History

 

The Lambi Fund of Haiti was founded in 1994 by Haitians, Haitian-Americans, and North Americans. The Lambi Fund draws its name from the lambi (pronounced lahm-bee), which is the Haitian Creole word for conch shell. The conch shell, blown as a horn, has played a vital role in community organizing throughout Haiti's history.

 

During the slave rebellion against the French colonialists in 1791, the lambi's call alerted the slaves to impending danger and the need to assemble. Today, the echo of the lambi alerts villagers in distant hamlets that a community meeting is about to commence. The symbol of the lambi was chosen to represent the Haitian people's hope, strength, resistance, and struggle for self-determination.