In true Lalmba form, all good stories include a long walk that ends at a place of hope. This story begins with tragedy for two young brothers, Ashenafi (7) and his older brother Samson (17).  When Ashenafi was just a baby, his and Samson’s parents died of AIDS, leaving 10-year-old Samson to raise his younger brother alone. Their house, a lopsided thatched-roofed dwelling, is situated deep in the forests surrounding Agaro Bushi, Ethiopia, where Lalmba is just opening its new clinic. There are no markets nearby or schools.  Lalmba’s clinic is 3 hours’ walk away.  We would never know about these boys if we hadn’t just expanded our reach to this new, needy area.

You might wonder why these boys live so remotely. They are from the Menja tribe, an ethnic group considered “untouchable,” the bottom of the caste system established here hundreds of years ago.  They are discriminated against by the dominant ethnic groups, excluded from traditional Ethiopian customs and festivities, and historically forbidden from joining the Orthodox Church, attending school, or owning land. Time and education are slowly changing that perception, and Menjas are integrating more and more within society.  However, there are still pockets of Menja communities throughout this region, isolated by choice for fear of discrimination and for the comfort of solidarity. Some estimates suggest that the catchment population that Lalmba serves in Agaro Bushi is 50% Menja.

In raising his brother, though only a boy himself, Samson isn’t totally alone; he has the support of his Menja neighbors. They farm together, sharing food resources even when scarce. But recently little Ashenafi became sick with a large wound mysteriously appearing near his armpit.   He grew weaker from fever and malnutrition, until it became clear to Samson that they needed help from beyond their community.

Samson, hearing of our new clinic opening in Agaro Bushi, gathered his little brother in his arms and made the long walk in search of aid.  Can you imagine the desperation he felt, the sense of urgency that he might lose the last surviving member of his family? It haunts me to consider before this clinic opened 1 year ago, that Samson and Ashenafi would have had nowhere to go.

With a brother’s love, Samson had the courage and strength to make the long journey along the hilly mountain path.  He found hope and compassionate care waiting for them at the Agaro Bushi Medium Clinic.

Suspecting that he had HIV, the disease that killed his parents, Lalmba staff transported Ashenafi to Lalmba’s Chiri Health Center for testing. Fortunately, his tests came back negative for HIV, but positive for tuberculosis. This was encouraging news, as most forms of TB are treatable. However, Ashenafi’s malnutrition complicated his chances for full recovery.  Proper nutrition is necessary for the medicines to work, and his diet, consisting of primarily kocho, a flatbread derived from the ensete plant, doesn’t supply enough nutrients.  Also, for the first 3 months of his 9-month treatment plan, he would need to come daily to the clinic to receive his medicines, a difficult journey even for the healthy and strong.    What to do?

We offered to rent a home in Agaro Bushi for both of them, and provide them daily meals for the first 3 months, but Samson, fearing ethnic discrimination, declined that offer, instead promising to bring his brother daily for treatment.    We marvel that they are willing to make such an arduous journey daily back and forth together.  2 months into the treatment plan, Samson has honored that commitment to his little brother, and the boys are quickly becoming a favorite of the staff clinicians.  They arrive at lunchtime, take the medicine, and share a meal with the staff before returning home.

But what’s next?  After 9 months, little Ashenafi will be cured of TB, but back to eating kocho.  He’s an orphan who has never been to school.  If he chooses, he could move to the Chiri Children’s Home and begin schooling in Chiri.   But what a choice for a 10-year-old, to leave your brother, the only family you’ve ever known, to live among people you’ve never met. He could also choose to receive monthly food support, continue living with his brother, and attend school in Agaro Bushi; but is that daily journey sustainable?

Samson is too old to start school, but he’s eligible for a microloan to start an income generating project, probably in agriculture. One generous donor has given Lalmba money to help build the boys a better house, which will happen, but where? The challenges are immense, but this I do know — the solutions will come, and for the first time in their young lives these boys have real opportunity.  This is the heart of Lalmba’s work!

An update, especially for our capital campaign investors!  In February, Dr. Diana Lardy, a longtime Lalmba medical volunteer, arrived in Ethiopia to help improve the quality of clinical care at the new clinic. As a result, our diagnosis and treatment has improved by leaps and bounds. Her presence has helped bring order and efficiency to the fledgling clinic and identify the gaps in our service.

We were successfully able to hire a pharmacist and made our first medicine purchase. It included some of the most basic medications such as scabies meds, paracetamol tablets and antibiotic suspensions for children.

Our laboratory is operating now.  It isn’t at full capacity, but our lab technician, Belachu, is working hard, and pushing us to get it fully operational. Word is getting out about the laboratory and some patients have come now just asking for tests.

Between the meds, the laboratory and Dr. Diana’s presence, we are seeing a big increase in the number of patients who come to us. Our new record in one day is 47!   But even on a slow day the staff stays fairly busy. For our limited staff and small facility, this is a lot of work.

Dr. Sultan, ABMC Health Officer, created the above graph of how our patient numbers have risen. The step increases can be seen in December, when we started distributing meds, and then again in March when Dr. Diana came.

The construction phase on building the new clinic will happen soon. We have received the land agreement from the government, and our clinic designs have been finalized and put out for bids. Once we have chosen the contractors, we will break ground. The community is very excited. Having the new clinic will expand our capacity to treat patients exponentially.

Thank you to the Agaro Bushi investors!!! Your commitment and generosity have made all of this possible.

To learn more about this exciting new phase in Lalmba history, please visit our webpage:

As I write this, it’s Holy Thursday of Easter week. Tomorrow, my family and I will participate in the annual Good Friday walk from our parish to a neighboring one, about 5 miles away. It’s a symbolic journey of Christ’s walk from the Garden of Gethsemane to Golgotha where he was crucified. It’s a very meaningful reminder to Christians of the difficult journey of Jesus’ final day, his final steps on earth, and the sacrifices he made for our salvation.

Metaphorically, when we talk about “the way of the cross”, or having “our cross to bear,” we are referencing the hardship of His path in relation to our own problems.  Anyone who has lived through a difficult period of life, whether physically or emotionally, knows that the experience gives you a point of reference to know what you can endure. Smaller problems suddenly seem trivial in comparison. My travels to Africa are like that, revealing to me that there is redemption in suffering, proven by the irrepressible joy which flows from the poor.

Tembea Na Mimi, Lalmba’s semi-annual (10 days/180 miles)charity walk across Kenya has been my way of sharing this redemptive experience with Lalmba supporters. It is physical and emotional hardship surrounded by breathtaking beauty. It is a rare opportunity to walk with the people whom we serve, to understand their needs, and to gain perspective on how we each can walk through life with grace, even when things get tough.

Our third Tembea Na Mimiadventure commences on July 10,2019. We have ten walkers, and each walker has committed to raising $10,000 to support the work of Lalmba.   Each walker pays his or her own expenses; all sponsorships go towards Lalmba’s work in Africa. To date, we have raised 39% of our collective goal of $100,000.   Please consider choosing 1 of these brave souls to support.    Just make a note online or on your check.  They will carry their sponsors with them each step of the 180 miles!