Luanga and the Miracle of the Moringa Tree

Luanga with his grandparents. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Hunger Program

Luanga is an 18 month-old-boy who was abandoned by his mother a few months after his father’s death. By the time he arrived at Centenary Health Center’s nutrition program, he was severely underweight and malnourished.

The center houses a feeding program run by the Presbyterian Women and Family Department of the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK) and the Presbyterian Health Department (DPS).

A partnership of the DPS of the CPK and the Presbyterian Women and Family Department (DFF), the program combines the nutritional services of the health department with the feeding program of the women’s centers. The goal of the partnership is to improve the conditions of life for Luanga and other vulnerable children and orphans by assuring that they receive good schooling, correct feeding, food security and training in a vocational profession.

At first, center staff put Luanga on a special formula until he gained weight (based on a mid-arm measurement). Later they fed him a nutrient-dense soup consisting of maize, soya beans and moringa powder.

Moringa powder is made from the leaves of the moringa tree which are 40 percent protein, the highest protein ratio of any plant on earth. The leaves also provide calcium, iron, potassium and many vitamins, including A, C and the B vitamins. After four months at the center, Luanga was strong enough to be released into the care of his grandparents.

Center staff also taught Luanga’s grandmother how to grow cassava, a plant whose leaves are used as greens. The grandmother planted a moringa tree given to her by the Presbyterian Women and Family Department. When the grandmother cooks greens, she adds in moringa powder. Now it is not just Luanga who stays healthy, but the health status of the whole family is also improving. Truly the leaves of the moringa tree are for the health and healing of vulnerable children.

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