Moringa project

Dear family and friends,

Landon and I have been dreaming up a project over the past few weeks, and it is looking like it may actually work! We’re really excited about the prospects and we’d like to share our thoughts with you.

The girls are free, healthy, and thriving. They have beds to sleep in (though they still choose the floor), clothes to wear and food to eat. They are enrolled in school. They are learning about Jesus and loving it! For all these things we are so grateful. We are very blessed to be just a small part of this wonderful process.

Lately, though, Landon and I have felt the need to do more. Our girls are well fed, but there are so many children in Akatsi who aren’t. Life here is hard. There are many people who can’t make ends meet. Who work in the hot sun all day and still don’t have enough money to feed their families.  This troubles us greatly.

With the girls at school each day, we’ve had a lot of downtime. We spend a fair amount of that time cleaning the house and working on projects for the girls, but there’s still a few free hours each day.  I started praying about how to spend this extra time to help those around us.

I was sharing these thoughts with Landon on a walk one night when we passed three children walking home to their village. One of the girls was so horribly malnourished we had to look away. This village is five minutes away from our house! 

The root of the malnourishment problem here is not just poverty, but lack of education. Many people have never heard of carbs, fat and protein. It is commonly assumed that eating foods like bread, rice, or cassava is enough as long as you are full at the end of the day. Many people could afford to provide a well-balanced diet for themselves and their children if they knew what a well-balanced diet meant. This hurts me as a nurse, knowing that all they need is education and a little push in the right direction. We prayed for wisdom and a solution to the problem.

Finally, Landon (my wonderfully wise husband) thought of the answer; moringa.

Moringa is the name of a tree that grows in most places that have a warm climate year-round. It is a hardy tree that grows in all but the most adverse conditions. Once planted, it requires little to no care in order to thrive.

Moringa is a common tree here and is used as a hedge or to help control erosion. Most homes have a moringa tree or a moringa hedge in their yard. What is, for the most part, unknown here is that moringa is one of the most nutritious naturally-occurring foods in the world. Relative to weight, Moringa leaves have 7 times the vitamin C of an orange, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 4 times the calcium of milk, 3 times the potassium of a banana and 2 times the protein of yogurt. On top of that, the leaves of Moringa contain significant portions of vitamins B1, B2, B3, chromium copper, iron magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and zinc. They also contain ALL the necessary amino-acids (30% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not get enough protein).

Here is why this is important…

The red shows the most malnourished areas in the world

The green shows where moringa grows

http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa

Moringa grows exactly where it's needed most!

The abundance of moringa (along with a plethora of highly nutritious, widely available fruits and vegetables) in the Volta region of Ghana means that no child here should be malnourished. All the essential nutrients that are lacking in these children’s diets are present in the tiny leaves of this incredible, abundant tree.

Not only is there a need to spread the word about moringa, but many people simply need to learn the basics of nutrition. Many families have the ability to provide well-balanced diets for themselves and their family by growing moringa and other native fruits and vegetables, but they do not understand that there is a problem with their current diets. Its no use explaining to a parent that their children are sick or even dying because of a protein deficiency when the parents don’t know what protein is, where it is found, or why it is needed. 

This is where we hope to step in.Our goal is to teach people in Akatsi the basics of nutrition and the tremendous potential moringa has in improving the lives of many people. especially children. A friend of ours, who is also a teacher, has arranged to have us come speak to students and parents at his school. This will be the first step of many, but we are excited to do what we can to help the community! 

Landon and his (very tall) moringa grove-
we have about 20 in our yard!

Regina with her freshly picked moringa

Regina, Dina and Godsway helping to harvest!

Godsway

And here's a few unrelated pictures from Valentine's day :)

Regina and Lucky

8 Valentines for 8 very special girls!

Sarah Jr

We love you all and are so thankful for you encouragement and support!

Kate, Landon, and the girls :)