It’s the end of a fiscal year for Plant With Purpose, and this one leaves us with a lot to celebrate.
This year saw the 30 millionth tree planted by Plant With Purpose, and that is a very big cause for celebration.
Each tree plays a major role in environmental respiration. Through transpiration, assisting in the dispersal of rainfall, and the protection of groundwater, trees are able to help keep sensitive locations resilient against drought. In addition, trees maintain soil fertility. They provide shade and absorb carbon in the fight against climate change.
Plant With Purpose’s participants understand this best. Messoyel in Haiti admits that seeing somebody damage a tree on his land almost feels like watching somebody harm a member of the family.
In Tanzania trees commemorate life. The Tanzanian Lutheran Churches plant trees to mark baptisms. Plant With Purpose’s Tanzanian team hosts a competition between communities to see who can plant the most trees.
In January, a year of friendly competition culminated in a gathering of participating groups, some traveling in from miles. The local festivities attracted plenty of media attention from within Tanzania. The whole event came with an atmosphere of celebration.
The children of Poblete now look towards a brighter future.
We’re also celebrating new beginnings.
This year saw our Plant With Purpose family grow in a number of different ways.
One of the most anticipated new beginnings was the launch of our Ethiopian program in Bahir Dar. At the time of writing, four savings groups have formed and a total of $69 have been accumulated in equity. It may be a simple number at such an early stage, but we are excited to see what it grows into.
The beginning of a new program meant the addition of new staff partners. We welcomed Getnet Takereke and his local staff to the team.
Of course Ethiopia isn't the only new place for Plant With Purpose. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we’ve launched in the Kambekulu watershed, which neighbors the area of Kakumba that we began working in in 2015. Our Thailand partners brought us to new watersheds as well, and all other countries saw new growth in their own ways.
Growth is exciting but it comes about because of years of dedicated effort and strategy. For that we couldn’t be more thankful.
Christina's community works together
We’re gearing up for what comes next.
This year will go down as Plant a With Purpose’s strongest fundraising year yet.
We believe that is a sign that our biggest days and best work is ahead of us and we can’t wait. Next year we will launch a podcast, explore new partnerships, and finalize our strategy for the next season of Plant With Purpose.
In May, we brought together the whole family to plan for this; all staff members, international program directors, and board members converged in Ramona, California to strategize.
While we’re ready and excited to grow, we realize that this growth would respond to an urgent and timely need. Many of the recent reports surrounding climate and mass extinction reveal that the urgency of taking action is upon us.
We’ll continue to need your support in the next year and the years ahead. But after seeing where it’s gotten us that far, we’re excited to partner for years to come.
Want to make your commitment regular? When you become a Purpose Partner, your monthly commitment will ensure that our partners will be able to equip their villages with the tools to combat environmental threats. Want to sign up? Click here.
