By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
Some project reports are more challenging to write than others. Over the years we have been confronted with and reported about students going to school hungry, especailly in the beginning of the year (Madagascars' fall season) This is a sad occurrence for us, because the community is often too embarrassed to talk about it right away so we coul take action, becuase they had committed a few years back to take care of the school food themselves with great pride.
Fortunately our teacher Mparan has become very proactive over the years. He is ever expanding and experimenting with crops to grow in the school gardens that can ultimately go into the school food. Talk about farm to table with zero food miles. The attached picture is of the latest crop of cassava growing in the schoolyard. Cassava roots can grow over a foot long, providing much-needed starch or carbohydrates, adding sustenance and bulk to the meal. In a two for one the cassava leaves are also used in soups as a the green vegetable, as a subsitute for sweet potato leaves. Cassava is one of the staples grown in rural Madagascar and is familiar to to our students.
To actively support his efforts we have committed of providing him with protein powder (again) to boost the soup’s nutritional value. Unfortunately such products are only available in the capital and need to be taken along to the villages during site visits.
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