Moringa for Health: Insights from Ineke

In 2015, Ineke Selles returned to Malawi with a mission. She not only wanted to continue her work as a district nurse, but also to contribute to improving the immunity of her patients and the children in the local school. Here she explains how she discovered the Moringa tree and what impact this discovery had.

How did you come up with the idea to use Moringa?

“When I came back to Malawi in 2015, I became a home care nurse at the Matunkha Center in Rumphi. I've always been interested in healthy nutrition, so I wanted to do something with nutrition for the health of my patients and the 300 children that attend the primary school at the Matunkha Center. The local population in Malawi have little variation in their diet. They eat the same type of food every day. My patients experience malnutrition in various ways hence my quest to find ways to improve this.”

How did you learn about Moringa?

“My colleague had followed a training course on various herbs that can boost health. The Moringa tree was on a poster in that colleague's office. This tree had many benefits. I saw it contained lots of vitamins, lots of minerals and even antioxidants that boost the immune system. He said to me: “This tree isn't called the Miracle Tree for nothing. It really is a wonder tree. 'So after investigating Moringa, I concluded that this is exactly what we need.”

How do you use Moringa in your work now?

“I started studying about it, I read about it on the internet to find out more. That's how I found out that Moringa is growing very well in Central Africa. We created a small plantation at the Matunkha Center where we grow our own Moringa trees. Moringa has now become part of the diet I prescribe to my patients and the children at our school. Every morning, all 300 children at the school at the Matunkha Center receive a porridge called 'Likuni Phala' to which we add Moringa.”

What are the results of using Moringa?

“The health benefits are extensive. We see improvements in people's overall health, especially among those who suffered from malnutrition. We also see a major impact among the children at school since we added Morigna to the school breakfast. The children have much more energy, their health resistance is higher and they are less likely to get sick. It's great to see how something natural can make such a big difference. It gives me so much satisfaction to see how this 'Miracle Tree' can change lives.”