An article from Lumbie Mlambo

How To Help Our Brothers & Sisters In Need
Tips & Reasons For Support, From Charity Founder

The poor are always with us – and in great numbers.

In the United States, about 46.5 million people live in poverty, according to the Brookings Institution. Worldwide, the number of impoverished people is about 1.6 billion, according to a study by Oxford economists.

“There is so much need out there and that’s why I believe it’s important that all of us do whatever we can to help the underprivileged,” says Lumbie Mlambo, editor of Equanimity Magazine (www.equanimitymag.com), an online publication that features inspiring stories of life and success.

“Who knows? You may someday wear their shoes. It’s like your health; nothing is guaranteed.”

Mlambo co-founded JB Dondolo Inc., a charity named for her father that promotes and develops projects that stimulate growth and improve people’s lives in low-income areas. One of the charity’s newer projects involves health and educational programs for underprivileged boys and girls.

“The truth is that regardless of whether a nation is industrialized or not, the needy are everywhere,” Mlambo says. “Many people require aid and support around the world and, most likely, in your community.”

A variety of private and public agencies try to help, she says, but their resources are limited and they can’t provide for every community in need of assistance or basic necessities. This leaves a large segment of low-income population with unmet needs, which is why it’s so important for everyone to do what they can to help the needy.

Mlambo offers tips for how we can get started helping our brothers and sisters in need.

• One person’s trash … Next time you’re taking time to clear some room in your closet or garage, remember that, though you may be finished with an item, someone else may need it. Those old pajamas, underwear and t-shirts that you’re fond of tossing in the trash can be turned into cloth rags for cleaning at home, or for other organizations to help under-privileged earn a subsistence income through using them for cloth crafting. Items such as loose leaf pages of paper, construction paper, crayons (broken and whole), markers, pens and pencils are perfectly useful, especially for poor children going back to school.

• Help others on date night. Lavish dresses, spotless tuxedos and expensive dishes are not only for fancy people. You, too, can attend a luxurious gala event to benefit charity. While this kind of event may be attended by affluent community leaders and well-to-do folks who may enjoy gratuitous back-slapping, the more important consideration is who benefits. Various good causes may be small businesses and historic sites in your town; better causes, however, often go toward organizations that benefit struggling families, disadvantaged children and homeless people. This will likely be more expensive than your typical date night, but most are doable for middle-class couples.

• Donate your professional skills. Among the great charitable organizations are programs supporting Guardians ad Litem, or GALs. A GAL is a person the court appoints to represent the best interests of a child in a divorce or parental rights and responsibilities case. The GAL will investigate the family situation and advise the court about where a child should live and what type of contact parents should have with their children. A professional with backgrounds including the law or journalism may be great for such work, but there are many other worthy causes if this doesn’t fit what you’re good at. A chef may help prepare tasty meals on Thanksgiving, or a salon worker may help make young girls with cancer feel pretty. Most professions can apply their expertise in the service of others.

About Lumbie Mlambo

Lumbie Mlambo is editor of Equanimity Magazine (www.equanimitymag.com), a lifestyle publication that shares the stories of “real people and their search to lead better lives.” She also has a background in project management, computer/software engineering and business analysis. She holds an associate degree in computer science from Indiana University South Bend; and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from Texas Woman’s University. She is multilingual, speaking English, Zulu, Ndebele and French.

Essentials of Living a Balanced Life

3 Reasons A Balanced Life Is A Better Life
At Work And At Home, Success Depends On Finding Equilibrium, Magazine Editor And Stroke Survivor Says

Life sometimes can seem off kilter as responsibilities mount and people plow all their physical and mental resources into what seems to be the most pressing crisis of the moment.

But Lumbie Mlambo says that’s a good time to take a step back. Everyone has the potential to shine in life’s darkest moments, but the key to achieving goals and an overall better existence is to maintain a balance so that one aspect of your life isn’t consumed by another.

While some people might say balance in life is an impossible goal, she disagrees and says when each of us find our equilibrium, we become more productive and a greater asset to our communities.

“There’s balance in everything we do, be it walking, talking, eating, sleeping, working or spending time with family,” says Mlambo, editor of Equanimity Magazine (www.equanimitymag.com), an online publication that features inspiring stories of life and success.

“For example, look at how we try to deal with our work-life situation. We balance our workload so that we can still make room for other activities, to spend more time with our spouses or our children. We do that because we understand how important it is.”

She offers these reasons for why living a balanced life is essential.

•  The health factor. Staying balanced is a key to a healthier and successful life. Both mental health and physical health benefit, and as a result, so do our overall lives. “When we’re healthy, we’re able to care for ourselves and others in our community,” Mlambo says.

•  The empathy factor. When we find balance in life, we can better understand the importance of helping the underprivileged, says Mlambo, who grew up in a rural area in Zimbabwe. You begin to realize that someday you could be in their situation, which makes you a more empathetic person. “Your economic situation is like your health,” she says. “Nothing is guaranteed.”

•  The role-model factor. Sharing our stories – whether it’s a tale of success or even a tale of failure – is important because others can learn from us or be inspired by us as they too strive for a balanced life. “When you tell your story, it empowers, motivates and encourages people to not give up on their dreams and goals,” Mlambo says. “Maybe you think your story is just not that interesting or important. But for someone out there, it may be the spark that ignites them to great things.”

Mlambo always strove to find balance in her life. But she became even more passionate about it after she suffered a stroke in 2001 that left her partially paralyzed. She since has recovered, but says the event had a profound impact on her and she will always consider herself a stroke patient.

“Before the stroke, I thought my life was balanced in a way,” she says. “I mean, I ate healthy foods. I exercised seven days a week. But it was not balanced in the way I wanted. I had been too focused on myself. I realized that life was not just about me, but about others.”

Finding balance in life isn’t just a feel-good concept, Mlambo says. As people achieve balance, they realize they have the potential to rise above their circumstances. They can become more productive in their communities and that is good for everyone.

“Staying proactive and shifting the way we think can even help the economy to grow and can help create more jobs,” she says.

Certainly, maintaining a balanced life may be tougher than ever because technology allows work – emails, text messages, telephone calls – to intrude on people’s “off” hours. But that’s just all the more reason to make a concerted effort to strive for balance, Mlambo says.

She says it’s become popular in some circles to argue that a balanced life is a myth and can’t be achieved. But regardless of their views, she says, most people seem to be trying to bring balance to their lives, even if they don’t think of it that way.

“We eat healthy to stay balanced, we get enough sleep or rest to avoid stress, we juggle our daily activities to stay balanced,” Mlambo says. “To be successful in anything we do, we must have some sort of balance.”

About Lumbie Mlambo

Lumbie Mlambo is editor of Equanimity Magazine (www.equanimitymag.com), a lifestyle publication that shares the stories of “real people and their search to lead better lives.” She also has a background in project management, computer/software engineering and business analysis. She holds an associate degree in computer science from Indiana University South Bend; and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from Texas Woman’s University. She is multilingual, speaking English, Zulu, Ndebele and French.