FEATURED: NURSE BADANARO AND HER MORINGA

Germaine Badanaro is 42 years old. Being a nurse, she works in a medical treatment center, the Centre National Therapeutique (CNT), in Tanguieta, a city in northern Benin.  Women come to CNT with their children who are suffering from undernourishment and malnutrition. At the center, they receive energy-rich food and dietary supplements to ensure that they are getting vital nutrients so that their bodies can recover. 

In especially severe cases, patients are given additional infusions and dietary supplements. Children typically stay at the center for about two weeks before they are discharged. But unfortunately, many of the patients eventually have to come back, because particularly in the days before the next harvest, there often isn't enough food to feed the entire family.  

The center is supplied by UNICEF with plumpy'nut paste, an energy-rich paste made of peanut butter, powdered milk, oil and sugar. But unfortunately, these supplies often don't last long, which is why the center now relies on natural dietary supplements as well. 

Germaine learned from German development worker Bianca Oebel that the leaves of the moringa tree have very high nutritional values and can easily be processed into powder. And so, together with German development cooperation workers, Germaine planted moringa trees on the grounds of the center.

Germaine teaches the women about the benefits of the moringa tree and shows them how to plant it, and how to store and process its fruit. Germain sets aside the resulting powder for the children to eat. In this way, they will receive the natural nutrients they need to fully develop, both physically and mentally.