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All, Thailand, Updates
Sustainability means giving beyond our own lives
Jah Cho has seen how hard life can be. In Northern Thailand you'll find dozens of small villages where several ethnic minorities live. Many tribal groups have never been granted national citizenship. Many have faced persecution from the state. It isn’t uncommon to find older adults willing to talk about how they once had to […]
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All, Thailand, Updates
Farms, Food, and Family: Khamsee’s Transformation
For years Khamsee was unable to put food on the table. Much of Thailand has grown internationally familiar as the country has boomed as a tourist hot spot in recent years. Cities like Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai see the bulk of visitors. Many of the country’s rural areas, however, garner far less attention. In […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
Global change requires empowering locals
Solutions that really last are the ones driven by locals. When people are full-fledged participants in the process, lasting change begins. There are many cases where an organization or think-tank enters a village with a technology-driven innovation that seems guaranteed to eradicate disease, prevent droughts, or halt poverty. The local community, however, doesn't always embrace […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
One of the hardest working people you'll ever meet
Emma provides the world with a valuable crop - coffee. As a farmer in Tanzania, she produces between 300,000 and 400,000 vegetables each week. Emma works extremely hard, digging trenches and harvesting her crops by hand. Chief among her crops is one that millions of people around the world find extremely valuable– coffee. Coffee is […]
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All, Mexico, Updates
Violence disrupted her family; now she’s fighting it by the roots
Violence plagued the village of Poblete, and disrupted Juana’s family. Juana, her husband, and their three children lived in Poblete, located in one of Mexico’s poorest areas which suffered from widespread violence. For years, the village experienced tension and crime. When environmental damage caused its farms to produce less food, things took a turn for […]
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All, Mexico, Updates
When trees go up, poverty comes down
Without trees, the rural poor are often stuck in a cycle of poverty and environmental loss. The conditions of poverty create a strain on land, and exhausted land threatens the livelihood of the farmers who live there. This was a scenario that challenged Eleuterio, a seed producer in Coatecas Altas, Mexico. Before, his community exclusively […]
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All, DR Congo, Updates
Motherhood is difficult. In DR Congo, it’s simply daunting
The Democratic Republic of Congo is among the worst places to be a mom. Each year, Save the Children releases an annual motherhood report that determines the best and worst places to become a mother. In 2012, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reached the very bottom of that list. It has continually ranked in […]
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All, Haiti, Updates
The earthquake that changed everything and nothing
Plant With Purpose committed to showing up. Few events stand out in the memory of Plant With Purpose’s executive director Scott Sabin like the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. As news broke on that Monday in early January, the organization had to quickly figure out how to respond to an event that claimed 300,000 lives […]
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All, Haiti, Updates
Empowerment writes a different story in the hills of Haiti
Good intentions often produce harmful results in Haiti. Haiti is a hot spot for charity organizations and well-intentioned people wanting to help. The country is often recognized by its poverty as the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and the victim of natural disasters. Unfortunately, the presence of these good intentions have not always produced great […]
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All, Dominican Republic, Updates
Save money. Find something you’re good at
Marcos and Maria are a couple full of joy. The community of La Joya is nestled an hour away from Piedra Blanca in the Dominican Republic. Those living in living these rural areas often lag behind the rest of the country’s economic development. As the Dominican Republic experiences economic growth, the gap in between the […]
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All, Dominican Republic, Updates
Putting the world's biggest problems in reverse
Poverty and deforestation are harsh on vulnerable populations. For generations, the community of La Joya in the Dominican Republic relied on farming. Good production of coffee and graperfuit allowed pig and cattle farmers to produce enough for their families and people. This all started to change as deforestation began and brought many problems. A lack […]
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All, Burundi, Updates
What would people think of me if they knew I was in an armed group?
Sometimes people go to war. But in some cases, war comes for people. Africa’s Great Lakes Region is no stranger to conflict. Its past few decades have seen attempts at ethnic cleansing, the conscription of child soldiers, and tribes turning against tribes. The natural beauty of the area contrasts alarmingly with moments of brutality. When […]
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All, Dominican Republic, Updates
A Farmer's Purpose
Like much of the world, Andres relied on land to provide. Getting to Andres’ farm from any of the Dominican Republic’s main roads takes a series of dusty streets and switchbacks. The closer you get to the farm, the more and more it starts to look like the Garden of Eden, with coffee, bananas, cassava, […]
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About Our Work, All, Updates
What is poverty, anyway?
Understanding poverty can be complex Plant With Purpose strives for a world without poverty, where all people have the opportunity to thrive. That requires understanding the obstacles people face. We are constantly improving our own understanding of poverty to empower individuals and communities. Thanks to your support, we’ve seen incredible progress. On average, families working with […]
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About Our Work, All, Updates
The brutal connection between poverty and deforestation
When you live off the land, trees are critical. In order to care for those affected by poverty, it’s important to understand what poverty really looks like. You may envision an overcrowded urban slum. Globally, however, 85 percent of the world’s poor live in rural settings and rely on agriculture to survive. When things are going […]
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