TANZANIA – ENDAMARARIEK – MORINGA 16 December 2016

By-products of the magical moringa tree to maintain the cohabitational balance between man and elephant in the Arusha region

Endamarariek is located in the Arusha region to the North of Tanzania. Even though Africa’s elephant populations have literally been decimated over the last ten years, they are doing well in this region and their numbers have even increased.

Ecotourism has developed in this area and the presence of people has allowed the different species to be monitored. The human populations, however, have been increasing rapidly and do not benefit much from the presence of the elephants. This has led to an increase in the number of conflicts, notably over the occupation of natural areas.

There is not much to be gained from agriculture in this place, so one potential way of aiding the local communities to improve their living conditions is helping them become less reliant on the earth. A pilot program, supported by the JSFoundation, was launched in one of the communities in this zone with an aim of developing the production and use of moringa, the magic tree. Karen Christiaens was at the initiative of this project and created the foundation in order to honour the final wish of her late colleague and friend. They were both convinced that no matter the difficulty or the distance, everybody has the possibility to do something tangible that will make a difference.

The first plantations are going well so far and the seedlings are developing nicely. Karen’s approach to this project is the same as that of the Net Positive Impact Program: “Help, but above all help to empower”. Groups have begun getting involved with the program management but they will still need a lot of support for the time being.

The moringa tree produces leaves that, when ingested, have huge health benefits. Its seeds also produce an oil that has fascinating cosmetic properties. The next stop will be to help these groups of women start to produce the oil and then eventually their own soap.