For several weeks now, I travel to my weekly market with
more than the goal of consuming.
Now, after eating a bean sandwich for breakfast, buying several kilos of
fresh vegetables for my family, and greeting women in my village who sell
mangos, I set up a table and begin educating people about the value of moringa.
Moringa is fondly known as “the miracle plant” because it
prospers in dry, sandy soils (aka Senegal). Literally, without much care and no gardening knowledge,
anyone can grow a moringa tree. In
addition to growing easily, it grows fast; in just 2 or 3 years, it can reach
heights greater than me or my tall Senegalese host father. But, even more importantly, the leaves
of this tree can provide nearly all the necessary vitamins and minerals. (The Wolof word for moringa is “neberdie,”
a version of the phrase “never die” since moringa can drastically improve
health.) With just 3 spoonfuls of
leaf powder, an adult can have 4 times the potassium of bananas, 6 times the
vitamin C of oranges, 3 times the protein of yogurt, 4 times the vitamin A of
carrots, and 4 times the calcium of milk, in addition to folic acid, vitamin B
complex, vitamin K, iron, and more.
Due to its dense nutrient value, moringa is extremely effective at
countering malnutrition, fighting many illnesses (including reducing
hypertension, diabetes, blindness, worms, fevers, headaches, diarrhea,
constipation, and fatigue), and supporting both pregnant and breastfeeding
women.
Moringa is truly an impressive plant and quite prolific
here, but most people are unaware of the benefits. If the Senegalese only know the importance of the tree as
well as the proper way to prepare it (the traditional method of boiling the
leaves to make a sauce for couscous denatures some of the vitamins and causes
the rest to leak into the water which is subsequently dumped and the leaves are
left nutrition-less), their health could be drastically improved. So, armed with some visuals graciously
created by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer, I stand at my table and teach men,
women, and children. Attracting an
audience is extremely easy; my very presence as a white person immediately draws
attention to myself as people come over to see what the Toubab is selling. Once a few people wander over, a large
crowd gathers to see what those few are examining. And so I find myself with an eager group of people ready to
absorb what I have to tell them (after they understand that I’m not selling
anything, but just offering them knowledge).
After being at the market for a few weeks, I’ve learned the
best way to explain the information so that people will take away as much as
possible. However, I still prefer
when others around me explain the facts instead. Luckily, this happens often. Once one person understands what I’ve said, they begin to
show the visuals to the newcomers, repeating the do’s and don’ts of preparation
and why moringa is so useful. I
also often gather a following of children, who enjoy explaining the information
to the adults or to me during brief pauses between groups, and who I then
encourage to teach their parents when they return home.
Teaching at the market provides me with immediate
gratification, much different from a lot of my work as a Peace Corps volunteer
where the effects are hard to measure.
When I finish explaining the information, nearly everyone says, “Neberdie
am na solo” (Moringa is important).
They tell me that they never knew that it was healthy, and that they are
will begin to make the powder. At
first, I took this as a sign of their appeasing me, of telling me that I understand
Wolof now and that they appreciated that I’m trying to help them. But I’ve realized that they’re actually
taking away my message. They’re
remembering it, teaching it, and acting upon it. As I walk around the market now, I hear people talking about
moringa, teaching their friends about the benefits and how to prepare it. I also have many people (both men and
women) who approach me to say they’ve made the leaf powder and have begun to
eat it every day. Some have even
sworn its effectiveness to me in treating their illnesses. Everyone has become excited by the
potential of moringa, and I’m hoping to start my own, small moringa usage
epidemic in this area by teaching and planting some in my village.
