Stories of Survival

Watch the Lambi Fund of Haiti's most recent YouTube video which talks with two earthquake survivors.   The two women tell their stories of of hardship, life, loss, and survival.

Haiti: One Year Later

One year later. Three hundred and sixty-five days since the ground shook and forever changed Haiti. I thought a lot about what I wanted to say about the earthquake and my Ayiti Cheri as we take this day to remember and honor the loved ones lost.

Undoubtedly, countless news stories will air this week looking at Haiti’s journey this past year and how the rebuilding effort is progressing. To be certain, Haiti has had more than a tough go at things. The earthquake left Port-au-Prince and many cities in ruin, hurricanes flooded and damaged the south, cholera has mercilessly swept through the country leaving Haiti brimming with hardships, anxiety, and uncertainty, and Presidential elections held in November had chaotic outcomes. The entire election swirled with rumors of rampant fraud and ballot-stuffing and most viewed the entire process as illegitimate. When results for the run-off election were announced in December, riots and violence broke out in the streets of Port-au-Prince.

By most accounts, the rebuilding effort in Haiti seems stagnant. Tons and tons of rubble still litter Port-au-Prince’s streets, millions struggle to survive in tent cities, a comprehensive reconstruction plan still has not been agreed upon, and millions of dollars in aid money sits in banks. Despite these tough realities and the difficult road that Haiti must journey down, I would like for a moment to stop and offer a glimmer of hope. It seems that despite all this, life in Haiti goes on.

In 2010, the Lambi Fund of Haiti witnessed countless stories of heroism, peasant solidarity, recovery, and movements to envision, plan, and work to rebuild Haiti. While many may paint Haitians as helpless victims, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, it is in the people where Haiti’s strength lies.

Immediately following the earthquake, Lambi Fund staff and its local partners were very much in the midst of the disaster. It took an agonizing six days to finally make contact with Lambi Fund staff in Haiti. Fearing the worst, Lambi Fund’s country director, Josette Perard, reported that the office just blocks from the presidential palace was damaged, yet miraculously all staff members were alive and healthy. Everyone though, had lost close friends and family.

Lambi Fund staff quickly sprang to action and thanks to years of working with local grassroots organizations throughout Haiti, it seemed Lambi Fund was uniquely positioned to provide immediate and effective relief. Partnerships with local organizations that Lambi Fund had been developing for over 16 years served as an essential network during this time.

Lambi Fund convened regional committees of local grassroots leaders throughout the country to determine immediate and long-term needs. Over a half million earthquake survivors fled Port-au-Prince to stay with friends and family in rural Haiti. Household sizes doubled overnight and for Lambi Fund partners already struggling to survive on less than $2 a day, they did not have the means to provide relief.

Based on these discussions, Lambi Fund was able to swiftly distribute emergency grants to 44 grassroots organizations to purchase life essentials like food, water, shelter and medical supplies. In all, 8,000-9,000 people received emergency relief (1,080 families received grants and each family had an average of 8 people).

Mr. Josephat, a member of a community organization in the Artibonite, recalled tearfully:

"I had 21 people, strangers staying with me and my family. We did not think twice about welcoming them, but we had not yet figured out how they would be cared for or how they would be fed.

When we heard about Lambi Fund's program to help impacted families, I was so happy that I cried. I cried because I was touched and shocked that people who had been at the center of this disaster had the time to think about us.

I was so proud to be a member of a strong organization, and I really deeply understood why being organized is the path to a better life. We would have been left to our own devices without Lambi Fund's support.

The government never came and the NGOs which did drop by brought free food supplies and their methods of distribution stripped us of our dignity."

Mr. Josephat’s sentiments were echoed throughout discussions with other partner organizations in Haiti.

“My name is Ostazia. My husband and I have 10 children and we live in the North West. After the January 12, 2010 earthquake which destroyed Port-au-Prince, our household increased by 10 more people. This was extremely problematic as we did not have the means to care for them. It is thanks to my organization and the Lambi Fund that we got the relief we so desperately needed. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, THANK YOU!”

The Next Phase

Knowing that food security and restoring livelihoods for the thousands of survivors now living in rural communities would be essential, Lambi Fund’s second phase of relief focused on expanding crop production and the availability of locally produced food. An emergency credit was provided to 1,254 farmers in 41 partner organizations to allow them to purchase more seeds, tools and supplies to increase crop outputs and feed more families.

Based on reports from farmers, it is projected that about 10,000 persons benefitted from this program. By all accounts, communities generated bountiful harvests of peas, corn and vegetables for consumption and sale at local markets.

In addition, Lambi Fund replenished community microcredit funds to help small business owners purchase more goods and restart their enterprises. Two women’s groups in Port-au-Prince who fight violence against women and provide support for women’s small businesses lost everything in the earthquake. Women and their families have been forced to live in squalid conditions in tent cities. Lambi Fund worked with these women to provide small grants to start small businesses and to send their children back to school.

Looking Towards the Future

Never before has Lambi Fund faced a disaster of such a daunting magnitude and it is thanks to you and your amazing support in this past year that Lambi Fund was able to mobilize and provide such urgent relief. For an extensive breakdown of Lambi Fund’s earthquake relief, I ask you to read the Earthquake Activities Update on our website www.lambifund.org .

Haitian peasants are determined to be part of their country's reconstruction and thanks to previous Lambi Fund organizational development and capacity building - they are organizationally strong and ready to serve as a collected front to implement change.

In addition to continuing our support of sustainable economic and environmental activities, Lambi Fund has pledged to amplify the voices of the Haitian people and their determination to be included in this historic moment for nation building in Haiti.

In 2011, the Lambi Fund of Haiti is ready to implement the next phases of the Earthquake Recovery Plan:

• Increase micro-enterprises with additional community microcredit funds.
• Increase organic, locally-grown food and clean water with expanded sustainable agriculture, reforestation and water access projects.
• Increase livelihoods with expanded sustainable development projects, such as pig and goat breeding, grain mills and sugar cane mills.
•  Build latrines to prevent spread of disease and increase sanitation in rural areas, as a result of rapidly growing population.
• Expand women’s program to address the special needs of women (more vulnerable to domestic violence and sexual assault in tent cities but several organized women’s groups are standing up for the rights of women and children).
• Support Policy Advocacy program to express voice of the Haitian people in rebuilding Haiti. As foreign corporations and governments jockey for rebuilding contracts, the Haitian voice has been neglected. Haitians must be involved in all facets of rebuilding.

People from rural communities are working together to increase sustainability in their communities and ongoing training in sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, and increasing organizational capacity will be key to long- term success. The Lambi Fund Earthquake Recovery Plan will continue in 2011 and beyond. Rebuilding Haiti is a long-term commitment for the Lambi Fund and we hope that you choose to take this journey with us. With your continued support, Lambi Fund and the people of Haiti can work to achieve sustainable communities and a vibrant Haiti.

Looking to the future,

Karen Ashmore

Executive Director

Lambi Fund of Haiti

Author and Publisher Donate Proceeds to Lambi Fund

       Catching the Tap-Tap to Cayes de Jacmel, written by Lane Ashfeldt, is the award winner of the Global Short Story Prize.  In this amazing short-story, Ashfeldt takes the reader through an emotional and inspirational journey in rubble strewn Haiti after the earthquake.   In a short Q&A with the author, Lane Ashfeldt is asked what the phrase ‘Catching the Tap-Tap’ in the title means.  Lane responds by saying:

…The tap-tap, with persistent and life-affirming rhythm, sort of crashed its way into the story. I don’t even remember the first draft without it. It took over the space, all the more so because tap-taps are a big part of everyday life in Haiti. In case you haven’t read the story and don't know what I'm on about, I’ll say no more so you can read it and find out for yourself.


Hopefully there's another meaning tied in with this also: how something like this can be passed on, person to person or phone to phone, getting the message across and supporting local people in Haiti to build a stronger future.


In support of helping Haiti build a better future, Lane Ashfeldt and Ether Books have decided to generously donate all author and publisher fees to the Lambi Fund of Haiti.  Download this story now and support the grassroots-led effort to achieve sustainable rebuilding in Haiti.


Catching the Tap-Tap to Cayes is available for download via the Ether Books application for $1.99.  You may download the Ether Books app for free in the iTunes store. 

Empower the People

Happy new year!  Ring in 2011 by watching the Lambi Fund of Haiti's newest video just posted on YouTube.  It talks about how people like you can help to make a difference in Haiti and how grassroots organizations are uniting Haitians and improving livelihoods.  Sustainable, grassroots development is something we can all work for in 2011.

Strong Women Build Sustainable Communities

By Sarah Leavitt

       A powerful women's movement, which today is more than 4,000 women strong was founded over 20 years ago in June 1986. This dynamic group, the Coordination of Women from Tet Kole- North West (KFTKNW), is located in Haiti's Northwestern penisula and is comprised of 600 groups of women of about 5 to 15 members each scattered throughout the region.

In addition, KFTK-NW is also affiliated with one of Haiti's largest peasant organizations - Tet Kole ti Peyisan Ayisen (TKPA) also founded in June 1986. Women formed this coalition to create an avenue for women to discuss problems specific to women and to develop strategies to resolve these problems. This included addressing a number of important issues like advocating for equal rights between men and women in the home and to improve economic conditions for its members.By Sarah Leavitt
A powerful women's movement, which today is more than 4,000 women strong was founded over 20 years ago in June 1986. This dynamic group, the Coordination of Women from Tet Kole- North West (KFTKNW), is located in Haiti's Northwestern penisula and is comprised of 600 groups of women of about 5 to 15 members each scattered throughout the region.

Since its inception, KFTK-NW has fought to ensure access to clean and potable water, food security and sustainable agriculture development.

Notable accomplishments in the past 20 years:

Proud members of KFTK-NW

• Pooling member resources and leasing a large tract of land for a cooperative of crop cultivation
• Preparing homeopathic remedies to sell in markets
• Creating microcredit funds to support women's economic activities- today there are three such funds in operation
• Distributing 80 small manual corn mills in partnership with Lambi Fund to expand market value of milled grains
• Building six rainwater >cisterns with Lambi Fund in Remon, which constitutes the main source of potable water for community members
• With Lambi Fund's support, building two rainwater cisterns in Lacoma that support community-wide activities at the Marie Vincent Community Center
• Constructing two Lambi Fund grain mills in Remon and Mawotyé >which support local economic activities

Impacts from this comprehensive network of women who work together as a unified front have been significant. The women of KFTK-NW have brought engagement and sustainable solutions to their communities. Residents of entire communities now have the opportunity to transform their crops, process their grains without traveling long distances and access to clean, potable water.

Merile Lebien, a member's husband, states that prior to construction of the grain mill, he and his wife had to get up at 2am to travel for hours to the nearest mill. They had to leave their children in the care of neighbors because roads were not safe for a woman to travel alone. Now, the local grain mill makes these time consuming trips unnecessary.

In addition to ensuring greater access to food and encouraging members to invest in agriculture, the mills have spawned a space for retail activities. Members now sell their wares, prepared foods, dried fish, bread and fruits to grain mill customers- creating a viable sub-economy in these communities.

"The women of KFTK-NW have brought engagement and sustainable solutions to their communities."

KFTK-NW members have recognized that Lambi Fund's training sessions offered on grain milling, project management and capacity building also strengthened the group's capacity to implement other projects in their communities.

Members in Remon described a system of water management they developed following a water management workshop offered by Lambi Fund. Thanks to KFTK-NW's ability to manage rainwater cisterns, two members of the community are now employed as "water managers" and the community has steady access to a locally controlled source of potable water.

Over the years, KFTK-NW has grown into a multi-generational network of women working together to improve their communities. They have proven to be a positive force that challenges critical issues they face and works together to solve them. By providing opportunities for training, economic development and sustainable incomes to its 4,000 members, KFTK-NW has not only strengthened women's position in society, but improved entire families' livelihoods.

Read more of Lambi Fund's Fall Newsletter here.

The People Must be Agents of Change

By: Beverly Bell


Josette Pérard is director of Fon Lanbi Haiti, the Haitian counterpart of the Lambi Fund. Fon Lanbi trains, builds capacity of, and gets grants to women’s and small farmer organizations in rural areas. Josette’s perspectives on community development follow.

The idea of development is to provide everyone with the means to work, to meet their needs, and to let them enjoy their human rights so they can be full citizens. But for development to occur, the system must change. And the
people must be agents of that change.

If Haiti and our communities were organized, development activities would come just from the initiative of the community members themselves. But because of how the country works, because there’s no government action,
there must be some organizations like ours to help people implement community development programs.

Alternative means if something that is necessary doesn’t exist, you must do it yourself. Lambi Fund’s development programs constitute an alternative compared to what the government does. But I don’t think this form of development can lead to a complete solution.

What we have now is a subsistence economy. An economy of local or community small businesses won’t change the national economy as a whole. The country's economy must change so that people can get education, health, and many other things. For this, there must be a responsible government. There must be two-way communication and joint participation between the government and the communities.

Everyone wonders why Haiti is in the state it’s in. It’s because since 1804, there are so many who’ve been called moun andeyò, outsiders [those living in the countryside]. These people continue to be excluded from what’s happening in their own homeland. They don’t know what the big social, political, and economic powers are doing. They must accept or take whatever is designed for them.

Some of the privileged are descendants of former colonists. After the revolution in 1804, they simply wanted to continue using the former slaves, keeping them in their fields of sugar cane and coffee just like in the days
of slavery. Today it’s the great-grandsons and granddaughters who maintain political, economical and social power, at the expense of the majority. Those holding the reins of power aren’t affected by the problems of those
‘outside’, and they just don’t care.

A society that maintains so much exclusion simply can’t achieve development. No way. Development has to involve everyone.

I’ve been listening to the statements of the presidential candidates. Many of them say absolutely nothing about the majority of the Haitian people. You hear them seldom, if ever, even open their mouths to utter the words "the
people.” You never hear them say they will do anything with the participation of the population, but you often hear them say, "We’ll do this or that for the people!" In fact, no leader can do anything for anybody.

Another thing since independence: Haitians have known that they have the courage and that they must take responsibility for their own lives. They know that they can’t rely on others. With this in mind, when they find
organizations such as the Lambi Fund that support their initiatives, they become participants with all their energy and their whole being. They cooperate to make changes in the communities where they live.

Now, with the support of Lambi and other organizations, community members have been able to implement some development activities. For example, where there’s a corn mill, our organization helps members of the community
increase their production by providing seeds for them to produce more corn. But the mill can still go unused because people don’t have access to roads. They need the means to transform their raw products [into more durable ones that can survive long travel] and they also need roads so that they can go sell their products in better market conditions. We can’t build inter-city roads; that’s the responsibility of the government. But through konbit,
collective work teams, we can help construct paths that will allow farmers to go from one place to another, walking with their donkeys. That's how we’re implementing a few small programs of alternative development as a first step in a comprehensive intervention. That's how I see things.

The Lambi Fund is trying to help those organizations that have identified problems in their communities and are trying to resolve them. But even when people already know the means to solve a problem, there will always be
financial issues, because for each activity in a development process, there must be money. So we sit down and talk to them, we work with them.

But giving money for community development activities isn’t the only work we do. We also have a support function of giving hope. The community members are facing major problems and have identified the solutions, but they want our help. We see how they envisage the planning and implementation of programs to bring change to their lives. We listen to what people have to say. We help them find the knowledge, resources and know-how to  implement their projects. We educate and train the members of this organization, we pass on techniques for management, we strengthen the organization itself. We help people move through the processes to achieve their goals so they can become independent.

Now they create management committees, they appoint a coordinating committee, and you can feel the momentum. These people’s hopes are buoyed with the appearance of a small business they’ve managed to put on track. We can see the light that springs from this little hope that starts to shine brighter and brighter through everything else.

Consider, for example, the management and operation of that corn mill I talked about. Customers come and pay to have their grain processed into flour. Now with the education we’re providing the mill owners with, the
community organization learns to better manage the money they earn. They know they need to save some of that money to use later to repair the mill if it breaks down. They know they must be able to cope with any problem that
might arise. They have to be able to eventually buy another mill. They have to pay wages to the operator who runs the mill. Part of the money should go to fund the petty cash they keep to lend some money to group members, etc. So, it’s a whole chain of actions in which each activity leads to another activity.

It’s in the process of organizational development that people understand and learn that they must they must assert their rights and that they must demand what the government or the authorities owes them. So the work we do isn’t only implementing small development programs, because how could we change the economy that way? We’re also helping people to survive, to resist, to get the change they need.

After the earthquake of January 12, things got more complicated but regardless, I think there is hope in the air. Don’t you see how all the people move without getting tired like ants do, how they’re trying to reestablish their lives with their own hands? You’ve visited some camps; you saw the small businesses they’ve created. They make these small investments because nobody is doing anything serious to help them, because they’ve
gotten little to none of the aid.

My dream is that there be real development in Haiti. As I said, these small community development initiatives we’re implementing now are simply for relief. We're just trying to help people to hold on until the legitimate
demands of the Haitian people can be met, until significant changes can really be made; that’s why we call them alternatives.

Another part of my dream is that we have a responsible government. Progressive ideas have to come forth so that they can really make positive and tangible changes. And there has to be space for participation by all
citizens who’ve courageously begun the development of their communities with their own means, however modest. Change will come when the people are engaged right at the heart of things.

For more information, see www.lambifund.org.

Many thanks to Joseph N. Pierre and Pro Bilingual Interpreter Services for
translation of Josette’s interview.

Beverly Bell has worked with Haitian social movements for over 30 years.
She is also author of the book Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of
Survival and Resistance. She coordinates Other Worlds,
www.otherworldsarepossible.org, which promotes social and economic

alternatives. She is also associate fellow of the Institute for Policy
Studies.