Meet Moses

Moses is an affable, outgoing, and tenacious young man who serves his community by putting his skills to use working in the rural clinic.  I met him as I was walking to the local market and he was walking home from work.  He was excited to tell me that he recently found a place to live - with a metal roof.  In rural Malawi, most roofs are thatched and need to be replaced often.  A metal roof means more durability and less leaks.  Although Moses has a job and now has a place to call home, he still does not have food security.  Produce rots quickly in season and out of season there simply isn't any produce to be had and the price of food that is available skyrockets.  By the very nature of serving others, Moses has put himself last.  We would like to help Moses, and others like him, eat healthy meals every day.

How to cut a mango

Mangoes are considered a super fruit.  They are full of nutrients and the health benefits of eating them include improving digestion, lowering cholesterol, increasing libido, increasing memory power and helping to prevent cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.  But until recently, mangoes were on my hard to handle list.  I didn't know if they were supposed to be a bit soft or rock hard, oval or round, and cutting them always made a mess on my cutting board.  Peeling them didn't work and cutting them down the middle and twisting, like a peach, just made a mushy mess.  Now I know how to pick a perfect mango, cut and prepare it.  Here is what I learned.

Choose a mango that is round or oval, not flat, and that is a bit soft but not squishy.  Wash the mango in cold water.  Slice it lengthwise next to the center pit.

Take each section and make vertical and horizontal slices, making sure not to cut through the peel.  

Invert the slice so the sections are sticking out.  Finally, cut the sections from the peel.

Now the mango is ready to eat - raw, in a salad, smoothie or salsa, or any way you like it.  And by the way, ripe mangoes need to be refrigerated or... dehydrated.

Malawi Mango Harvest

Mango season in Malawi is over and we were devastated to learn that 80% of the crop was wasted due to post-harvest loss.  According to the Ministry of Agriculture for the Northern Districts, an 80% loss is common.  The mangoes ripen and with no way to preserve them, the fruit simply rots.  

Of course, that 80% could be saved with solar dehydrators, and the fruit that cannot be eaten immediately could be dehydrated, allowing it to last for months. This would, as we've said time and again, would decimate the hunger and rejuvenate the economy.

That 80% is even more significant when one considers the ubiquity of mango trees. They grow all throughout Malawi. As well as orchards, there are scattered "backyard" trees, which is to say single mango trees that have grown in people's yards. The trees provide shade, a gathering place for adults, hours of entertainment for the children, and obviously food.

The mangoes themselves provide many much needed nutrients including iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, minerals and antioxidants. So they are an incredibly valuable crop.

The mango loss is devastating and absolutely unnecessary. It is something we want to change, and we want you to join us.

Standing Together

There is hardly a more inspiring picture of strength and dedication than a mother taking care of her family.  The mothers of Malawi are a prime example of this as they overcome a slew of obstacles on a daily basis simply to meet their families' needs.  We are here to stand with these remarkable women to help them meet those needs a little easier, equipping them with the resources they need to increase food security.