Our history
Our reason for being
The number of refugees fleeing war, famine, persecution, or climate change has increased considerably in recent years. Many of them arrive in France in a state of great destitution and psychological fragility.
Several organizations support them, yet due to low budgets, they mainly focus on emergency assistance (accommodation, food, administrative formalities, French courses) while access to leisure activities such as sports or arts often remains secondary, considered a lower priority.
YAMBI thus complements the necessary work of other organizations by using mountain sports as a therapeutic tool and creator of social links to help refugees overcome the ordeal of asylum and integrate into their host country faster.
Our name
In several African languages such as Kirundi, Swahili or Rwandan, the word "yambi" is associated with positive values of welcoming, caring, and sharing. In English, "yambi" can be translated as "I welcome you", "I take care of you", "I am here for you".
The nanny of our founder Clelia Compas used to say to her "yambi yambi" every evening while taking her in her arms. Originally from Burundi, this woman had to leave her country during the genocidal civil war in the 1990s. Like a second mother to Clelia, she took care of her from the time she was 2 months old until she came of age. We have chosen to name our association YAMBI in her honor.
Our logo
The logo of YAMBI was imagined and realized by Omar Ibrahim, a Syrian artist in exile in France since 2015.
The bird refers to the migratory bird that has traveled a long way and comes to land in a new territory to rest and start a new life. It represents the refugees.
The tree refers to the local population that welcomes, shelters and protects the newcomer. It represents the host society.
The mountains symbolize the location of our association and the field of expression of our activities. They represent the French Alps.