Miraculous Moringas
In Tshikaji, a woman dries moringa leaves. Photo by Nancy Haninger
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 30 percent of children under the age of five suffer from moderate to severe malnutrition, with one in five children dying before their fifth birthday from causes either directly or indirectly related to malnutrition. 1 One particular type of tree — the moringa tree — provides an answer to this problem by providing not only a complete source of protein, but also potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C, B1 and B2. After planting the moringa seeds, only nine months pass before the tree grows and produces enough leaves to be tapped as a food source. The fresh leaves can be cooked and eaten or dried and made into a powder, which is often added to the traditional manioc dumplings most villagers eat, or is mixed in with vegetables, sauces and even cookies.
PC(USA) mission coworkers Mike and Nancy Haninger have been involved in the planting and growing of moringas in the Democratic Republic of Congo and have witnessed the subsequent health improvements in the lives of people who have added the moringa’s leaves, flowers, pods, seeds and roots to their diets. “There is much less evident malnutrition than in years past, with moringa being one of the important strategies that is paying off for the people, especially for children — 75 percent of the village kids are consuming moringa,” Nancy commented. As part of a recent Tshikaji community health assessment, 1,900 village children were weighed and measured, with less than 10 percent of these children classified as moderate to severely malnourished as compared to 32 percent in 2004 before the moringa tree was introduced.
Although more than 1,000 mature moringa trees now dot Tshikaji, the village where Nancy and Mike live and work, there is still much work to be done. With additional funding, the moringa project could be expanded to help address malnutrition in other areas of Congo, including the capital of Kinshasa and the country’s second largest city, Mbuji Mayi.
Ten dollars will purchase ten moringa trees. What a miracle you can make in the lives of our sisters and brothers in Congo by making contributions towards this miraculous tree!
To donate funds toward the moringa project led by the Haningers:
1. Make checks payable to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and in the memo line write “ECO 320402/moringa tree project/Haninger.”
Individuals should send contributions to:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Individual Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700
Churches should send the check to:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Church Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643678
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3678
Notify Mike and Nancy by email of your contribution. Be sure to include the date and amount of your gift and specify that the funds are for moringas.
Read a letter from the Haningers about their visit from Presbyterian Women and other Presbyterians.
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