Lahash International

What Lahash International does

Lahash International is a Portland, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 by Dan Holcomb (currently Executive Director) that partners with six local African-led churches and ministries to deliver holistic care to vulnerable children in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda. Its operational model is a child sponsorship platform: donors commit $45 per month per child to fund nutritional support, education fees, medical care, and spiritual discipleship, with 600 children sponsored as of 2025 and over 1,500 impacted cumulatively since inception. The core platform is a standard web-based portal (lahash.org) that exposes child profiles, processes recurring and one-time donations, and serves as the primary acquisition surface alongside blog content, email, Facebook, an annual Gala, and church-based Advocacy Teams; staff members additionally self-raise personal support as missionaries, functioning as a grassroots distribution channel.

The revenue mix combines the recurring $45/month sponsorship engine with five add-on programs: Stand With Students (university and vocational scholarships for aging-out youth), Greatest Need Fund (emergency and capital needs outside sponsorship scope), Bible Fund (scripture and Bible Camp programming), Christmas Giving (catalog-style life-change gifts), and Rice & Beans Month (Lent-season solidarity campaign). The organization is currently developing the East Africa Institute, a training and retreat center near Nairobi designed to empower East African churches and ministries, signaling a strategic broadening from direct-service sponsorship toward local capacity building. Lahash has cumulatively raised over $10M since 2005, holds the GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency and two consecutive Great Nonprofits Top-Rated awards (2024), and reported $74,580 raised at its 20th Anniversary Gala in 2025.

The customer base is bifurcated: the ultimate beneficiary segment is vulnerable East African children served through local partner ministries, while the paying customers are individual sponsors and donors primarily acquired through digital channels and church networks. Distribution is multi-channel and hybrid — self-serve online sponsorship signup paired with field-relationship sponsorship coordinators and partner-channel delivery via African-led ministries. Lahash employs 1-10 staff (missionaries who self-fundraise), maintains a small formal board (including Geoff Mitchell and Jojo Namuddu), and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional investment backing.

Name

Lahash International

Legal name

Lahash International

Website

https://lahash.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lahash International is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 that partners with six local African-led ministries to deliver $45/month child sponsorship, education, medical care, nutrition, and spiritual discipleship to vulnerable children across Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Sponsorship Charity Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Child sponsorship program
• Faith-based nonprofit
• East Africa ministry
• Vulnerable children support
• Missionary services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Child Sponsorship: Monthly donations of $45 per child providing holistic care including nutritional support, education fees, medical care, and spiritual discipleship. This is the primary recurring revenue stream.
2. Greatest Need Fund: General donation fund for unexpected needs including medical issues, safe housing, or emergency relief outside typical sponsorship scope.
3. Bible Fund: Designated fund providing Bibles, teaching, and spiritual discipleship including Bible Camp experiences.
4. Stand With Students: Higher education scholarship program supporting young scholars pursuing university and vocational training.
5. Christmas Giving: One-time gift program providing specific items like beds, bicycles, school supplies, and safe housing for children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lahash International operates a child sponsorship program that connects individual donors with vulnerable children in East Africa, providing holistic care at $45 per month per child. The care encompasses nutritional support, education fees, medical care, and spiritual discipleship, delivered through partnerships with local African-led churches and ministries in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda. Supplementary offerings include higher education scholarships, seasonal giving programs, emergency relief funds, and nutrition campaigns.

Product overview

Lahash International operates a child sponsorship platform connecting vulnerable children in East Africa with caring sponsors globally. The core offering is the Child Sponsorship Program at $45/month, supplemented by specialized programs including Stand With Students (higher education support), Rice & Beans Month (nutrition/food security), Bible Fund (spiritual resources), Greatest Need Fund (emergency assistance), Christmas Giving (annual gift program), East Africa Institute (training center development), Group Travel (face-to-face connection visits), and There Is Hope Here (year-end campaign). The organization partners with local ministries in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda to deliver holistic care encompassing spiritual, physical, educational, and emotional support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Sponsorship Program Monthly sponsorship program connecting donors with vulnerable children in East Africa, providing holistic care including nutritional support, education fees, medical care, and spiritual discipleship at $45 per month per child.
• Stand With Students Higher education support program bridging the gap for young adults aging out of the Sponsorship Program, providing practical training, mentoring, spiritual discipleship, and scholarship funds for pursuing university or vocational education.
• Rice & Beans Month Annual nutrition and food security initiative where participants simplify meals to eat in solidarity with East African communities and donate savings to fund sustainable farming, water projects, and emergency food relief.
• Bible Fund Program providing Bibles, teaching materials, and spiritual discipleship to help children grow in their knowledge of God's Word, including Bible Camp experiences.
• Greatest Need Fund Emergency assistance fund addressing unexpected needs outside typical sponsorship coverage, including significant medical issues, safe housing, or emergency relief.
• Christmas Giving Year-end gift program providing life-changing items such as bikes, beds, school supplies, and safe housing to children across East Africa.
• East Africa Institute World-class training and retreat center near Nairobi, Kenya being developed to empower East African churches and ministries in discipleship and holistic care.
• Group Travel / Team Trips Travel program enabling supporters to visit East African ministry partners, meet sponsored children, and serve alongside local leaders.
• There Is Hope Here Campaign Annual year-end fundraising campaign with matching gift opportunities to raise funds for holistic care and hope in Christ for vulnerable children.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600 children receiving holistic care in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sheltering Arms MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan ministry serving vulnerable children in rural Northern Uganda affected by the South Sudan war. Founded by Pastor Maku Fabian. Currently caring for 20 children with holistic support including education, spiritual discipleship, and family visits.
• ERM-RwandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRwanda-based ministry partner providing child sponsorship program with Saturday programs for spiritual growth, community engagement, and family support.
• Grace & Healing Ministry (GHMD/Hope and Healing Ministry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDodoma, Tanzania ministry serving children with spiritual discipleship, education support, and holistic care. Located in Iringa Road Mennonite Church area.
• Peacemakers for Albinism & Community (PAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArusha, Tanzania ministry founded by Reverend Martha Mganga (born with albinism) serving over 100 children born with albinism who face discrimination, violence, and health challenges. Provides advocacy, education, counseling, and Christian community.
• Path of Hope (POH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShinyanga, Tanzania church-based ministry serving children affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty since 2012. Has grown to serve 140 children across 3 branches (Mwamalili, Ndala, Busoka). Provides education, discipleship, healthcare, and food security programs.
• Nipe TumainicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenya ministry near Great Rift Valley serving 18 children from the home and 182 children from the local community at their school. Led by Benson and Eunice. Includes sustainable farm, library expansion, and three new classrooms.
• The Well ChurchminorOthersPortland, Oregon church whose Pastor CJ Coffee travels to teach at the biennial Lahash conference about God's heart for the church.
• Charis CounselingminorOthersClinical Director Bart Fowler and art-based therapist Michelle Andrews provide trauma healing services and tools for Lahash conference attendees.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Holt International: Faith-based child welfare nonprofit focused on international adoption and child sponsorship programs in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Comparable to Lahash in faith orientation, child-centered service model, and reliance on monthly sponsor contributions.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-based global nonprofit providing adoption, foster care, refugee services, and family support, with international programs touching East Africa. Comparable in Christian-rooted child welfare focus though broader in service scope than Lahash's sponsorship-centric model.
• Show Hope: Faith-based nonprofit focused on caring for orphans and vulnerable children through adoption aid grants and student sponsorship programs. Comparable to Lahash in faith-driven child welfare mission and donor-supported recurring giving model.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian international relief and development organization with child sponsorship programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, addressing poverty through holistic community transformation. Overlaps directly with Lahash in faith-based child sponsorship targeting East African communities.
• Children Incorporated: Nonprofit providing child sponsorship for impoverished children in the US and 23 countries, including African nations, with sponsors contributing approximately $30-$35/month. Mirrors Lahash's grassroots sponsorship-and-correspondence model and faith-based donor engagement approach.
• International Childcare Ministries: Brethren-affiliated child sponsorship nonprofit serving children in Haiti, India, and East Africa with similar faith-based, monthly sponsorship model. Highly comparable in scale, organizational structure, and ministry-partner delivery approach.
• ChildFund International: Christian-rooted child sponsorship organization operating in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, connecting sponsors with children through monthly contributions covering education, healthcare, and nutrition. Highly comparable to Lahash in mission, sponsorship mechanics, and target beneficiary population.
• Compassion International: The largest Christian child sponsorship organization globally, connecting donors with children in developing countries through monthly financial support. Compasses the same direct-to-consumer sponsorship model Lahash uses, with comparable $38-$45/month gift tiers and a faith-based value proposition, though at vastly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Imani Milele: Christian nonprofit working in Uganda and East Africa to support vulnerable children through sponsorship and community development, founded and led by individuals with close ties to the same Ugandan ministry networks where Lahash operates. Highly comparable beneficiary geography and faith-based sponsorship approach.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: One of the world's largest humanitarian NGOs, with child sponsorship as a core offering alongside broader development, emergency relief, and advocacy programming. Operates in many of the same East African geographies as Lahash but with a much larger portfolio of programs and a global donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lahash
• Xx.com/lahash
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lahash

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lahash International