Educate and empower people in developing countries with moringa.

What is Moringa? A fast growing, drought-resistant tree that has incredibly nutrient-dense leaves that grows in regions where malnutrition is very prevalent.

Why is Moringa important? Moringa provides a local, sustainable avenue for people in developing countries to gain access to nutrition, drinking water, and economic opportunity.

My Story // In 2011 I left Virginia to work in rural Kenya for six months. I started a project focused on growing Moringa as a nutrition supplement for people who were HIV positive. Through my work in Kenya, I saw the benefits that Moringa had on the people there. People who were chronically tired because of HIV and lack of nutrition were suddenly energetic again. Women who were feeding their infants had increased breastmilk production. Most importantly, the people of the surrounding villages were excited to take Moringa back to their homes to plant in their communities. They were empowered, not enabled.

Most of the people that I worked with spoke their "mother-tongue", they didn't speak english or swahili. This proved challenging when educating the Kenyan community members on the basics of nutrition. Luckily, Strong Harvest International had already created materials that I could use for this purpose. Their work was instrumental in the success of my project.

About Strong Harvest International (SHI) // SHI works with communities in Togo, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Tanzania to educate locals on the nutrition, water clarification, and economic benefits of Moringa. Their approach in identifying a local leader as a catalyst to educate others (even when they're in the US) is a key to their success. To date, they have trained 1140 peer educators who are actively working in 22 different countries to spread this impactful work.

93% of their funds go towards programs. I chose SHI to fundraise for because I wholeheartedly believe in their work.