In 2017 the Eastbourne branch donated thousands of Moringa oleifera seedlings to mothers and young children in a series of workshops in community centres and health clinics to diffuse knowledge of the nutritional benefits of eating the leaves of this ‘wonder tree’. For many years the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have tried to encourage consumption by mothers and children of Moringa leaves as a key source of micronutrients to tackle ‘hidden hunger’ common to many tropical developing countries.
In June and July Ian Elgie, Chair of the Eastbourne branch, worked with communities leaders in five districts in Uganda to encourage all households to grow the Moringa tree and harvest the leaves for daily consumption. The branch through its Carbon Offset Fund paid for the seedlings and their distribution, and the educational materials for the workshops. Seedlings were distributed to workshop participants during July 2017.
The project aims to be a template for diffusing the scheme more widely within Uganda. The image shows the Namabasa community plant nursery with their 2500 Moringa seedlings, one of three such nurseries working for our scheme.
If any UNA branch would like to support the Eastbourne branch’s project in support of key Sustainable Development Goals, then visit the branch’s website: https://eastbourneuna.wordpress.com
