About Our Work
Discover real-world stories of communities overcoming poverty and deforestation! Plant With Purpose, a Christian non-profit, shares examples of environmental sustainability and stewardship from all around the world. These stories show us how faith, resilience, and sustainable practices transform people’s lives as well as their environment. As rural families overcome poverty and heal the planet, embrace empowerment, renewal, and hope.
About Our Work, DR Congo, Tanzania, Thailand
Local Innovations Build Resilience: How Plant With Purpose Supports Communities to Thrive
Outside aid arriving to “fix” a community’s problems can often do more harm in the long run. Lasting change doesn’t come from handouts. It comes when barriers are removed and communities are empowered to build resilience and create their own solutions. At Plant With Purpose, our model is not designed to just offer help. It […]
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About Our Work, Environmental Restoration
Change Belongs in Local Hands
At Plant With Purpose, we believe the future belongs to local communities. That’s why we don’t see people as projects, but as partners. Every Purpose Group writes its own bylaws. Every leader is elected by the members, who are also their neighbors. Every farmer is both a student and a teacher. Because when change is […]
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About Our Work
Three Ways Plant With Purpose Practices Partners Not Projects
At Plant With Purpose, one of our most important commitments is to treat the communities we work alongside not as projects to be fixed, but as partners in transformation. We call this approach Partners Not Projects. This principle is not just a slogan. It is a foundational practice that shapes the way we restore watersheds, […]
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About Our Work, Burundi, DR Congo, Haiti
Abundance is more than wealth
In the world of international development, economic indicators often dominate the conversation. How much has household income increased? How many small businesses were launched? These metrics are important, but they’re only part of the story. What about trust between neighbors? Spiritual renewal? The return of birds and pollinators to a once-barren field? Or a parent […]
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About Our Work, Our Response
Rethinking Empowerment: What We Mean When We Say It, and Why It Matters
Empowerment is one of those words that frequently appears in conversations about global development. At Plant With Purpose, it’s a core value. It's central to how we approach our mission and how we describe the way we approach our work. But we also recognize that it can be a complex term. We believe that the […]
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About Our Work, Sustainability
Theology in Action: How Faith Shapes Sustainability
At its core, Christian environmentalism is about transformation—of hearts, habits, and habitats; theology in action. Faith-based environmental organizations, such as Plant With Purpose, operate on the belief that the ecological crisis facing our world is deeply tied to spiritual brokenness. Restoring the land goes hand in hand with restoring our relationship with God and with […]
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About Our Work, Environmental Restoration
What Christian Environmentalists Need to Know About Agroforestry
Agroforestry aka forest farming—the integration of trees into agricultural landscapes—has emerged as one of the most effective strategies for both environmental restoration and poverty alleviation. It isn’t just a new agricultural trend. It’s a transformative practice that empowers communities to break free from cycles of poverty while caring for the land they depend on. For […]
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About Our Work
The Role of Agroforestry in Reducing Poverty and Boosting Livelihoods
When Andres first stepped onto his hillside farm in the Dominican Republic, he was facing more than just a struggling crop—he was facing the reality of a life trapped in poverty. His coffee plants, once the backbone of his livelihood, had been devastated by disease. With few alternatives and seven children to feed, his future […]
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About Our Work
Why Do We Plant Trees?
Farmers who partner with Plant With Purpose have planted 76.6 million trees to date, and are projected to plant another 11 million in fiscal year 2026! But tree planting hasn’t always been our goal. When our CEO Scott Sabin first joined Plant With Purpose as an intern in 1993, he wasn’t particularly interested in planting trees. In fact, tree planting seemed like a distraction from the “real” mission of reducing rural poverty. Today, people new to Plant With Purpose may also wonder: what is the connection between helping people thrive and planting trees? The answer lies in the unique geographies of the watersheds we work in, where trees and livelihoods are inextricably intertwined.
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About Our Work, Dominican Republic, Haiti
Building Roads, Building Futures
The deeper meaning behind road building initiatives in rural Haiti Plant With Purpose focuses its efforts on rural communities. This is because rural communities are at the crossroads of poverty and climate change, but also because they have tremendous potential to drive change. These communities often face significant challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, and […]
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About Our Work, blog, Environmental Restoration, Sustainability
Combating Desertification Through Strategic Tree Planting
Desertification, the degradation of fertile land into unproductive desert, is a pressing global challenge. It's driven by factors like overgrazing, deforestation, climate change, and unsustainable agricultural practices. However, strategic tree planting is a powerful tool to combat this crisis. By understanding the science behind desertification and implementing well-planned tree-planting initiatives, we can restore arid lands, […]
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About Our Work, Environmental Restoration, Haiti
The Connection Between Tree Planting and Food Security
Take a look at Haiti, for example. For years, Haiti has been caught in the crosshairs of political instability and environmental degradation–two massive threats to food security. The landscape in Haiti is also often hilly and barren, making it difficult to grow crops on a farm. In many parts of the country, the lack of […]
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About Our Work, Tanzania
Partnering with schools in Tanzania for a greener, brighter future
In the Tanzanian watershed of Shengena West sits a secondary school. It is one of several schools in Tanzania that have begun to partner with Plant With Purpose to further the environmental improvement of the area. Under the leadership of its headmaster, the Vudee Secondary School began its collaboration a few years ago and currently […]
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About Our Work, DR Congo
Empowering Women Through Tree Planting Initiatives in Agriculture
How tree planting is becoming a transformative tool for empowering women in rural agriculture, creating new opportunities for growth and leadership. In recent years, tree-planting initiatives have emerged as a powerful tool for sustainable development and environmental conservation. Beyond their ecological benefits, these initiatives are also playing a crucial role in empowering women in rural […]
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About Our Work, Resources
Beyond the Dollar Sign: Measuring Poverty
Measuring poverty is more complex than a simple calculation of income. While income is a crucial factor, it paints an incomplete picture, especially in the context of international rural development like the work of Plant With Purpose. Here's why a one-dimensional statistic like income falls short of adequately measuring poverty: Income isn't the only story. […]
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