The Lambi Fund of Haiti announced today it has distributed over $300,000 worth of grants to local Haitian farmers from 42 peasant organizations as part of its ongoing work to help Haiti recover from the devastating January 12 earthquake. The grants will enable 1,260 Haitian farmers in the rural areas to plant more crops so they can raise locally grown food for themselves and thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled Port-au-Prince for the countryside.

"¨"¨Over half a million people have fled the rubble of Port-au-Prince for the rural communities in the aftermath of the earthquake. This unprecedented mass exodus forced farmers to use all their reserve grain to feed the refugees. As a result, all the seeds saved for the March-April planting season were depleted. In response, the Lambi Fund of Haiti  is making $305,247 worth of grants available to:

• Enable 1,260 farmers from 42 organizations cultivate land during the March-April planting season.


• Increase the revenue of farmers in different organizations within the next 4 to 5 months.


• Ensure greater food security within the next 6 months and ensure the harvest of products such as corn, millet, peas, sweet potatoes, etc.


• Strengthen the solidarity which exists within organizations and between organizations supported by the Lambi Fund.

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Since the January 12 earthquake, the Lambi Fund of Haiti has worked  with grassroots groups to strengthen, rebuild, and expand sustainable development in the rural areas. Lambi staff convened local regional assemblies to define immediate needs and prioritize rebuilding. As a result, the Lambi Fund of Haiti has begun implementing a comprehensive strategy to help rural communities throughout Haiti with a bottom-up model that meets the needs as defined by the majority people."¨"¨

This is the second round of grants made by the Lambi Fund of Haiti. In February the Lambi Fund issued over $400,000 in immediate relief grants to 43 grassroots  groups."¨"¨

"During my recent trip to Haiti, I met with farmers personally who told me they desperately need this assistance to recoup what they lost in the aftermath of the earthquake," said Marie Marthe Saint Cyr, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lambi Fund of Haiti. "These grants will make an immense difference for Haiti's farmers this harvest, and the Lambi Fund is proud to be in the position to make that possible."
 
"¨ABOUT THE LAMBI FUND OF HAITI"¨
Founded jointly in 1994 by Haitians and Americans, The Lambi Fund of Haiti (www.lambifund.org) is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt non-profit organization whose mission is to assist the popular, democratic movement in Haiti. Its goal, based on the premise that the Haitian people understand how development is best achieved in their country, is to help strengthen civil society in Haiti as a necessary foundation for democracy and development.

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