Every year when Christmas comes, we relate to this manger Nativity scene.  We have been privileged to enter countless traditional homes in Ethiopia and Kenya to meet families living similarly to the setting in which Jesus was born—-mud walls and thatched roofs, families sharing space and warmth with animals, a thick bed of straw for comfort, houses devoid of running water for cooking or cleaning, no electricity for light, nor any of the comforts we consider essential.  We know that the poor understand hardship and fortitude in ways we never will, and we honor their position on the world stage.  To the billions who live so simply, we wish you a very blessed Christmas!  We know God shines his light on you in a special way.

This Manger Scene is our Christmas gift to you.

Each one is a hand carved relief sculpture of the Holy Family carved from a single piece of wood with the bark still intact, a unique item from Kenya that will surely compliment, if not be the highlight, of your Christmas decorations. We’re sure you’ll be impressed by how innovative the artists were when carving them and adding hinges so that you can close it up and store it away safely until next Christmas. Although we might just leave ours out year-round as a reminder of how precious our family is and how blessed we are to have each other.

ETHIOPIA UPDATE

Please remember the people of Ethiopia this Christmas, as their nation grapples with violence.  We have removed our volunteers from the country for the time being, with the hope to return soon.  Our clinic and children’s operations continue with our loyal local staff, curing the sick and providing support to vulnerable children who are victims of political conflict beyond their control.

JOIN OUR TEAM

AND BECOME A PART OF THE LONG AND BEAUTIFUL LALMBA STORY

Lalmba is searching for strong, compassionate, and adventurous volunteers to work at our projects.  If you or someone you know would like to give 1-2 years of service in exchange for lifelong memories and rewarding experiences helping some of the neediest people on the planet, please get in touch with us. We need project managers and medical volunteers (doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant) to help train, lead and manage our clinic and public health programs.  If you have a love for children and are interested in working at our children’s projects, that position will be opening within the next year.

by Jeff James

In the last edition of Lalmba News, we told you about all the wonderful improvements we’re planning this year for the Chiri Children’s Home. Those upgrades are well underway. The protective wall along the front of the compound is about 70% complete, the new kitchen is finished, and the existing buildings have been repainted with new windows and doors installed. A pair of generous brothers has donated towards the water system and the learning resource center. We are reviewing bids from contractors to begin those projects. Our 2021 Tembea Na Mimi team is dedicating all of its fundraising efforts towards raising the $160,000 we need to complete all the work (see diagram below).

So far, our intrepid walkers have raised $30,000 towards our goal, with each of them pledging to raise $10,000. It works out perfectly, as we have a group of 16 walkers this year! After a year of social distancing and working from home, I think people are more than ready to rip off those masks, stretch their legs, and show their beautiful smiles again. I know I am!

We are all meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on August 3, and after acclimating for a couple of days we will take our first steps across the Great Rift Valley on August 6^th – 160 miles of fleet-footed (perhaps sore-footed is more like it) walking to Lalmba’s project on Lake Victoria. You know the deal. It’s a noble adventure for a needed cause, and we call it Tembea Na Mimi (Walk With Me).

Perhaps you’re interested in who’s walking with me this year. We have an assortment of TNM alumni, new walkers, fathers and children, Canadians, former Lalmba volunteers, and current board members. I would like to introduce you briefly to this group, and if you have a heart for the people, the cause, or the adventure, please offer some of these folks your sponsorship.

Like in the past, we have family groupings walking together this year.  Harry Lindmark, a Lalmba board member (and former Lalmba volunteer in Sudan), is walking with his sons Rhys from San Francisco and John from Denver. From Charlottesville, Virginia, we have the Ragsdale family, Jim with his children Quinn and Audrey. Audrey is 17 and will be a senior, and Quinn is 15; both are athletes and scholars. They are also my niece and nephew, and I am beyond thrilled to share with them this experience, the people, and the places that have changed my life. Perhaps most excitingly for me, I will be walking with my son, Gideon, who spent his first year of life with Hillary and me in Ethiopia when we were Lalmba volunteers. He will turn 16 on this trip, a major milestone, and I want it to be a significant rite of passage for him. I’m looking for ideas on how to make it as impactful and memorable as possible, but Hillary has already told me scarification and fighting a lion are not permitted.

Dr. Charlie Evans (Former Lalmba volunteer from Kenya) who last time walked with his son Dan, and Rob Andzik (Lalmba’s board chairman) and son Nate will be joining us again this year.

Other Coloradans on this journey are Chris Atencio (Lalmba volunteer in Sudan) from Grand Lake. Chris is a retired schoolteacher and author of several marvelous books. One of them, Into Africa, is about his time serving as a Lalmba volunteer. Also from Denver, we have John Desmond, a retired urban planner and an experienced African explorer.  From Westminster, Terry Robinette will be embarking on her third trek.  Terry is on Lalmba’s board and is our treasurer. She is difficult to keep up with and brings so much faith and enthusiasm to every adventure. And last, but certainly not least, we have our friends from Canada, Bev Hooper and Kathy Moore.  They have started the Lalmba Canada program which focuses primarily on providing high school scholarships for Lalmba’s orphans in Kenya.

We’re a big group, who plan to make a big impact for the children of Chiri with every step we take.

By Katherine Greene, certified nurse midwife

I have dreamed of visiting Africa since I was a college student. Life occurred and children and work responsibilities placed the dream on hold. As a nurse midwife, my passion is serving mothers and babies with maternity care.  Learning of Lalmba’s mission from Hillary and Jeff, I was thrilled with the opportunity to visit their project in Kenya.

Matoso Clinic – Idah arrived at the clinic around 1 pm on Saturday.   She had traveled approximately 45 minutes via motor bike (Imagine riding on the back of a motorbike while in labor!)  from her village of Tagache.   Idah’s closest government health facility had been closed for the prior 3 months due to employee strikes. There was a fivefold increase in deliveries at Matoso clinic during these months. How busy the staff were caring for all of the medical needs of people from the surrounding attachments!

As Idah’s labor continued, she wandered around outside leaning on trees and in the center of the compound. Wilkester, the clinical manager and experienced nurse midwife, comforted and reassured her. “Pole, pole,” Wilkester would say as she massaged Idah’s back, “sorry, sorry” in Swahili.  Evening arrived and Idah returned to the hall of the maternity ward, which is an office building with the back end converted into a delivery room, two postpartum rooms and a bathroom. The front end of the building is shared with the offices of 3 lovely gentlemen who oversee data and IT.  Idah was there on a weekend when the offices were vacant, allowing her more freedom to labor as women do, moaning and at times bare. When her time came, Idah stepped gently from the old wooden step stool on to the narrow delivery table covered with a large green plastic pad. With a stoic and graceful ferocity, she gave birth to a vigorous baby boy. Beautiful new life!  We wrapped the babe in the blankets that Idah had brought with her.  Wilkester hastily cleaned up after the delivery of the placenta with 4 small strips of gauze. Idah was supplied with a bar of soap and assisted to the bathroom for a highly coveted shower with running water. Wilkester sprayed down the bed and I mopped the floor. Wilkester rinsed the delivery supplies to be placed in the autoclave. I collected the small trash bag with the meager amount of waste supplies: 2 pairs of gloves and 4 strips of gauze and placenta. I marveled at how much more disposable material is used during a delivery back home!  Also, it amazed me that the midwives here are responsible for all aspects of care, including cleaning up after deliveries.  Idah was assisted to a postpartum bed and cuddled up with her sweet baby boy. Early in the morning, Idah headed home with her husband and baby boy on a hired motorbike.

I had the opportunity to tour a government facility in nearby Got Kochola, a 20-minute car ride from Matoso. For a patient to deliver here at night like Idah, an on-call nurse who lives in Matoso would be called in and would arrive via a lengthy motorbike ride. This presents a risky situation as a laboring woman is left outside in the dark awaiting care to arrive. And one must hope that all goes well, as the government facility lacks any emergency transport.

Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 38 percent of global neonatal deaths, has the highest newborn death rate in the world.  Kenya’s maternal mortality rate is 20 times that of the United States. Lalmba’s clinic serves the community of Matoso by providing 24-hour access to skilled nurse midwives and emergency transport to an operating room.

During my short stay, I was present for 7 deliveries. One was the delivery of a preterm infant to a 15 year-old mother. We were able to transfer the pair to a higher level of care in Migori, about 90 minutes away. I feel certain this was a lifesaving event for the infant.

Just a few weeks ago I learned very exciting news that Lalmba will now be able to accept government antenatal and delivery care reimbursement.  It will be wonderful to watch maternity care services grow in Matoso!

Katherine Greene, a nurse midwife from Longmont, Colorado, volunteered as a mentor for our antenatal and delivery practices.

As a small organization, we enjoy the flexibility to modify our programs based on the changing needs of the communities we serve.  We have been encouraged by the myriad ways that community health in Matoso, Kenya has improved in recent years, particularly with the availability of anti-retroviral medications for HIV and a promising new vaccine for malaria.

Concerning, however, is the stubbornly high rate of HIV transmission for the 15–24 year old age demographic in this area of Kenya around Lake Victoria.  We also noted an increase in the teen pregnancy rate in the Matoso area during the COVID crisis when schools were not in session.

To that end, Lalmba contracted with a Kenyan consultant group that specializes in educational seminars.   In April, the team facilitated a week-long seminar for 50 of Matoso’s most promising youth leaders.  The facilitators were particularly impressed by the young man who walked 10 km on foot back and forth for the seminar each day and never missed a moment of the training. The high level of engagement reinforced to the team the area youth’s sincere interest in opportunities like this.

Throughout the week, the students participated in education sessions about HIV in their community (most were shocked at the high rate compared to the rest of the country), including role-playing about the most pressing issues they face, particularly in the areas of HIV, drug and substance abuse.  The wise insight that came from these young people inspired many.  One particular shining star compared the differences between the rich and poor in society.  He said, “A poor man spends hours walking each day to find food for his family.  A rich man spends hours walking to lose weight from all the food he has consumed that day.”  Another wise youth said, “A rich man has a house with 10 rooms for 1 person to live in.  A poor man has 1 room in which 10 people live.”   In an attempt to understand their own place in the world, the students first processed the dichotomies that exist in society.

At the end of the week, Lalmba’s public health team identified those most promising candidates to form ongoing support groups and peer leader activities on campus.  We envision a support group for pregnant teens, for example, and one for HIV+ youth, as well as further seminars to encourage healthy choices and focus on professional development.  We plan to further develop our focus on Matoso’s youth, to improve their health and professional outcomes in an area that currently has so few options for their future.

Story by Jeff James / Photography by Posy

I was crouching down in the common room of the Chiri Children’s Home (CCH), taking a picture of Yegerem, our youngest family member. He held a large yellow trumpet flower in each hand, and the sparkle in his eyes, and inquisitiveness in his face, showed no trace of the sad day he was found, wrapped in a banana leaf and covered by fire ants, discarded on the side of the road.  Today, he’s a happy little guy, with 14 brothers and sisters who adore him, and will raise him to know that there is hope even for the abandoned and destitute. They should know, because each of them arrived at the Chiri Children’s Home with their own sad story of loss and abandonment; each in turn found a sense of belonging as they grew up in this cheerful home in Chiri, Ethiopia.

5 years ago, I introduced you to Posy. She was abandoned because her epilepsy was misunderstood by her family and community.  Today she’s a teenager, a little too bossy with her brothers, and like teenagers the world over, a bit too willful with her housemothers. She tempted fate last year, standing around a fire at the home to keep warm. She knew that this was against the rules, and that fire tends to trigger her epilepsy, but she did it anyway. She had a seizure and fell into the fire, burning her legs. She has since recovered, with difficult lessons learned.

After taking Yegerem’s picture, I turned to see Posy watching me.  She studied the camera, reaching for it, and cradling it in her hands, she simply asked, “How?”

I showed her the basics, how to look through the viewfinder and take a  picture, and how to view it afterward.

When I got back to my house that night, I looked through her pictures over dinner, and saw the soul of a young woman finding beauty in a life saddled with burdens that only the poor must carry.  She made pictures of her siblings doing their chores, her bed, empty and guarded by the Blessed Mother, the housemothers preparing meals, portraits of pregnant women and children in the community, etc.  See for yourself; I think they are marvelous, and that she has a gift for visual storytelling.

 A photo essay by Posy

In her hours not in school those weeks, Posy composed images that were at once typical of a teenager, but also advanced in artistic expression beyond her years.  Before I left, I promised to bring her a camera on my next visit, on 2 conditions: 1) She listens to her housemothers’ advice and avoids fire at all times, and 2) she treats her brothers more kindly.

Of course, my mission there was not to teach photography to our orphans, as fun as that was. I had a more administrative task that drew me away from new year’s celebrations with family … I went to Ethiopia to broker our first ever agreement (after 20+ years) with the Ethiopian government for our children’s program.

Geremew and Yegerem walk the crooked path to the CCH gate. 

Our children’s program in Ethiopia began organically, as a side project to the Lalmba Chiri Health Center. In the early days, we were simply trying to help a small group of orphans whose mothers died at our health center or who spent their days begging in order to survive. We rented a mud house in Chiri, bought them food, and helped them go to school.

Over time, we built better houses on the health center land, hired staff to help care for the children, and tutors to help them catch up from years of being unschooled. As the children’s program grew, the first Lalmba children grew up, went to college, and have since moved back to their community as leaders. There are so many success stories of destitute children overcoming insurmountable odds. Geremew, above, holding Yegerem’s hand, is one of them. He’s in his 3^rd year of law school in Mekele, and wants to come back to Chiri to be one of the first practicing attorneys here. He grew up in the Chiri

Children’s Home, and although he doesn’t live here any longer, it’s still home.

The government has taken notice as well. They’ve encouraged us to take this step and officially register our program. They promise more community support and have offered us more land to expand. But before we expand, we need to improve the current compound, raising the living standards to make this home a safe and loving environment for raising Chiri children.

Our goals are fairly ambitious, and we will need to complete the work in 2-3 phases over the next several years. Early estimates of the construction work are in the ballpark of $160,000, on top of current program expenses.  But when the work is complete, we will have a home for children that inspires hope. Here’s a basic list of the work we have planned:

Agenyo plays with a toy car on the pathway to the dormitory.

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A river of generosity poured in after we broke the devastating news to you about the floods in Kenya. Your kindness and quick response allowed us to react rapidly and send $20,000 to Kenya to aid the community of Matoso in their recovery.

Caroline Awino Okoth, pictured above and below, is delighted with her new home. She is one of those unfortunate people whose house was destroyed by the flooding, yet she and her children continued to live in their ruined home until help arrived.

Marico Owino, Lalmba Kenya project director, says:

“Your decision to urgently send funds to support food relief, housing assistance, mask making and distribution, and microloans to small businesses truly came at the right time.  People were really suffering from the flooding, while already feeling great anxiety about the Covid19 pandemic.  Many people lost their farms, residential houses, and places of business.  Small-scale day labor jobs disappeared overnight, which made putting a meal on the table impossible for many people. People are very grateful for your support. I wish you were here to witness how joyful they were, and the smiles on their faces when they received assistance. We managed to feed 1,135 households with maize, supplied 1000 masks to the community and have so far built 1 complete house (more home repairs are in progress). Microloans are being distributed. The business owners who receive a loan will be given a 3 year, 0% interest repayment schedule. Our community will rebuild and rebound. Thank you!”

Here are some more pictures from Marico:

As we walk through our current lives, trying to navigate a new and unexpected reality, one where smiles are only revealed by the crinkling of the eyes, and greetings are awkwardly expressed by subtle head nods from 6 feet away (or if you’re feeling in need of some intimacy, with a fist or elbow bump), it’s hard to fathom life returning to normal.  It’s difficult to see goodness or justice through the smoldering debris of America’s once most beautiful cities. It’s politics and pandemic all the time, everywhere. These sad new realities are taking their toll on us, and keeping us from seeing and planning beyond the next few months. But, dagnabbit, I refuse to be so shortsighted!

My eyes are set and my soul is solidified to plow through the mire of today, and set foot once again on the breathtakingly beautiful ground of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. God willing, on 6 August 2021, we will take our first steps on Lalmba’s 4^th semiannual, 10-day charity walk, crossing valleys and rivers and through vibrant communities where children squeal with delight when they see us, all the way to Lalmba’s project in Matoso.

Tembea Na Mimi is Lalmba’s largest fundraiser. Each time we’ve done it, we have collectively raised more than $100,000 to support our lifesaving work in Kenya and Ethiopia. The money raised supports the operations of 4 clinics, where more than 36,000 people were treated last year. We also provide education, health care, and nutritional support for more than 1,100 AIDS orphans, instilling them with a sense of hope for their futures … something that seems to be in short supply these days.

Do me a favor, look to the future with me,  pray with me that hope and prosperity return to this great country of ours, and that this special Lalmba event becomes a reality.  For as you can see, the needs of these impoverished communities we support have grown even greater.  Or even better, sign up and walk with me!

It’s hard to fathom how life could be more difficult for the people of Matoso, but when it rains it pours, this time quite literally. Last month, the rains came to Kenya and didn’t stop until much of the community was displaced and many livelihoods lost. We are appealing for your assistance during this trying time. In addition to being down by 35% of our normal donations year-to-date because of Covid-19, we are now faced with the task of helping this community rebuild. Please see the below letter from our project director, Marico, in Kenya.

Hello Jeff and Hillary,

I hope you are okay over there. We are fine but with many challenges such as: Floods, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the economy is in a downfall. All of these challenges together have resulted in very difficult living situations for the people of Matoso.  The floods have caused many people to be displaced, leaving them homeless with businesses destroyed.

 The lake and rivers have overflowed into the farm lands destroying this season’s crops. Not only are the lands near the lake flooded, but even the high grounds have turned to swamp because of oversaturation.  Many houses have fallen and gardens are destroyed.

People who have been affected by this disaster are in need of some support. It is not easy to estimate the exact cost of support needed because people have lost so much. The victims need food support and materials to rebuild homes and businesses.  Any donation you give shall be highly appreciated and will support the identified individuals. We believe we need at least USD $20,000 to start a flood relief fund to help rebuild the community.  

At the Matoso Clinic the lower compound was also flooded, destroying the gardens for the orphans’ food, and the generator house and the lower fence have fallen into the lake. The Ongoro Children’s Home compound is also under water. We will need a new fence at the clinic and partial repair at the orphanage.  For both fences to be repaired is about USD $2500. 

Covid-19:  The pandemic cases are increasing in Kenya with confirmed cases over 800, recoveries over 300 and deaths over 50. We already have 10 confirmed cases within Migori County. 

Most of the adults 30 years and above wear masks especially when they travel to places like beaches, shopping centers, and markets. Some of the youths below 30 years and children are creating a high risk problem because they don’t seem to care so much, not wearing masks, or keeping a safe distance from each other.  They don’t wash their hands frequently enough, and at the end of the day they join their parents and other family members at home.  I fear this will result in a very dangerous situation for the elderly parents who are trying so much to follow the rules.

Our public health team is working very hard to provide masks to  everyone and strengthen our education. They are driving around to all the villages using a loudspeaker to address the public and teach about Covid-19. They are so serious about it.  Masks that many people are using are locally made with two layers of cotton cloth and one layer of a porous cloth. They are sold for USD $.50 to $1.00 each.

Economy:  The economy has gone south all throughout the countryside. Getting material supplies for the small scale business owners is nearly impossible because of travel restrictions. People are really afraid, and there is an increasing food shortage. The markets are nearly empty, schools and churches are closed, and funerals are limited to no more than 15 people, which is very difficult for our large families.

Stay safe. God bless you and us too.

~Marico Owino, Lalmba Kenya Project Director

For the clinic construction we rushed to place an order for 300 corrugated tin sheets before the global pandemic drove the prices up, caused a shortage or something worse. Now we are rushing to transport them before the rains get too heavy and the road becomes impassable. The large truck we initially contracted to carry some of these building materials got caught out in the rain and has spent the last 4 days stuck in the mud. We used some sunny weather today to bring a few of the metal sheets the rest of the way up the mountain with our Land Cruiser. It will take a lot of tedious, careful trips, but we’ll be able to keep everything moving here at the building site.

It’s becoming much more difficult when we have emergencies to transport patients. The rain doesn’t seem to care how urgent our needs are. Last week we received a call from the government clinic down the road; they needed some help transporting a delivering mother with prolonged labor. The rain came suddenly 5 minutes into the trip and the hospital that is usually a 2 hour drive took 5 hours. The mother and child were fine in the end, but there is always risk we can’t control here. We were lucky and made it through the rain that day (snapping every one of the mud chains we use for traction along the way).

Tomorrow we will be rushing again, trying to secure some food purchases for the orphanage before, it is rumored, the roads will close again due to Covid-19. While we are rushing tomorrow we need to find someone to sell us infant formula for our 6 month old orphan, Yegerem.  This is one of the import items which seems to have suddenly disappeared from the market due to the pandemic. Yegerem is lucky to have a Lalmba car at his disposal to go searching for milk.

A lot of vulnerable people here, single mothers, orphans, people living with disabilities or chronic disease, the elderly, are already being hit hard by the economic impacts of the pandemic. Most staple foods have already risen over 50 percent in price at the market. We are able to buy in bulk and head off shortages by shopping around, but most of the people in Kaffa aren’t able to rusharound like this.  Instead they’re swept along in the current, overwhelmed by the uncertainties: How much will grain cost in a month? Will the outbreak reach Kaffa? Will I be able to find work next month? How do I feed my children? With 1 can of infant formula now costing half of what an entry level government employee might make in a month, for a lot of families these uncertainties are becoming very complicated.

Over the next few months we’ll be here in Ethiopia, racing against the rain and rushing to stay ahead of the pandemic. For those delivering mothers and children we are rushing around for, your support makes all the difference.

Thank you.

Jared Lollar, Lalmba Ethiopia Project Director

I sorely miss shaking hands. I have been a prolific handshaker across several countries.  In the U.S. I have loved best shaking the hands of men of my father’s generation, men who judged character by the firmness of your grip and the sincerity in your eyes.  In Kenya I’ve shaken thousands of hands in my 23 years of working there, and Kenyan handshakes are fun! The friend handshake starts with a loud clap of two hands coming together.  Then the hooked thumbs, swivel up at the fulcrum into a soul brother shake, and then quickly back down. Often it ends in a hug or vigorous back pats. The professional handshake is elegant and gentle. You shake hands while resting your left hand on your right forearm, with a slight bow of mutual respect.

In Ethiopia, greeting traditions are slightly different.  The handshake is followed by an immediate shoulder bump, right shoulder to right shoulder. The bumps are often several in succession, and seem to increase the fonder you feel about the person. But what’s also common is hand-holding.  In Ethiopia, it is very common for male friends to stroll hand and hand with their buddies. It has come to feel very natural, and a fine way to walk and talk with a friend.

The handshake — that brief physical connection, the passing touch of goodwill, is one of the most beautiful ways to unite in our humanity.  I sorely hope it will remain with us when this crisis is all over.   Regardless, I know that the power of human compassion and connection will transcend any virus!

Speaking of hope and future generations, I’ll be honest with you, these weeks in isolation have been unnerving.     A few times, I have found myself trembling on the edge of despair, and I hated it!  That’s not what any of us should be feeling right now, and it is definitely not the legacy of Lalmba. We need hope, of which Lalmba has been a fountain for 57 years, and that’s exactly what we will remain!

Last week we had a flurry of calls from Africa.  Our Kenyan project director, Marico, called to check on us.   From the news he had heard that America is in crisis.  Other African staff also wrote or called to make sure we are all ok.  As Marico said, “We owe everything to our friends in America.  If you are suffering, we also share in your suffering.”  It touches us deeply that the care and concern we have frequently shared with Africa is now being so tenderly reciprocated.  So for all of you Lalmba supporters, your African friends are sending you their wishes of hope and solidarity!

HOPE…the virtue that has become synonymous with Lalmba.  Lalmba is the name of a mountain near the city of Keren, Eritrea, where our organization began in 1963. For generations, elders and those in great need have made pilgrimage to that mountaintop to climb closer to God to pray.   So you see, our very name means that hope is always within view, as long as we keep looking up!

While hope is our hallmark, so is calm in the midst of crisis.  Lalmba has stood on the front lines of the war in Eritrea, the humanitarian disaster in Rwanda, the refugee crisis  in Sudan, and the AIDS pandemic in Kenya, to name a few.

Our mission remains clear.  More than 1000 orphans depend on us to stay in school and eat this month. Tomorrow, 50+ people will show up at our clinics suffering from malaria and seeking treatment. Likewise, 710 HIV+ patients will still come to the clinic this week for their medicines, malnourished  children will arrive needing nutritional intervention, and pregnant women will still need a clean and safe place to deliver their babies. It’s business as usual for us in Africa, and crisis or not, we will continue ensuring our communities have the health care they so desperately need.

During these uncertain times, we thank our country’s health care professionals who are on the front lines fighting coronavirus, risking their lives to help others who are sick.

Lalmba would also like to thank our staff on the front lines in Agaro Bushi, Ethiopia and Matoso, Kenya, for their tireless efforts to ensure the health and well-being of their local communities, who will likely see patients with coronavirus, but due to lack of local testing, will never know.

We find that everything takes a little bit longer to get done in Africa than it does here at home. But as they say in Ethiopia, “Little by little an egg walks.”  Last year the rainy season seemed to go on forever, and therefore the roads to Agaro Bushi were impassable for the large trucks. There was too much mud!

While Jared, our Project Director, waited for the rains to pause, he was negotiating with contractors, buying supplies and scheduling deliveries, approving designs, and simultaneously managing the day-to-day operations of the clinic and Lalmba’s children’s programs. (Not to mention functioning as a 24/7 ambulance driver!)  We don’t know how he does it, but we suspect he wears a cape beneath his t-shirt.

These pictures may resemble the archeological excavation of the ancient kingdom of Punt, but they are in fact the newly constructed foundation of the Agaro Bushi Medium Clinic. Can I get a “woohoo”?  We are so excited to watch the progress this year. The contractor has given us an estimate of 3 months to completion, which I think translates to a year on the Ethiopian calendar.

By Dr. Charlie Evans, Lalmba Kenya Medical Director 1988-1990

The first time I travelled to Matoso in December 1988, I was in the front seat of a Land Rover bouncing down the road and holding on to the grab bar to keep from hitting the ceiling.  The last time I was walking with our TNM (Tembea Na Mimi) 2019 group—including 22 camels and hundreds of schoolchildren vibrantly dressed in burgundy, blue, and green uniforms.  Although the road is still rough, the community has transformed.

It was emotional to see this community after 30 years.  When we left in 1990, I knew that HIV was going to ravage the village and I also knew that many more changes would be necessary if the community would be able to survive this 20th century plague.  We worked tirelessly to educate the staff and the community on this coming epidemic, but I feared what it would bring to this bucolic village on the shore of Lake Victoria. I couldn’t see how any community with so little resources could withstand such a disease. It was with these concerns that I anxiously waited to see how the decades had treated Matoso, and if our work there has truly made a difference.

When I walked through the gates in July 2019, under the shade of the 50-foot jacaranda trees that we planted as saplings, tears streamed down my face—tears of joy!  A chaotic scene of celebration, of gratitude, and of success surrounded me.  The loudspeaker announced our arrival with music blaring and drums beating.  I have never felt so welcomed anywhere in my life.  This was a community that had suffered through the HIV epidemic and was emerging on the other side.  Their resilience and their spirit carried the day.

The changes were dramatic.  The original clinic built in 1986 complete with solar system was still there, but adjoining it was a brand new clinic twice the size.  The clinic is staffed entirely by Kenyans, and they actually had electronic medical records for their HIV patients.  I was flabbergasted to see that the provider could actually get on the computer and pull up the most recent labs, including HIV viral loads of their AIDS patients.  This was done in cooperation with the University of Maryland.  Anti-retroviral therapy was also carefully assessed and distributed.  In 1990, we estimated 8 percent of our clinic patients had HIV.  In the mid 90’s this soared to over 30% and now the numbers are down to about 15%.

AIDS has devastated this village and left scores of children without parents.  When we left we knew this was coming.   What we didn’t know was how any community could cope.  Lalmba has led the way, and the community leaders they have chosen have stepped up to provide for all those unable to provide for themselves.  The orphanage started in 1997 and now cares for 40 orphans. It is a shining emerald to see.  But the children are the real jewels: well fed, well dressed with shoes, and articulate, with hope for their futures. But even more impressive is the fact that Lalmba supports more than 1000 AIDS orphans who live with guardians throughout the community.

In 1990, the only motor vehicle around the lake was our Land Rover.   Fishing boats were all dependent on their sails and all transportation was on foot or bicycle.  An ambulance consisted of a chair mounted with leather straps on the back of a bike, or a crude wooden wheelbarrow.   The clinic now has its own bona fide ambulance, and 30 years of investment in this community has seen commerce grow dramatically.  There are now stores, restaurants, hotels, and even a small movie theater, assisted by the cell tower less than a mile from the clinic.  A boatbuilding industry has populated the lake with many vessels for fishing and transportation — many have outboard motors. Motor bikes abound and are the friendliest transport for the rough roads, but cars also grace the village.

The education system has grown dramatically.  I remember only a 1-room schoolhouse with about 30-40 students studying from texts that dated back to the 1950s.  Now there are many schools with hundreds of students. One local school has over 300 students and scored in Kenya’s top decile for standardized testing. The school has access to computer technology and attracts students from Tanzania because of their high marks.

You can see why I was moved to tears of joy! So much progress.  So much to celebrate. And all against overwhelming odds of failure. Perhaps, the biggest success I witnessed was not in the economic growth or the structural growth but in the attitudinal shift of community members and staff.

In the early days, we were so often approached by people asking if we could bail them out of debt or give them something. Of course some of that still exists, but now I see students and staff members working together to take the initiative to make their own lives successful. Lalmba, and the dozens of volunteers who have served, have given these people hope by providing strong leadership, community development, and basic resources for survival—health care, education, and economic opportunity.  Lalmba has helped to create an entire village of leaders, and those leaders are training the next generation of visionaries.  I have no doubt that, against all odds, they will lead themselves down a road to a brighter future.  Clearly, all the long days and endless clinic hours have made a difference.  

And that should bring joy, in all its forms, to us all.

Sometimes it’s a tree. Or the roof of a building.  Or the nearest signpost.  Kids everywhere feel the need to climb, to explore, to imagine a world far from their own reality.  In Chiri, Ethiopia, where Lalmba runs a children’s home, kids there don’t even know what a playground is.  Community children have to create their own fun.  As part of our ongoing effort to improve and modernize the Chiri Children’s Home, we’re building the “coolest jungle gym ever” for the sweetest kids you’ll ever meet, the children of Lalmba’s Chiri Children’s Home.

The Chiri Children’s Home was unofficially founded in the early 2000’s, when Lalmba volunteers rented a mud house to provide care for orphaned street children.  By 2005, we had constructed a home (basic kitchen, 2 dormitory-style houses for up to 20 children, and a common house).  Since then, the home has supported dozens of orphaned children who are now working as professionals in the community.

Although Chiri Children’s Home is recognized and supported by the community and local government authorities, it is in need of infrastructure improvements and modernization to ensure that all the children are safe, secure, well-supervised and have ample opportunity to grow, learn and enjoy their childhood.

The first step in this multi-year endeavor is to build them a playground, a place to let their imagination take flight!  In mid to late January 2021, a team of volunteers will travel to Ethiopia, loaded down with building supplies and good will, to construct a playset using locally sourced materials. Do you want to join our team?   If so, please complete our online application: 

If this appeals to you, but you worry you lack construction skills, don’t worry. There will be something for everyone to do. Most importantly, you will be spending quality time with the children, reading to them, sharing songs with them, playing with them, and learning about their lives. That alone is enriching for all of us. 

If you’ve always wanted to see one of our projects, but walking 150 miles across Kenya seems too daunting, this is your chance!

LALMBA FACT SHEET

 Interested in more ‘nuts and bolts’ about this small organization with a big impact?  This past year we created this fact sheet (below) showing our fundraising, spending, and grassroots results  at a glance. We’d like to share it with you, to make sure you know what you are helping us to accomplish.  A few things we are proudest of as an organization:

1. Responsible spending that mirrors our donation income.
2. The simplicity of our grassroots model (as one volunteer put it, “It doesn’t get more grassroots than this!”)
3. Acting as a steady, reliable employer to a team of local staff who have bettered their families’ lives with their years of Lalmba employment.

If you’re interested in having a paper or electronic copy of this, please let us know.   And thank you for your support!

We have so enjoyed hearing from many of you with photos of your Kenyan table runners, Lalmba’s 2019 Christmas gift.  Don’t they look beautiful and unique, reminding you of the empowerment you provide to young widow entrepreneurs in Africa?

The seamstresses we featured in our last newsletter have been so pleased to know that our U.S. supporters have been enjoying their handiwork.  They sent you a little piece of Africa, from their manual, foot-pedaled Singer sewing machines, lovingly constructed in their tiny seamstress shops!

Did you miss your chance to order one?  We have a limited supply left.  If you have a friend or loved one that you think would enjoy one, or you have your eye on a different color scheme for your next runner, include a note in your next donation for ‘runner’ and we will be sure to send you one…until the runners all ‘run out!’