With an overall goal of supporting the popular democratic movement in its country, the Lambi Fund of Haiti sees civil society as the foundation for development. The word lambi is the Haitian-Creole term for a conch shell; at the turn of the 19th century, the call of the conch shell organized Haitian slaves against the colonizing French. Today, the fund uses the conch shell as a symbol for coming together as a community. This is certainly true of its 1994 founding, as Haitians, Haitian-Americans, and Americans collaborated to better the lives of those living in the west half of Hispaniola. With the social and economic empowerment of the Haitian people in mind, the Lambi Fund finances the activities of local organizations, along with providing them with resources. In order to qualify for this backing, these groups need to be nonviolent and nonpartisan, and work in the following areas: advancement of women, educational and training empowerment, and overall promotion of democracy. Reforestation efforts are also part of the Lambi Fund’s pursuits.
