Fighting diabetes with tea

Age is nothing but a number. At 21 years old, the young Cameroonian Vanessa Zommi is working hard to have an impact in the health habits in her country.
In order to honor her grandparents who lost their battle against diabetes and in order to help her mother fight the same disease, she launched Afya Tea, which is an healthy tea made with moringa leaves. This healthy herbal tea seeks to provide the most natural solution to control diabetes in the absence of a cure …

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Mrs Vanessa Zommi

Mrs Zommi’s journey started with an extensive research on diabetes. She discovered that about 10% of Cameroon’s population have, or are at risk of having diabetes. She also found that poverty is one of the leading causes of diabetes as a lot of cheap foods are high in sugar. The high cost of treatment for the disease put healthcare out of the reach of a major part of the population hence the need for a cheap alternative.
While looking for natural and cheap remedies to fight diabetes, Vanessa witnessed the healthy impact of moringa leaves on the lives of people around her. The moringa leaf has over 40 known antioxidants and is effective against various types of diabetes because of its ability of reducing blood sugar levels. It also provides dietary supplements and boosts the body’s immune system. According to her, studies show that drinking moringa tea after a meal can ease digestion : after two hours of intake, sugar levels in the body drop. Within a six week period, Afya Tea ran series of lab tests, to test for Afya Tea’s antidiabetic properties. Results showed that Afya Tea can reverse diabetes in diabetic rats and lower the glucose level in healthy animals.
Even if she was first motivated by her mom’s well-being, she quickly realized that  “the moringa solution” could help other people in Cameroon and in Africa. Therefore, in 2013 she started processing the Moringa leaf into tea, before selling it as a convenient and enjoyable health supplement. She started the distribution in Molyko, a neighborhood town in Buea, the city where she studied Chemical Engineering.

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Farmers in moringa fields

Zommi wants to have a positive impact in her community. Therefore, she trains local farmers on how to grow moringa. This is a great opportunity for them to become more independant on the financial plan. She is also working to expand the distribution to all regions of Cameroon. She wants to increase the percentage of tea drinkers in Cameroon from 5% to 40% by the year 2025.

Despite the efforts, Afya Tea needs money to definitely take off. This is why the young company has launched a crowdfunding campaign which is aimed at raising $150,000 for the automated and large-scale production to meet up with worldwide demands in a very prompt fashion. This campaign is also the opportunity to actively join in the fight against diabetes, while empowering small scale farmers in Africa.

What You Need to Know

The World Health Organization research estimates 190 million people in the World suffering from diabetes and this number is expected to double by the year 2025. Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50% in the next decade. 80% of diabetes deaths are now occurring in low and middle-income communities. According to the Joslin Diabetes Center of Harvard Medical School, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a host of long term complications- among these are heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure and blood vessel diseases which might lead to amputation, nerve damage and impotence in men.

How Can You Support?

Follow this link and make a donation or buy a perk: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/afya-tea-a-supplement-to-help-manage-diabetes-energy-health–2#/

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