Congo Plan
Background
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| Ed Rau, left, hands Puma a packet of 1500 Moringa seeds, June, 2010. |
Mbuyu WaMbuyu (aka, "Puma"), AWIEF founder and president, was introduced to Moringa by Ed Rau, a biologist at NIH, in 2010. Ed explained their marvelous benefits and gave Puma a large bag of seeds to plant in our school campuses in the DRC.
Puma arranged for a biologist at the University of Lubumbashi to oversee the project. The trees grew very quickly in a large open field but were eventually destroyed by birds who ate all of the leaves.
New Plan
To avoid destruction of plants in an open field by birds, Puma will arrange for local families to plant and tend the Moringa near their homes. Key to this plan is one of the student aid programs that Puma implemented many years ago. It is called Scouting For Education, a work and study program where students over 12 years can earn tuition, shoes and books while learning. During summer vacation, students help on school construction projects while camping on site. In the evenings they do academic projects and impromptu performances around the campfire.
After meeting with each family to explain the Moringa project, the students in the Scouting for Education Program will be given Moringa seeds. They will be instructed how to plant, tend, harvest, process, use and market the Moringa.
Eventually, the families in the program will help their neighbors to obtain the health and economic benefits of Moringa.
Puma addresses 150 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts during regional contests
that Myrt School hosts each year. Scouts in the troop sponsored by
Myrt School are enrolled in the Scouting for Education Program.