The Miracle Tree

Posted by on November 30, 2011 in Blog, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Part of the goal of our work here in Madagascar is to see the health of the Malagasy people restored.  Nutrition is a huge part of the restoration of health.  There is a tree here in Madagascar, called felomorongo, in English, it’s the Moringa tree.  It’s also known as the “Miracle Tree” and “Mother’s Best Friend”.  And for good reason… check this out…

pastedGraphic.pdf(taken from the TreesForLife website)

 

While in Mahabana two weeks ago, we noticed that two people in a community of a few hundred, had the “Miracle Tree” growing in their yards.  We asked them about it.  Both families were using it as a nutritional supplement by daily spreading the leaves onto their rice and sauce.  In a remote area such as Mahabana where the village sits on a small peninsula, surrounded by water and the soil is pure hot sand, it’s difficult to grow most things.  The standard diet consists of rice and fish, no vegetables, and only occasionally fruit.  Bring in the Miracle Tree and voilà, diets are improved and people’s nutritional status increases.  Of course, it’s not that easy to encourage change.

We brought down hundreds of Moringa seeds with us to Mahabana.  One morning as the village congregated under the shade of a palm leaf gazebo, we talked about the Miracle Tree, we had a testimony from the mother of one of the families who has been using it, and we asked people if they wanted to try it out.  There was excited talk happening as we passed out the seeds, explained the ease of planting, and then prayed and asked God to grow these trees… another example of how His creation provides for His children.

 

Miracle Tree leaves….

Farida, preparing the leaves for the family meal… Farida also gave the testimony during our presentation

 

Farida, preparing the leaves for the family meal… Farida also gave the testimony during our presentation

distributing seeds to eager hands

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