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Meet Lumbie Mlambo of JB Dondolo, Inc. in Irving

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lumbie Mlambo.

Lumbie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story started with my father J.B. Dondolo who was gravely ill at the time and could not finish the work he had started at the clinic in Nyamandlovu, Zimbabwe. I traveled to Zimbabwe to see him. But, I was very saddened when he passed away soon after my visit. He asked me and my siblings to continue his charitable work and complete what he had started. He had promised the people in Nyamandlovu a functioning clinic with basic necessities. As a man of his words, he wanted his promise fulfilled. So, I followed up on his promise to ensure that the work at the clinic was finished. Little did I know there was a lot to be done. Not only did the clinic need to be refurbished, the community also needed clean water. There was no safe drinking water. Since water is a human right and something that everyone should have, I immediately sensed that refurbishing the clinic was not going to be enough. It was evident that I was going to be there for some time and the work could take longer than expected. So, when I returned to the US, I formed a nonprofit and named it JB Dondolo, Inc. in honor of my father because I wanted to keep his legacy alive. The motto bacame “Start to Finish”. The focus of the nonprofit would evolve over time to include water as key and vital component to our work.

JB Dondolo, Inc. (aka JB Dondolo) ’s brand message is that we help underserved and impoverished communities who struggle with the lack of clean water. We solve their problem by removing barriers of access to clean water so that communities have healthier lives. We have grown over the years. We work in Africa and in the US.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, it has not been easy at all. We have gone through challenges like any nonprofit you can think of out there. However, our biggest challenges have been in securing sponsorship and/or partnerships and raising funds for water systems. Thanks to Johnson & Johnson’s CaringCrowd campaign and matching donations, we’ve been able to solve the water issue at the clinic in Nyamandlovu. With COVID-19, it is even harder to raise funds because people don’t have money to give to charities. Everyone is trying to survive with the little they have in the reserves. We continue to strategize and come up with different ways of doing things. The key to success is staying positive and finding ways to thrive. We are doing just that.

Please tell us about the organization.
At JB Dondolo we help underserved and impoverished communities who struggle with the lack of clean water. We solve their problem by removing barriers of access to clean water. We work in the USA and Zimbabwe, Africa. 

I’m most proud of the honor that I received (on behalf of JB Dondolo) from the United Nations Association, Dallas Chapter in 2019. We received the UN Global Leadership Award in the category of Clean Water and Sanitation (Sustainable Development Goal 6) for the work we do. Also, JB Dondolo is very proud of the global exposure we get from the 2 Brothers in the Kitchen @2BrosITK. They promote JB Dondolo in every news outlet they’re featured in. That is something we don’t take for granted; it is a privilege to have such amazing youth ambassadors who never fail to mention “JB Dondolo” in every media interview.

What sets us apart as a nonprofit is our scientific approach to WASH (Water-Sanitation-Hygiene) solutions. We work with science institutions who collect water samples, test in the labs, and recommend the best solution to the problem. That way JB Dondolo doesn’t have to second-guess any solution to the problem. We want to give communities the best scientific proven water solutions. We may not raise a lot of funds for our initiatives but the little we raise goes a long way. You can think of it as the “miracle of the five loaves and two fishes” to feed a multitude. Our impact is felt across communities in the USA and Africa. 

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Yes, we have big plans. I love “sustainable solutions”. We are rolling out new initiatives that help us to stay focused on our mission and vision. The big changes for us are the newly formed initiatives that are digital and sure to accommodate everyone. We are seeking sponsors and donors to roll these out as soon as possible.

We have developed a new initiative for “Music for Water” to raise funds for COVID-19 relief while we search for the water song for our charity. We will accept song submissions from amateurs and professional musicians. With the funds raised from generous donors, we will disinfect healthcare centers. I’m happy to say that we have partnered with Arteco Specialty Services to disinfect healthcare centers in the US. Also, we have partnered with Grand Mountain International Records, the record label company to produce and publish the top selected water song.

Another initiative that we are rolling out is the “Sweet Compassion”. This will be our way of ‘Thanking’ the healthcare workers for their tireless efforts and commitment to saving lives. So, we have partnered with ‘2 Brothers in the Kitchen’ @2BrosITK and our longtime supporter – Vi Bella @vibellajewelry. The 2 Brothers in the Kitchen will bake cookies and Vi Bella will make face masks. We plan to deliver the cookies, face masks, and drinking water to a few healthcare centers identified as hotspots.  

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
JB Dondolo, Inc.

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