The Miracle Tree

What would you say if I told you there was a tree with seeds that purify water, green leaves more nutritious than spinach, tasty (also nutritious) edible pods, several other parts that work as medicines, and it thrives in some brutal climates.

I know what you’d say. “Cool! Just don’t make me eat the leaves.”

No, what you’d probably say is, “Wow — I want one!” At least that’s what I said, along with, “If this is real, why haven’t I heard about it before?”

Well, it’s real all right, and it’s called The Drumstick Tree. In fact there are millions of ‘em, probably just not in your yard. It also works as insecticide, fungicide and can be used to make lubricant and biofuel. It has innumerable other uses, and in ancient medicine was believed to prevent over 300 diseases. (The leaves alone have 7 times the vitamin C of Oranges, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 4 times the calcium of milk, 3 times the potassium of bananas, and twice the protein of yogurt.)

“Okay,” you’re saying, “so if all this is true, it’s occurring to me that maybe this would be a good thing for, like, really poor people.”

Ah, grasshopper, I see awareness dawning. Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a man from India named Balbir. Balbir had a mind for business and a gift with people. He had a natural magnetism and an enthusiasm that people loved. As a young man he came to America with a dream of making his fortune. Balbir attracted helpful friends and advisers, and soon he was doing very well for himself.

One day, on a flight back to India, he was looking out the airplane window at the vast continent below him. Suddenly he started thinking of all the poverty and the people who had so little. He was thinking of the millions of excruciatingly poor villagers down there who had to struggle just to eat. He thought about how they had to work so hard to survive. Luxuries like education were a hopeless dream. He wondered if there was any way he could ever make some kind of difference in their lives.

Not long after that, Balbir found out about the drumstick tree. He had, you might say, a wake up call.

Balbir realized he could use these trees to help the poorest of the poor. He would teach them how to plant, grow, and harvest these trees so they could become self-sufficient. He would use these trees to enable them to build schools and gain knowledge. They could come to feel a sense of empowerment in their lives. By giving them the dignity to help themselves, he would give them hope.

So Balbir came back to America, as they say, a changed man. He discussed all this with his beautiful wife, Treva, and their friends. They decided to dedicate their lives to fulfilling Balbir’s vision. They resolved to live on a humble income and devote all of their resources to making this happen.

And Trees For Life was born.

All this was 25 years ago. Since then, Balbir, Treva, and their small staff of dedicated volunteers have enabled millions of Drumstick trees to be planted in poor communities all around the world.

But that’s only the beginning. They developed ways to distribute fuel efficient cookstoves that save old trees from burning and human lives from smoke pollution. They help villagers plant native fruit trees that not only feed them, but provide shade and prevent soil erosion. They created educational models where children living in poverty receive a quality, modern education comparable to that offered at the best schools. Their newest program, Books For Life, finds creative ways to get native-language storybooks and textbooks into the hands of children who have never seen a book!*

When Trees for life shows people they have unlimited potential, they believe it. They see that when a few people lock their minds as one, something extraordinary takes place.

There’s much more, but it all started with one amazing tree. The scientific name for the drumstick tree is Moringa. Those tasty edible pods I mentioned before, they look like drumsticks. (Don’t think “chickens,” think “percussion intrument.”) You’ll be fascinated by it’s uses and potential at the Trees For Life website. I suggest starting with the 4 minute video, then check out the Moringa pdf.

Oh, and one more thing. Trees For Life is based, of all places, in Kansas.

*(Did you know that when school textbooks are a couple of years old they frequently get shipped off to the mill to become paper towels? Is there a school or district you could contact about donating these books to Books For Life instead? They would be shipped to poor villages in English-speaking countries like India, and a LOT of little lives could be changed with your simple phone call.)

© 2008 Greg Tamblyn