seen the headline that three U.S. war ships had arrived in the port of Port-au-Prince. and not having kept up with recent news had asked for an explanation:
"February 7 will be the end of the presidential council which has 9 members that the USA put to lead the country since April 2024," Webert began to explain. "Unfortunately, there were 9 thieves plus a prime minister who were plundering financial resources of the country. People fled their homes, gangs enlarged their territories, killed innocent people, r***d women, burned houses, etc…the 9 members need to leave their office today and they do not want to.
The U.S. has now sanctioned five of them and cancelled their visas. They said if they have to leave, the prime minister also needs to leave. The prime minister is a businessman who gave a contract to mercenaries to come and kill the gangs. The mercenaries have been in Haiti since March 2025, but no leaders have been captured or killed yet. The US Dept. said the prime minister will stay for stability and election. The war ships’ arrival is more of a threat to show the nine members that they need to leave or else they’ll come and get them."
February 7th has now passed and the members of the presidential council have left their offices. They failed in doing their jobs to secure an election and now the Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, remains to be the only person left in office. A resolution was put forward by the council, but no final decisions have been made.
Warships remain in the port and yesterday (February 10) a meeting in the United States Senate took place, discussing Haiti's insecurity and resolutions. You can view that for a deep-dive in the discussions happening now post February 7th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0XvKtUFrwU
What decisions will be made remain unclear at this time.
Here's what I've been reflecting on:
I (Kayla) stepped on Haitian soil with absolutely no knowledge of her history or her culture or her language. Over time, I found my way living there full-time and not only falling in love with a native, but being fully welcomed and embraced. I was really so undeserving of that, is all I can say.
And, as I began to learn the language, the culture, the bartering systems of the market, the ways of driving, the cultural greetings...I also learned her history. To learn she was the first free black republic and to visit the Citadel in the north and to learn of the impact her independence had on the rest of the Americas was honestly a very rude awakening.
Like, did you know, it was Haiti's victory over Napoleon that led to the Louisiana Purchase? Half of the United States territory is due to Haiti's revolution.
And, did you also know, that France demanded Haiti pay France for her independence? Which ended up being a trap that kept Haiti indebted for more than 120 years.
The list of evidence goes on and on as to why Haiti became the poverty-stricken nation we read in the headlines.
Long-standing international and outside influences, plus an internal oligarchy that rules with corruption, and a vulnerable, impoverished population leads us to this moment in time.
I, my friend, have learned so much along the way.
Haiti has burdened me with much, but she has also opened my eyes to the realities of the harsh, broken world we live in. A world I was protected from growing up in NW Iowa. She has exposed greed in the highest of offices, while exploiting the greed of the beggar, too. Oh the stories Webert and I can tell about all the times we were lied, cheated, and stolen from.
But a reminder at last: if the poor have no hope for their future, as it's mentioned in the Senate hearing, they'll either get on a boat to look for it elsewhere or join the gangs. That is the truth we face.
And with that truth, we find ourselves still stubbornly planted firm in our convictions that education and job creation still remain the answer.
If we can equip and change the minds of the youth, we will have actively prevented more gang members. These students are the future! And if we continue to support and create more sustainable jobs, then we will have strengthened families and kept food on the tables. And if we sipped her coffee, then we were joyfully a part of revitalizing the land and mobilizing a new generation of farmers.
This moment in Haiti's history is complex and tense.
But, our active participation in her restoration remains clear,
and thankfully, kinda simple:
Educate.
Shop with integrity.
Sip with purpose.
It's a joy to do it with you, friend.
