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Central African Republic – Nuns Grow Algae to Fight Rampant Malnutrition in War-Torn CAR
Nuns at the St. Joseph Health Centre in Bangui, Central African
Republic, grow their own algae as a supplement for malnourished children who
have suffered the ravages of war
since 2013. Photo by Sebastian Rich
By Sebastian Rich
March 27, 2015
BANGUI, Central African Republic — Dawn had barely broken over
the capital city of war-torn Central African Republic. For a few minutes the
golden glow of the early morning sun gave the beleaguered city a picture
postcard look.
It’s a morning light that we photographer’s covet; we call it
“The Golden Hour.” The light is softer at dawn, with a depth of contrast that
we find desirable. But this moment is very short and vanishes all too quickly
as the sun slowly rises.
The green algae known as spirulina is a source of protein,
B-vitamins and iron.
Unfortunately this so-called golden hour can give an illusion of
comfort to any subject, and in the case of the crumbling and broken city of
Bangui, which has been caught in the crossfire between warring Muslim and
Christian groups. it needs all the help it can get.
But on this occasion I can’t camouflage or misrepresent the
effects of a terrible, vicious civil war that has ripped this country and its
capital apart. My cameras reluctantly remain at my side as I step through the
rusting gates of St. Joseph Health Centre.
St. Joseph has seen the worst of the worst come through its doorway
in a war that has claimed
thousands of lives and displaced
hundreds of thousands since December 2012. And one of the saddest
effects of the conflict has been malnutrition, says Sister Margherita Floris,
who has been the driving force of the medical center for more than 20 years.
She tells me that the number of children being treated for acute
malnutrition in Bangui “is so so many, too many, I can’t count, but we try to
do our very best.”
The nuns of the centre, who serve women and children with pre
and post-natal care, do their best to alleviate the suffering of children with
acute malnutrition. They have literally taken matters into their own hands.
Instead of waiting for high protein supplements from NGO’s,
which more often than not get held up because of security issues across the
country, a couple of years ago the nuns took the advice of a passing French
pharmacist who gave them the formula and the technical skills to grow the vitamin rich
green algae spirulina in their own back yard.
With materials begged and borrowed from the local community, the
nuns single-handedly built the concrete tanks that would eventually grow the
algae.
The U.S.’s National
institutes of Health reports that though early research on the use
of this type of algae for malnutrition in infants and children has been mixed,
undernourished children who were given spirulina with a combination of other
food gained weight.
Spirulina contains all of the essential amino acids plus
minerals like iron. The algae is also a good source of protein,
according to the USDA.
Sister Margherita’s eyes sparkle with satisfaction as she tells
me “none of our babies die anymore, we have a huge success with this.”
The nuns at St. Joseph’s serve pregnant women before during and
after they give birth.
According to the United Nations, more children will die in CAR
from malnutrition and related diseases than from bullets.
Malnutrition is even more deadly in the rainy season, when diarrhoea and
malaria are at their peak. Both diseases put the lives of already malnourished
children in danger. It is estimated that 28,000 children in CAR will suffer
from acute malnutrition this year alone.
The sisters of St. Joseph have are helping to reduce this
staggering number. Nutritionists globally have recommended to governments that
spirulina be used on a large scale to combat malnutrition because of its
excellent nutritional value as well as its cost effectiveness.