By Mary McCarthy | Project Development Officer
Back in November, we reported in the midst of our journey with germinating Moringa stenopetala seedlings. Now, we can happily tell you that these little ones have made their way; planted in the earth to grow under the care of our recipients!
In just the last few months we have held ten tree-planting training sessions, attended by 257 people. And, we have already planted trees at every one of those 257 participants’ homes! Many have received our Moringa seedlings. Because of its ability to mitigate malnutrition and increase breast milk production, we mainly have focused on getting this “Mothers’ Helper” to new mothers. It has been received positively and enthusiastically; word has spread through the Community Health Outreach program about all the amazing benefits of Moringa, as well as how soon after planting the leaves can be harvested and used.
Another tree our recipients are eager to plant is Dovyalis caffra which produces the “Kei apple”. Although it is a local species and, with its impressive thorns, known for making a decent protective hedge, few people are knowledgeable about how to use the fruit it produces. So to each training session, we’re now bringing along recipes and our homemade samples of kei apple products; jam and spicy pickle! With this new found confidence in its taste and preparation, many more people are choosing to plant the very hardy and drought-resistant Dovyalis. While training our recipients, we really have discovered the importance of emphasizing the benefits of our fruit-bearing trees. We see a huge shift in motivation once a family realizes the possibilities of these trees despite the wait time for its harvest.
We are thankful for early and continuous rains this year giving growth to our trees and vegetation at Sadhana Forest Kenya. We are lush with flora and fauna, and happy volunteers!
We are so grateful for our volunteers and the support from the Global Giving community. If you are interested in providing us further feedback concerning our project, finding out more about our activities or area of operation, or would like to volunteer with us, please contact us here or email us directly at kenya@sadhanaforest.org. We also strongly encourage you to provide feedback at the end of this report.
Ashe Oleng! (Thank you very much in Kisamburu)
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