If it’s a moringa tree, then the answer is a resounding “YES!” Here are just a few of the ways that moringa can bring hope to those in need of nutritious food, clean water and economic opportunity.

Moringa is a multi-purpose tree and nearly all parts are edible. When the fresh leaves are cooked and eaten like spinach or dried and crushed into a powder then added to other foods, it is like taking a super-charged multi-vitamin. Amazingly, the moringa leaf contains all 8 essential amino acids and a high level of protein, which is very rare for a plant.

Through a simple process of crushing the seeds and stirring them into dirty water, moringa seeds will clean the water making it 95-98% pure. The seeds also contain a high oil content (nearly twice that of sunflower seeds). The oil is very fine and is comparable to olive oil. It may be used in cooking, in cosmetics manufacture or as a light machine oil.

And this is just the beginning! Check out what’s happening in Benin, West Africa.