by Hillary and Jeff James

To all our friends and supporters,

For the past 9 years we have been blessed to be at the helm of this efficient, thoughtful, and effective organization.  We want to let you know that we will be moving on from Lalmba this summer.  Our departure from Lalmba will take us on a new path in development work.  Though our hearts will yearn for the people and places that have marked our lives and touched our souls, we take great pride in knowing that Lalmba’s wake still spreads wide and, tucked neatly within that long and rich timeline of Lalmba history, is the birth of a family, our family. 

After 18 years of our affiliation with Lalmba (We just celebrated our 18^th wedding anniversary last month!) we will be pursuing other work in development that will continue to allow us to work together as a team, which we have learned to do well.  This change will bring us closer to what is dearest to us, families.  We will be leading a small organization called Maternal Life International, which aims to promote safe births and healthy families in the developing world.  If there are paths out of poverty and gateways to redemption, this surely is one of them, and we feel called to help.  

We want to assure you that Lalmba also remains our family, and Lalmba has great parents. The Lalmba board of directors is dedicated and extremely capable of sailing this ship until new leadership is in place, and we will always be supporters, like you!

Hillary: When I think back to my beginnings with Lalmba, our first night as volunteers on our way to Lalmba’s project in Ethiopia comes to mind. Jeff and I had married just a month before and volunteered for an adventure to serve for 2 years in the rainforest as project directors. Jeff already knew Africa, as he had spent several years living in Kenya. We arrived at our hotel in Addis Ababa, an unsanitary hole-in-the-wall place that offered rooms by the hour. As we lay in bed my first night in Africa, I looked up in the rafters and saw a long rat tail moving along the roofline. I put my head on Jeff’s chest and cried and cried, telling him, “I can’t do this! I want to go home!”

Jeff reassured me and told me, “It will get better. You will learn how to do this.”

And he was right. My time living alongside the poor for those 2 years and then leading the organization since 2013, I have ‘learned how.’ Poverty is just one of many features of the rich lives we encountered, and what an honor to represent Lalmba to them, a force for hope and opportunity to pursue their dreams, dreams that are no less grand than ours.

Jeff: In September 2005, our son Gideon was just 4 weeks old when we returned to Ethiopia from home leave. This time around, I was the one who needed reassurance. To call me overprotective and worried is an understatement. I feared if we put him on the ground the fire ants would envelop him and carry him away. Or that every spoon that entered his mouth was a petri dish for amoebic dysentery.

But then I saw Hillary mothering him with confidence in the same manner as every other mother in the village, innately knowing the difference between a hungry, tired, and wet cry – and I realized that I had a lot to learn, but with her great example, I would “learn how” to do it.

Probably because it was here that I first became a father, what I remember most about all my years of project work, are the worried and desolate parents, perched on the edge of a hospital bed, hopeful that being in this setting would bring forth a cure. Although Lalmba has saved many lives, there remains an outsized amount of heartache for the poor in this world.

I remember a tender scene of a mother gently caressing the cheek of her sick child as he labored to breathe. Her hand seemed to fold into the contours of his cheek, as if hoping his peaceful expression would be permanently marked on her palm. I wanted a picture of them because, as a tableau, it illustrated to me what pure love looks like. But as I lifted the camera to my eye, I heard her gasp, and saw his eyes cloud over, and her body slump forward into heaving sobs. All I could do was bow my head and pray.

I don’t know why I share this sad story. If you’ve learned our style, it is the joyous moments that we strive to share, for their impact resonates longest. But we all also know the ache of losing a loved one, that process of letting go, and the strength and sense of purpose that can be derived from grief. Closing this chapter of our life feels a bit like that.

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When we reflect on our tenure, we appreciate what your support has helped Lalmba accomplish in that time. One key shift was the reduction of dependence on food aid in Kenya, with a transition to a microloan program to allow families to make sustainable income instead. Lalmba successfully handed over Chiri Health Center in the now booming town of Chiri, Ethiopia, to a partner, moving to a much more remote area of Agaro Bushi which had no adequate health care options. We managed to build a clinic without a fully functional road and have begun orphan care services there. It wasn’t easy, but Lalmba has always chosen the difficult path that other development agencies avoid due to the hardships.

Some of our favorite memories are moments shared with those of you we have been able to meet over the years, supporters who have believed in our mission. Cars have pulled up to our house with people getting out saying, “I’ve been sending checks to this address for so many years, and I just wanted to see what Lalmba’s office looks like.” We shared coffee, you met our children and saw our home which also served as “Lalmba’s International Headquarters.” Everyday people like you are the lifeblood of this organization.

Working with our volunteers and alumni has been a joy as well. If you want to feel hope in the inherent goodness of human beings, point to a random name on our long list of Lalmba field volunteers and you will feel inspired. Our volunteers are the key to the efficiency and accountability that Lalmba enjoys in the field.

And finally, to our friends in Africa. The children who are running through our children’s homes, the staff who have patiently taught us how to think in order to be successful in Africa, and the countless people who have influenced us along the way.

We have tried to be true to all that founders Hugh and Marty Downey modeled in their first 50 years, remaining simple, with the motto, “Ordinary people on their way to accomplishing extraordinary things.” God has blessed us with this opportunity to know Him through the poor and through you.

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You may have heard these words echo in newsletters past. Lalmba’s story began in 1963 with Hugh and Marty Downey and over the years countless volunteers have added their chapters. Across four countries Eritreans, Sudanease, Kenyans, and Ethiopians have contributed their own beautiful perspectives. Stories of family, challenges, successes, and tragedies have pulled on our hearts and inspired us to support Lalmba’s amazing work.

Today we recognize and thank a very special couple who have given so much of themselves to the people Lalmba serves and left their mark, shining bright, in the long and beautiful Lalmba story. Jeff and Hillary James have served Lalmba both as volunteers in Ethiopia and as our President and Vice President in the US. For nearly two decades their compassion, dedication, and frankly, blood, sweat and tears have helped empower and transform communities. They have struggled through difficult times and united us in joy for the successes.

They did all of this while raising a family of four. Jeff and Hillary alternated who stayed home and who traveled to Africa, sacrificing their family time, holidays, and significant life events while they were apart. Like all our volunteers, they willingly and humbly took personal risks to reach the remotest areas and help those at the “end of the road”.

Sometimes it is in saying goodbye that we become most aware of the impact someone has had on our lives. Recently I had the privilege of traveling with Jeff to inform our staff. While our staff was surprised and disappointed, their heartfelt statements of gratitude testified to how many lives have been touched from Jeff and Hillary’s work. The voices that rang the loudest and most pure were those of the children, many of whom have only known Jeff and Hillary as the face of Lalmba. Some of the older children, names you might recognize like Posy, Meskerim, and Kocheche, stood and with tears streaming down their faces expressed their love and thanks. They know that without Lalmba’s support their lives would be very different, if they had survived at all. And with those same tears in their eyes, they turned to me, to all of us, and simply said please don’t forget us.

Those words have echoed in my thoughts and prayers. Lalmba’s long and beautiful story is a story about children. Children in desperate need and whose future is so intimately tied to the situation they were born into. We, as Lalmba’s Board of Directors, are fully committed to helping these children and these communities lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty and into a bright and prosperous future. And it is with your continued love and support we can do this.

We have already begun the search for the next leaders of Lalmba. Someone who will adhere to Lalmba’s mission and values, join us in our love for children and the poor, and carry forward our vision of empowerment and self-sufficiency. We hope that this process will be short but we know how important it is not to rush. If you know of someone who you think would be perfect for this role please don’t hesitate to contact us.

In the meantime, Lalmba’s Board, and myself personally, will be stepping in to ensure uninterrupted services in these remote communities. We will be working closely with our African leadership teams and our new East African Director, Joan, to make this transition as seamless as possible. But we need your help to do this. It is only with your continued support and generosity that Lalmba can do what it does so well. So please, keep us in your thoughts and in your prayers as we enter into the next chapter of the long and beautiful story of Lalmba.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Lalmba, I wish to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Jeff and Hillary for everything they have done for Lalmba. They have touched us all with their passion and devotion to Lalmba’s mission. I know they will keep their friendships and the love they have for Lalmba as they enter a new and exciting chapter in their own lives.

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So, you might be asking yourself: who is this guy and how did he end up as East Africa Director for Lalmba? Let me start by giving you a glimpse of what my life has been before I came across Lalmba.
Born and raised in Barcelona, I had a very standard life for a boy in Catalonia. I was lucky enough to grow in a loving and caring family who made sure I always felt supported to pursue my dreams. I studied education as an undergraduate.

In 2011, I joined a Salesian NGO and traveled to Ethiopia, a country I did not know much about except for the long-distance runners and the horrifying news I saw about droughts and famine. That summer in Ethiopia sparked my interest in international development, and a special love for Africa.

After graduating from university, I still had Ethiopia and its people in my mind and I felt I was not in the right place as a primary teacher. I was afraid, but I knew I had to step forward to focus on what I really wanted to do. An NGO offered me to volunteer in Ethiopia for one year. That experience was so enriching and transformative that I decided to pursue a master’s in international development in the UK.
I was offered a volunteer position as a District Teaching Advisor in Rwanda with Volunteering Service Overseas (VSO). I was based in a small village in a northwestern district and was responsible for building the capacity of volunteers who conducted teacher training in 94 schools. After my time with VSO, most countries in the world were in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I grew tired of spending hours submitting applications for organizations and not getting any positive response. One day, I got an email from Jeff and Hillary about working with Lalmba in Ethiopia.

I arrived in Chiri in early June 2021. I started working side by side with the staff, especially with Aselefech, the Children’s Director. She has been living in Kaffa all her life, working with Lalmba for more than 20 years and has a wealth of experience. Her commitment and her determination make her easy to work with, despite the communication barrier and cultural differences.

As RCAR Program Director, I oversaw operations while building a strong organizational structure and empowering the local staff. I have been able to more individualized support to the staff members, especially the ones working in the office.

Now, as the East Africa Director, I will be responsible for directing the operations of the projects in Ethiopia and Kenya. This will involve traveling back and forth between countries and working closely with the project managers to strengthen the organizational structure and ensure the operations are in line with Lalmba’s vision and mission.