Combining two ideas: Solar cooking with Moringa

Some ideas need time to grow. Some innovations can be combined hand in hand. 

Quite a few years ago we introduced solar cooking in our villages. Our head teacher in Fiadanana embraced the idea and has been using the school’s solar cooker for the school lunches. He also embraced our latest reforestation effort of planting a Moringa forest.

The Community got together for the Christmas celebration. As part of the festivities he combined two ideas - solar cooking and our new Moringa project. The result: the photos of solar cooked noodle soup with freshly picked Moringa leaves.

Moringa now grows all over the village and is a powerhouse of nutrition. Fresh Moringa leaves cook very fast and can be added in the last few minutes, or even the end of the cooking process. Just add a few hand-full of freshly picked Moringa leaves. The vitamin A, C, calcium and essential amino acids of this ‘new vegetable’ are now part of a daily meal. It grows for free near many houses, tastes good, and is good for you.

Seeing the children enjoying their soup with Moringa has a far bigger impact than explaining the benefits of adding Moringa to the diet.