Combating Climate Change with Agroecology

Dear Donor,

Planting moringa trees may not heal our suffering planet but it's something we can do in support of the environment and in the case of moringa, combat malnutrition. The nature of a moringa tree project is that they continue to grow and produce leaves and pods that have great nutritional benefits. 

While moringa has not worked in Transmara and in some areas in the Rift Valley, it does work along the lake and in the hotter regions of Kenya. It's a  drought tolerant plant that does need consistent heat and in some regions, the evenings are too cool for it to thrive. We understand its habits and have been very successful in the best of conditions.

In honor of Earthday, our goal is to plant more trees and to provide the powdered moringa to preschools in areas of extreme poverty with widespread malnutrition.  The results with small amounts of powdered moringa for a preschool child are dramatic. It's important to catch malnutrition at this time to ensure the child's growth and development. We also are providing powdered moringa for prenatal and postnatal care. Moringa is very helpful for lactating mothers. 

We thank you for your support in the past and always happy to share a report on trees and their benefits. 

Happy EarthDay

Shana

Thank you for your past assistance in planting moringa trees to provide important nutrients and protein. Moringa is known to have more protein than soybean meal and provides children with accessible plant protein.

In the regions where we work, communities struggle with high rates of poverty and child malnutrition.  Children are small and often fail to thrive. The traditional food of ugali (corn porridge) eaten as a staple in Kenya is lacking in protein, the building blocks for growth. In a country with widespread food and nutrition insecurity, keeping children well-nourished and healthy has been a constant struggle for families. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition. 

While the effects of malnutrition are devastating, we've also seen the incredible progress that communities can make when given the education, skills, and resources needed to keep their families health. Teaching sustainable, organic farming skills have been important but also planting nutritional, protein-rich like beans and moringa to provide the best hope for the future. By powdering the leaves of the moringa, the powder can be added to porridge in the areas where moringa does not grow well.  Kenya's weather in higher altitudes has not been the best conditions for moringa to thrive so we have had to depend on women's groups to grow the trees in the warmer regions. Providing them with the income from the powdered moringa helps everyone. 

In the past, you have helped us to plant moringa throughout Ghana and Kenya. We have a way to go before we stop planting and spreading these "miracle trees" but we are committed to getting the powdered leaf to preschools where malnutrition can become chronic. With good nutrition, children are able to grow to their fullest potential, focus on their education and future and become forces of lasting positive change in their communities. 

Please help us to provide the powdered supplement to children in areas that have devastating malnutrition and the tree where the tree does not thrive and give children the best chance at growing and reaching their intellectual capacity. 

Thank you!

Shana

Dear Donor,

Thank you for your past support of the moringa project. It has been a good project that has consistently grown. Trees just do that which is why its such a strong program. The issue we consistently have that is most frustrating is in buying the powdered moringa from the women's groups to provide to the preschools where moringa does not grow well. 

While we thought moringa would grow everywhere in Kenya, the Rift Vally can have cooler weather and moringa loves the hot humid climate around Lake Victoria and in Ghana, in general.

The greatest need is to serve the preschool children of the Kipsongo Slums where malnutrition is palpable and moringa doesn't do that well. When we provided them with powdered moringa from the woman's group through your donation, the children were thriving. 

A small monthly donation will mean a world of good. Please consider a one time or monthly donation to pay the women who grow and powder the moringa.  Children with malnutrition need nutrition at this young age to grow and thrive.

Thank you!

Shana 

Dear supporters,

At Village Volunteers, we support only programs where the benefits multiply. Take the case of Gladdis and Moses. Gladis grows moringa in a village where moringa grows well. Its hot and humid and the temperature never drops below the moringa tree comfort zone.  Gladis grows moringa trees with her women's group, dries the leaves, powders them and provides nutrition for children in the village who now have increased nutrition and in particular protein.

Moses lives in the slums where moringa does not do well because of the elevation about 70 miles away from Gladdis's trees. He is now in kindergarten but as an infant was abandoned and was taken in. He goes to a school where moringa is donated. The report we got about his progress is very encouraging so we become aware of the subtle and not so subtle changes that you as a donor have made. The change in Moses has been palpable. Malnutrition is chronic and if not caught early, will inhibit intellectual capacity and growth. He is a happy, funny little boy who charms everyone. Our goal for Moses is to be all he can be and show the world that he is not a throw-away child. Because of you, he knows he isn't. He knows that people care.

Our goal is to continue to pay Gladis and all of the women who grow moringa as a social enterprise. The powder is donated to preschools and kindergartens where malnutrition is devastating and where the life of children like Moses are impacted forever.

Our goal is to always multiply the benefits that are provided by the donors who can truly affect real change.  If you could continue to donate any amount, we will make sure that your donation goes to where it needs to go to enhance the lives of those impacted by poverty.

Thank you,

Shana Greene