Summary
Organization name
Lalmba Association
1965
Category
Health Care
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
PO Box 2516Monument, CO 80132
El Paso County, CO, US
ER
ET
KE
Testimonials
Kimfe was living on the streets of Chiri, Ethiopia. Lalmba found him a home to live in and supported him with food, clothes, education and health care all the way through secondary school. Afterwards, he joined the police force and is now a highly respected member of the community, advancing in his career as an officer of the law. According to the local priest, "The community really appreciates Lalmba. Children like Kimfe would have nothing and be nothing without Lalmba's intervention. People are talking." It's heartening to know that our investment in destitute children has produced leaders who stay and contribute to its development.
Mission
We engage with rural communities in Africa by providing life-saving medical services, transformative education and empowerment opportunities, and support for at-risk and vulnerable populations to help build healthy, sustainable, and self-sufficient futures.
Background Statement
Lalmba Association was founded in 1963 by Hugh and Marty Downey of Kansas City, after Hugh met two orphaned boys while serving with the US Army in Keren, Eritrea. He went home, married Marty, and the two of them spent the rest of their lives meeting needs in Africa where those needs were greatest. Lalmba is incorporated in Missouri and headquartered in Colorado.
Today Lalmba works in two countries. In Kenya it operates the Matoso Clinic and maternity unit, the Ochuna Dispensary, the Ongoro Children's Home and the Matoso Education and Empowerment Center. In Ethiopia it operates the Agaro Bushi Medium Clinic and the Chiri Children's Home and Health Center. Across the three clinics the catchment population is roughly 73,000 people.
The work is organized around three pillars. Medical Care stabilizes individuals and communities. At-Risk Children addresses vulnerability that runs across health, family structure and poverty, through the two children's homes, the Reaching Children At Risk (RCAR) community program, and relief for destitute elders and adults with disabilities. Empowerment works to reduce long-term dependency through microloans, digital literacy and capacity building.
Lalmba operates a decentralized, country-led model. Day-to-day authority sits with national country directors and more than 90 Kenyan and Ethiopian staff who live in the villages where they work. US-based leadership provides governance, fundraising, financial oversight and mentoring rather than operational management. Lalmba does not pursue scale for its own sake; programs are deliberately small, context-specific and shaped by local realities.
Media gallery
Organization Data
Monument, CO 80132