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| A young Moringa tree |
As in most health centers throughout Benin, the health center in my locality hosts baby vaccination days each week where large groups of mothers come to vaccinate their children for free. These vaccinations days provide an excellent setting to inform households (through the mothers) about healthy practices such as HIV/AIDS prevention, recycling and waste management, obtaining clean water, and nutritionally balanced meals.
To build upon the topic of nutritionally balanced meals, I’ve been working with my health center staff to plant Moringa trees along the walkways of the premises. Moringa is a tree whose leaves are packed full of nutrients and can be eaten as a supplemental source of protein, Vitamins A and C, calcium, and potassium. The tree has outstanding resistance to drought and impoverished soils, and it prospers in tropical climates, making it a valuable resource in Benin. Although Moringa has been widely used throughout much of West Africa – especially in Senegal, where case studies have been documented on its ability to combat malnourishment in children – its benefits are still not widely known in Benin.
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| Pascal, one of the health workers, sifts pounded moringa leaves as he demonstrates how to make moringa powder |
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| Sample packets of moringa powder |
We’ve been planting Moringa trees along the walkways at the health center, and using its leaves to make into a powder which mothers can take home in sample packets to try cooking with. Since planting the trees at our health center, many people have asked about the importance of Moringa, and several people have taken saplings grown in my garden to plant beside their own homes. At the start of the next rainy season, we’re looking to plant more Moringa along several of the other paths throughout the health center.
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| It may not look like much yet, but come the next rainy season, this path of trees will likely grow a lot |
