miracle tree

(Story from our most recent newsletter, August 2010)

Thousands of years ago in India, the special qualities of the moringa tree were discovered and put to use. This tree grows rapidly – up to 20 feet in a year – and grows naturally in West Africa. The leaves, seeds and flowers are edible and nutritious, and they can also be used to make a wonderful tea. The leaf powder has seven times the vitamin C found in oranges, four times the vitamin A in carrots, three times the iron in spinach, four times the calcium of milk, and three times the potassium of bananas. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein, the powdered leaves make a solid food supplement. Nursing mothers in Africa use it to increase milk production. Animals thrive on it. It's possible to survive by eating only from the moringa tree.

The Mercy Ships Food for Life program has been growing moringa trees for the past six or seven years and promoting its use in communities. Nutritionist Kelly Dahl and Agriculture Program Administrator Ken Winebark, who have been working together to use it in the Infant Feeding Program, have seen remarkable results.

In Liberia, a malnourished baby named Joseph was left by his parents on a banana leaf to die. At 17 months of age, he was the size of a three-month-old. Agriculture Program Facilitator Jean Claude Mouditou and his wife, Anastasie, a community health worker, rescued the child and brought him to a clinic in Monrovia. They were told nothing could be done for the baby. Jean Claude and Anastasie put the child on a regimen of moringa powder which they made. In just 2 ½ weeks, Joseph went from a weak, tiny boy who could not stand up to a pudgy, healthy baby. When Joseph returned to his village, people could not believe it was the same child. “You switched babies on us,” they said. But the baby's mother recognized him and declared, “No, this is Joseph!”

This Field Service is the first time the moringa powder has been used in the Infant Feeding Program onboard the ship. The program was started to help babies who were malnourished due to cleft lip or cleft palate. Marius was such a baby. Weighing only 6.7 pounds at 4½ months, his skin hung loosely over his tiny body. Because he was not strong enough or healthy enough for surgery, he was the first child to be given the moringa powder in the Infant Feeding Program. He and his mother were admitted to the hospital ward on the Africa Mercy , where the moringa diet and caring volunteer nurses nurtured him to a healthy 10.5 pounds in just 3 weeks!

Hettie Hiemstra, Infant Feeding Program Coordinator, reported, “Marius has had an increased weight gain compared to the other children. He is not only fatter, but stronger, too. Now he looks like his skin can't hold him anymore….his countenance has brightened, he is a lot more alert, and he is doing remarkably well.”

Marius' mother, Chantel Aligbo, was excited about her son's progress, saying, “The moringa makes him more strong … and he became very fat. I thank God for bringing Mercy Ships to help him.”

The moringa leaf powder used in the Infant Feeding Program was grown and produced at the Mercy Ships International Operations Center in Texas. The mild winters there and the summer climate allow experimentation with many new crops which might prove valuable for the mission field. But because the moringa can only be grown during the summer months, there is not enough to supply the needs onboard the ship. The additional supply, therefore, is coming from the Centre for Ecological Development (CED) in Togo. This is one of three private organizations partnering with the Mercy Ships Food for Life training program during this Field Service.

In addition to a natural energy boost, the moringa has been credited with significant benefits to overall health – including reduction of inflammation and arthritis pain, healing of ulcers, stabilization of diabetes, control of blood pressure, clearing of skin conditions, and strengthening of the immune system. For this reason, it is referred to as the “Miracle Tree” in many parts of the world.

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos courtesy of Ken Winebark