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Tshikaji Moringa Malnutrition Project
Fact Sheet updated March 2006
Over the past 10 years there has been a serious increasing deterioration of the nutritional status of the population throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to a recent report from the World Bank (“Millennium Goals; Democratic Republic of the Congo country profile”), 71% of the population is below the minimum requirement of dietary energy consumption. Most households in Congo suffer from food insecurity and nutritional deficits, resulting in an overall poor health status and, in particular, an elevated childhood (219 deaths per 1,000 children) and maternal mortality (990 deaths per 100,000 live births) rate (source: United Nations Fund for Population Activities; State of World Population 2005). In the village of Tshikaji (population 7,000), weight-for-height data gathered in 2004 revealed that 60% of the children under age 5 were undernourished, suffering from protein-energy malnutrition and anemia. Most of the village children eat only 1 meal per day, which is largely based on cassava (manioc), a poor source of protein and iron.
The Moringa Tree (Moringa Oleifera) is native to India, but has been planted and grows well in many African countries. Moringa, “The Miracle Tree” thrives in the sandy soil and climate of Tshikaji and has many nutritional and health promotional benefits derived from the tree leaves, flowers, pods, seeds and roots. The Moringa Tree Project was launched in Tshikaji in May 2004 and promotes the use of moringa leaf powder as a nutritional supplement used in both the prevention and treatment of malnutrition and anemia. Moringa powder is very easy to produce using common household items, can be added to many food items and provides a concentrated source of several macro and micro elements including protein (leaves are 40% protein, the highest protein ratio of any plant on earth), calcium, iron, Potassium, and many vitamins including A, C and the B Vitamins. A super-charged boost to the immune system! For a child ages 1-3, one rounded tablespoon added to the child’s diet three times a day provides 42% of the RDA for protein, 75% RDA for iron, 125% RDA for calcium and 272% RDA for Vitamin A. 1 God has blessed us with a natural product that provides most of the nutrients that are lacking in the local diet!
The Tshikaji Moringa Project is sustainable (each tree producing thousands of seeds for tree multiplication), community-based and includes many exciting activities all made possible through the efforts of a Congolese agronomist coordinator, a nurse nutritionist and eight village volunteers. Nancy Haninger, B.S.N., M.S.M. and PC(USA) mission co-worker functions as a partner and facilitator in this project. Since 2004, ‘team moringa’ has provided over 100 educational awareness sessions to pastors and church groups, local leaders, health professionals, local businesses, schools, women’s groups and agricultural workers. More than 6,000 tree seedlings and countless numbers of seeds have been distributed and planted in family gardens in Tshikaji and 25 additional villages in the surrounding region. The trees and seeds are provided free to the villagers. The project cost for each tree is $1.00.
Moringa leaf powder is included as a successful treatment strategy in the care of severely malnourished children at the Regional Nutrition Rehabilitation Center, Good Shepherd Hospital. Today, many village mothers are harvesting leaves from their family moringa trees and manufacturing moringa leaf powder at home to be added to their children’s daily food with amazing improvements seen in the health status of their children. God is so good!
For more information about Moringa, “The Miracle Tree” please contact Nancy Haninger (nancy@haninger.org) or visit the following Web sites.
Additional resources
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