In autumn of 2009 – www.planttreesaveplanet.com received some disappointing news from the SOS children’s village in Malawi that the moringa trees seedlings had not done well – all but one had perished – but the fruit trees have done extremely well in the village – see extract below.
‘I’ve just retuned from a trip north (365kmms) tour SOS Mzuzu Village where I took the attached photos of the many various fruit trees that are thriving eg. Avocado, lemon, orange, peaches, guava, mango etc. They are flowering already and perhaps the families will have fruit in a short time.
However, I have some sad news about the Moringa trees that have all perished. Mr. Zolowere, the Village Director there informed me that he thought that maybe the weather was not conducive to growing these trees. He also told me that the last surviving one was destroyed by the children. It was so disappointing.
There is one Moringa tree that apparently is doing very well in our Lilongwe Village. ( see photo attached of the last moringa tree)
Rusty (SOS Village Malawi)
The Director of PTSP has donated £150 of his money to replace the moringa seedlings with a mixture of fruit trees and moringa and the village will try again on a smaller scale and vary the growing conditions..
March 2009
The Moringa Tree keeps Grecious Healthy - see photos Below Story and Photographs: Rusty Klinger, Sponsorship/PR Coordinator: NO Lilongwe Eluby Nkhonjera in House 8 “Ipyana” (Mercy) House in SOS Children’s Village, Mzuzu received dear little Grecious on 2nd May, 2003 from the Central (Govt) Hospital in Mzuzu. Grecious’ mother was an unmarried 23 year old. Her mother had been told that her daughter should come to the hospital before labour began as there could be complications. Being from a rural, uneducated family they were afraid of “mzuzgu” hospitals so only after 2 days of labour did Grecious’ exhausted mother start walking to hospital. Too late! Along the pathway, followed by her Mum and some next door neighbours, Grecious was born. His Mum died there on the village path after bleeding heavily. Grecious’ dad, a 25 year old and a local farmer, was a close relative who has never played any role in this saga. Baby and Granny carried on walking to the hospital while the neighbours took the dead body home for burial. The newly born boy child was immediately admitted to hospital and Social welfare Government Department informed of the situation. Thereaf5er SOS Children’s Village took over the care of little Grecious Yiwombe when he healthy and just one week old. Six months later he developed an awful cough and was on several occasions admitted to St. John’s Hospital in Mzuzu. For 3 years this continued with him being repeatedly treated for asthma attacks. He suffered so badly, poor little chap. Then one day the Village Director was invited to a conference at Mzuzu University where the subject was “The Moringa Tree” and he leant that the tree has some wonderful healing qualities for asthma and good for the malnourished people and that it had more than 300 other uses. Eluby recognized this tree when the Village Director told the SOS Mums about the conference he had attended. She remembered it growing in her home Village in Karonga, way in the north of Malawi. She told her friends that its wood for good for building and the leaves and roots made delicious “ndio” (relish) too. When Eluby next went home she picked a sack of Moringa Tree leaves and at home in the Village she dried them and then ground them into powder. Next day: “Here you go Grecious,” as she sprinkled some on Grecious’ morning phala (maize meal porridge). He gulped it down with relish. Every day Eluby gave Grecious Moringa Tree leaves either in his porridge, in his juice, or sprinkled it on this dinner plate. Since that wonderful day after the first phala sprinkle Grecious has never suffered from asthma. He is now 6 years old and a more bouncy and healthy boy would be hard to find. He is loving his first year in Primary School in Standard One, and has never missed a day of school. I bet he won’t – ever…………. thanks to the Moringa Tree.
June 2009 SOS Malawi, Mzuzu Children’s Village Mid 2009 Report Winter conditions are now creeping in. and all the world is green and beautiful because the rains have come!. A lot of shrubs are flowering and several fruit trees have ripened so the children are enjoying mangos, guavas and we hope avocado pears and other Village fruits will be ready next year. The maize harvest was good this year too! | 
