An Intereseting Journey To ECHO

Super tall Bamboo, Miracle fruit, big chunks of bananas, water clarification with Moringa Seeds, oh and of course, the goats. These were some examples that caught our attention when we visited ECHO (Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization) in North Fort Myers, FL. It was one of those humid and hot days in Florida, so when our guide told us that it would be short we were all very happy. However, we did not know that “short” meant over two hours. It was absolutely worth it, though, as it was really fascinating.

Let me share some basic information on ECHO. It is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization. Its mission is to help those working internationally with the poor be more effective, especially in the area of agriculture. They focus on three aspects: education and training, innovative options and networking. Their programs are well-organized in order to train those considering missionary service or other direct involvement with communities in developing countries. Hunger is a great issue in many places but especially in the developing countries. There are close to one billion people living in hunger around world. Furthermore, a child dies from hunger-related causes in every 12 seconds.

We walked through the majority of ECHO`s campus and saw many interesting methodologies as well as plant species. Some pictures here show what we saw. The bamboos were very tall and I think these were the tallest bamboos I have ever seen. Bamboo is one of the most useful and versatile plants in the world. It can be used for construction, animal fodder, shade and food.

One of the most surprising plants was this little red Miracle Fruit that has the ability to change tastes so that sour food taste sweet. One of my classmates tried it too. He tasted a sour fruit then ate the miracle fruit and had another bite from the sour and he said that it did taste much sweeter.

I am glad we had a good class for this trip because even if it was hot we still had a great time. If you look at the picture, which we called “Garden Angels” I am sure you will understand.

Then we also fed goats, who really appreciated the plants we gave them. So that was fun too.

Finally the last part of the trip our guide introduced us a couple ways of cooking, heating and cleaning water. I found it really interesting how seeds of the Moringa Oleifera tree could purify water. As a matter of fact, since the 1970`s studies have been conducted and found that Moringa seeds were the most effective when it comes to clarifying water with natural materials.

All in all, the ECHO trip was an amusing and entertaining journey and I like it that it was part of our colloquium course as I might have never got the chance to go otherwise. It was not only educational, but a good way for bonding as a class.