Moringa in Mbarara

Greetings to all. We can’t believe it’s been two weeks already since we landed in Kampala. So much has happened and we have met so many remarkable people so far. We have been in the southern town of Mbarara, home to Mbarara University of Science and Technology, since Tuesday. Here we are following another Peace Project led by University of Florida graduate Minh Quang Vo.

His project, entitled “Provision of Potable Water” seeks to develop sustainable methods of water treatment using the ground-up powder from the seeds of the Moringa tree, native to Northern India but now found throughout Africa as well. The tree and all its byproducts have long been been known for their various medicinal uses: its roots allegedly cure hysteria and its leaves provide a natural aphrodisiac. Now, building off recent research into specialized cleansing proteins found in its seeds, Minh has developed a simple method for water purification that could bring enormous change to this small community in the Mbarara district and eventually beyond.

On Wednesday Minh and his Ugandan colleague, Duncan (a professor at Mbarara University and a government chemist) showed us the current source of water for this area: a filthy pond, used by both cattle and humans, where locals arrive with empty gasoline jugs and step into the water only to stir up more debris into their containers. Water-related disease is rampant in this community, where boiling is the only method of purification. We met several families that have been suffering from the plethora of ailments stemming from the condition of their only water source. Construction is almost complete on the new water treatment structure just beside the pond, which consists of a well, a treatment tank and a reservoir tank. The system will use the Moringa solution to treat the pond’s water and store it for access to the community even in the dry season. Minh has devised a project whereby he can leave Uganda and this system will be sustainable by the community itself, the Moringa trees grown in backyards and used to treat private water supplies and the new reservoir tank.

To make sure the community can purify their own water, Minh and Duncan have been holding workshops at the town center to demonstrate how to grow, harvest, and crush the Moringa seeds, eventually using the powder to create the purification solution. Nicki and I filmed one of these workshops yesterday. We filmed community members showing up with bottles of dirty water from the pond and Duncan leading them through the process of purification, adding the Moringa solution and watching the sediment fall to the bottom of the bottles, leaving clean water above. It was a privilege to capture the reactions of the crowd to what seems like a small trick, but, as they surely know, will ultimately save many lives and lead to a healthy, more peaceful existence in this district and hopefully beyond.

We started the day by filming Minh and Duncan on their way to the workshop. Duncan had rented a Boda Boda for the day (a scooter/motorcycle hybrid) and I drove ahead of them with the rest of the crew in a van with the trunk and side door open, Steve holding on to my belt as I filmed out the side and back. It was an exhilarating day and we certainly captured some great footage and saw a community take a step toward a more peaceful life with clean water. Today Gordon and Stephanie are back in the community spending some time with more families that have been afflicted by the issue and who will be directly affected by Minh’s project.

Stay tuned for pictures from the day.

-Noah

Comments

[Megan]

Hi, I came across your blog during a search on the moringa plant. I do work in Western Uganda and am looking to develop a program (small scale). I was wondering if you could share the content of the workshops or just your general thoughts on the plant in Mbarra. I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,
Megan Haas