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By Jenipher Atieno, Kenya Country Director
I want to share a story that still moves me deeply. It took place in early 2021, just as we were starting our community outreach program.
We encountered a sight that truly touched our lives: three children—total orphans—who were living in an open field in a makeshift shelter covered only by plastic sheeting and rags. Their parents had died, and their elderly grandfather could not manage to put up a proper home for them.
Lalmba, alongside our team of experts, immediately stepped in, building a shelter for the grandfather. While the children were a little too old to enter the children’s home, we refused to leave them on the streets. I took one boy into my own home, and my colleague Linder (Linda) took a girl.
It has been a privilege to watch these children grow. The girl completed high school, got married, and has happily started her own family. The boy I took in is now a grown man, married, and living a happy life. I thank Lalmba for that support. That story, and the place where we found them, is one that still touches my heart.
Jenipher’s choice to bring that little boy into her own home — and Linda doing the same for the girl — tells you everything you need to know about who is running our programs.
That kind of love and commitment is not something we can teach in a training session. It is why we put our faith entirely in our local staff.
Lalmba operates differently than many organizations. We don’t send large groups of foreign workers to manage the daily business. Instead, we have a small group of U.S. and international volunteers who offer support and mentorship. But the vital work — everything from running the Matoso clinic to managing RCAR — is led by people who were born in and around these communities.
We believe that they know best what their neighbors need. We trust leaders like Jenipher and Linder. We invest in their training and their vision, and we stand by them for the long haul.
When you give to Lalmba, you are not just funding a program. You are investing in the dignity and capacity of these local, trusted leaders. You are making sure that when a crisis hits, Jenipher and her team have the resources to respond immediately, lovingly, and with true heart.