The following is a session transcript of a conversation hosted as part of our Online Global Conference originally aired on Friday, October 8, 2021. We are launching or expanding work in countries and watersheds around the world: Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Mexico, and even a new
Empowered Women are Leading the Way
The following is a session transcript of a conversation hosted as part of our Online Global Conference originally aired on Thursday, October 7, 2021. One of the most compelling aspects of our global work is the way women and girls are empowered to lift their communities. In fact, many global
Hope Restored: A Conversation About Spiritual Impact
The following is a session transcript of a conversation hosted as part of our Online Global Conference originally aired on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. Do trees, farming, and savings really connect people to God? Spiritual renewal is happening around the world through our work. Come learn about the exciting next
The Change is Real: Measuring Impact & Results
The following is a session transcript of a conversation hosted as part of our Online Global Conference originally aired on Monday, October 4, 2021. We did a deep dive into our work over the past three years and what we discovered will surprise (and encourage) you! What’s working? What are
Remembering our friend, Peter Illyn
A reflection from our CEO Scott Sabin
On December 11th , the Church lost a pioneer, a prophet and someone whose voice should have been much more widely heard.
I first met Peter Illyn in 1996, at a conference convened by the Christian Environmental Council in Chattanooga. Of all the
How our international partners are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic
Many of you may be wondering how the virus impacts our international partners? The effects of this pandemic will be severe if they infiltrate communities like the ones where we work, as infrastructure is extremely limited. Many subsistence farmers are often immunocompromised. Please pray against its spread.
We have also been
A message from our CEO regarding Covid-19
Dear Friend,
This is strange and difficult time and, in many ways, we are heading into uncharted territory. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your partnership, to let you know how COVID-19 is affecting our work around the world, and finally, to ask how we might
Welcoming the Stranger: the Congolese community we could all learn from
Their past was riddled with conflict. Their future is about security and abundance.
Nobody would consider Kakumba an easy place to live. Simply getting to it takes extensive climbing up steep hills and mountain sides, on trails that are often inaccessible due to rain… or worse.
It wasn’t long ago
There’s no such thing as a sustainable trend
Environmental concern is urgent. It is also timeless.
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, wow, this sustainability trend sure is taking off, isn’t it?
You’d have good reason for thinking that. Fidelity, the investment giant declared last year as the year “sustainability went mainstream” declaring that “professional and private investors
Is bigger always better when it comes to forests? Not always.
We hear a lot about the importance of preserving the Earth’s major rainforests. What about forested areas that aren’t as vast?
The Amazon. The Australian brush. The Indonesian palm rainforests. The Congo Rainforest and Basin. A lot of these major rainforests are familiar names to people concerned about the fight
Sustainability cannot be achieved without indigenous leadership.
First Nations communities lose the most during climate change but often have the most insight on how to respond.
“These fires have obliterated entire forests, and, with it, they’re obliterating the cultural memory of our Aboriginal groups,” declared Bhiamie Eckford-Williamson, a Euahlayi indigenous research associate in Australia. “The burning of
Do alarming messages do more harm to environmental campaigns in the long run?
Is that even the right question to ask?
“The world was just issued a 12 year ultimatum on climate change”
“A terrifying look at the consequences of climate change”
“Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of ‘untold suffering’”
The above headlines ran on The Smithsonian, The Economist, and The Guardian, respectively.
Climate Change in the Eastern Congo: A current look at impact
Recent reports outline the extreme vulnerability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to climate change.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be one of the hardest places to live. Widespread hunger, the outbreak of epidemics, and political instability have led the UNDP to rank the central African
Generosity and partnership make all the difference
Our work over the past year is a testament to your contribution.
Plant With Purpose has just unveiled the fiscal year 2019 edition of its Annual Report. The report is a summary of program results, successes, and outputs over the past fiscal year. As a publication, it serves as a
A Decade of Growth and Generosity
-At the very beginning of the decade, Plant With Purpose was in the process of a major rebrand. While our team was contemplating our identity as an organization moving forward, world events reminded us of the urgency of our work. One of the strongest natural disasters of the decade struck
The Spiritual Roots: What Makes our Giving Tuesday Campaign a little different
We believe in looking at root causes- including spiritual roots
As an organization, we’ve long held the belief that in order to solve big problems, you need to look at root causes. A lot of energy is spent treating the symptoms of problems rather than the actual problems themselves. If
Poverty’s Last Frontier
We’ve made significant amounts of progress against poverty in recent times
When we look at things going wrong in the world, things like poverty and injustice, we must remember that it doesn’t have to be this way. God did not create the world intending for poverty and human suffering, and
Global Changes Show Us What is Possible
It can be easy to only notice the bad things going on in the world, especially when it comes to environmental issues. While it’s important to stay concerned and connected to the planet’s challenges, it’s equally important to stay tuned in to the stories of hope. These stories remind us
Right Now, Somewhere On Earth
Attention to our environmental condition often fades in and out. Things like news coverage or public concern may come and go, which sometimes makes it easy to forget that our ecological story is constantly unfolding. Here are some things that are happening right now.
Families are feeling the burden of
What you’ve made possible
In some ways it still feels like we just celebrated a new year, but then you realize: it’s halfway over. Time goes by like that sometimes, especially when you’re engaged in deep and immersive work. Right now is a good time to celebrate the work you’ve made possible for Plant
Milestones and Making Plans
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
The Roots of Everything
There’s no shortage of problems in the world to solve.
As a student, Philippe Lazaro knew he wanted to apply his international interests to help solve some of these problems, but getting started was a journey in and of itself.
A slew of internships and volunteer opportunities took him around
Introducing the Plant With Purpose GrassRoots Podcast!
Here’s fun news- we’re launching a podcast!
Over the past few months, our team has been arranging interviews, talking to fascinating individuals, and reflecting on our own experiences on the journey of environmental restoration all for the purpose of putting together a moving and informative podcast experience.
The show will
The Power of Investing in Mothers
What changes when you invest in mothers?
Mothers are a major part of any family. Whether it be a working mother of two or a stay at home mom, the mothers in our lives have helped shape us. The title of ‘mother’ is not a light load. Mothers are some
EarthX: Changing lives from Dallas to the DRC
Plant With Purpose and EarthX were Earth Week partners.
EarthX is an environmental forum where citizens, educators, business leaders, students, nonprofits, and leaders can take action towards a more sustainable future by exploring a variety of solutions. Plant With Purpose came for the second year in a row, connecting with
Everyday Restoration
Restoration happens through everyday decisions
At a glance, environmental restoration looks like a very large undertaking—and that’s true, in part. Threats to the health of the planet have reached an urgent, global scale. But the magnitude of the challenge should not distract us from this simple reality:
Environmental change
What Purpose Partners do different
Purpose Partners are more than just donors. They’re believers.
If you want to know what keeps our work going, look no further than our Purpose Partner community. Our support from these monthly donors means that every month, rural communities plant forests. Mothers in Tanzania, Burundi, and the DRC open small
Plant With Purpose is launching in Ethiopia
In 2019, Plant With Purpose will begin program work in Ethiopia
We are extremely excited to announce that this year we will begin working with families and communities in rural Ethiopia.
In mid-2018, we were approved to begin working. We have appointed Getnet Takere to serve as the Pilot Project Manager,
A worthy investment
If you’re a Purpose Partner, if you’ve started a fundraiser for Plant With Purpose, or if you’ve ever donated towards our mission of reversing poverty and deforestation, you should know that your donations weren’t a hand-out. It’s more accurate to think of your gift as an investment. The financial growth
She won’t be kept down
Twelve years ago, the village of San Isidro Trementina was devastated
The small, rural community in Mexico was made up of farmers. When the land was well, the crops grew and the people were well. When the land suffered, so did the crops and the people in the village.
Then,
The wisdom of Jah Cho
Jah Cho’s smile is contagious
If you catch Jah Cho among his neighbors in Northern Thailand, you won’t have to wait very long before he offers up some jokes. His many stories, told in his Lahu dialect, are always accompanied with a big smile and belly laugh. Jah Cho is
Celebrating the Old and New
Welcome to 2019! It’s an excellent time to both look back and look ahead at the many things worth celebrating and anticipating. Last year was one of our strongest yet- we are planting more trees, working in more communities, and putting more of your generosity to good use than ever
Parenthood vs. Poverty
Being a parent means wanting the best for your children. This simple desire is present in parents no matter what part of the world they live in, and it allows parents from California to the Congo, from Haiti to Hollywood to relate to each other.
While all families want these
The Pride of Aleaulwa
Poverty is a serious threat to many families
Millions of families around the world live in poverty, but their hopes are pretty similar to the hopes of most other families. Parents want to be able to put their kids through school to get a strong education. Children hope to grow
The significance of a social fund
Savings groups help rural communities grow out of poverty through their own resources. As members gain the opportunity to save their money, that money is then lent out to reinvest back into the community through small businesses, livestock, education, and other means.
Alongside that activity, however, groups also gather a
This is what gratitude looks like
At the end of each year, many of us try to turn our focus towards gratitude. We reflect on what really matters in our lives. We take inventory of blessings. We go around the table at Thanksgiving to share what we are thankful for, then reinforce our gratitude in family
Here’s what families hope for in Tanzania
35,958.
That is the amount of families currently working directly with Plant With Purpose across eight countries. As we seek to grow and expand, its important to look at what families experience on an individual level.
A typical family in Tanzania is a good representation of the hopes and worries
Grateful and sustainable: keys to a sustainable holiday
Many people associate Thanksgiving with consuming large amounts of meat, the heaviest travel days of the year, and spending most of the day recovering from overeating by watching sports or TV shows.
Nothing about that is very sustainable, yet gratitude and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Being a wise steward of our
Say hello to Señor Cheo
In his village, there were no banks. And that was a big problem.
Palmarito is in the rural Dominican Republic. Like many rural parts of the country, the community lacked banks.
This wasn’t just an inconvenience. Having somewhere to save your money makes a big difference in economic wellness. Having
Eat more sustainably. Eat every part.
Eating every part of produce items is a valuable habit to help reduce food waste.
Just about every person is guilty of it in some way or another; we waste a lot of food. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household in the United States tosses out about
A new outlook- and a new look- in La Represa
In the central hills of the Dominican Republic sits a community that has been part of the Plant With Purpose family for many years. La Represa has become an exciting example of what kind of change is possible when we invest in holistic change.
Once they faced a situation familiar
A STORYteller’s notes
A couple weeks ago, our team had the opportunity to go to STORY Gathering in Nashville, Tennessee. As far as the conference goes, it’s so unlike other conferences that it’s a bit hard to describe. In short, it’s a place for people who believe that a well-told story can change
What is silvopasture and why does it matter?
What is silvopasture?
Silvopasture is a farming method that has the potential to relieve some of the planet’s biggest environmental problems. Estimates suggest that has the capacity to reduce carbon dioxide by 31.19 gigatons of and the potential for over $650 billion in economic savings.
Millions of rural farmers around
The Eye of Water
It started with a different vision.
About twenty years ago, a visit to the community of Ojo de Agua, “the eye of water” in Mexico’s Mixteca region would have looked quite different. The steep hillside would have been brown and dry.
For years, the people of Ojo de Agua relied
Why diversify? Just ask Arfanio
Diversify!
Visit any farmer field school across Plant With Purpose’s international programs, and you’ll find people enthusiastic about why you should diversify your crops and income.
Why? To put it simply, diversity is strength.
In many developing countries, farmers have been encouraged to over-invest in a single cash crop.
Why a better floor indicates a better future
A typical decision made by rural families:
Imagine this scenario: You are a parent living in rural Burundi. For years you’ve struggled to earn an income of about 80 cents a day. With five children to feed, things have never been easy.
Lately, however, things have started to look a
The Way of the Problem Solver
“We will be known by the problems we solve,” says Jeff Shinabarger, the founder of Plywood Presents.
Plywood Presents was a gathering of nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, and purpose driven creatives in Atlanta that our team had the opportunity to attend. The gathering’s strong focus on solving the problems that
Statelessness, Status, and Solutions: A unique challenge in Thailand
Statelessness is a serious issue for many populations in Northern Thailand.
Last month, the world’s attention turned to Northern Thailand, as a difficult and bold rescue operation sought to free a boy’s soccer team that had been trapped in the Tham Luang Cave for over two weeks. After surviving for
The climb up Kilimanjaro and out of poverty
A team from Plant With Purpose recently climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
About a month ago, a group from Plant With Purpose took on the challenge of climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. The group included Executive Director Scott Sabin and Board Chair Cindy Outlaw, along
The changed life of Pablo
Ruta 1 transects the Dominican Republic from north to south. While it is a major road, an hour away from it sit a number of communities that are quiet. Rural. Often overlooked.
Maizal is one of these communities.
Here, you won’t find any banks, any grocery stores, or any major
What is environmental freedom?
Environmental degradation rids farming families of their ability to make choices
The connection between people’s freedom and the environment isn’t one made very often. For an overwhelming part of the world’s population, however, the ability to make decisions hinges on the health of their ecosystems.
Freedom is the ability to
How to support local communities while traveling
Does tourism help or harm local populations? That answer is as varied as the list of places to go and things to do.
Do a couple of quick searches on Google, and you’ll find lots of examples of locals bemoaning instances where tourists have trashed nearby natural spots or
There’s a reason God placed us right where we are.
Our homes are no mere coincidence.
How often do you think about the reasons God has placed us in the physical locations where we live? Some of us might think about this quite a bit, especially if we’ve undergone a major transition or if we felt led to our current
Environmental solutions come from leaders who listen
Five voices we should listen to as we take action to care for creation.
Good leaders are good listeners.
We don’t always listen like we should.
Noisy conversations online and in the media show that people are anxious to be heard. The demand for good listeners is high, the
How a healthy environment can keep fathers with their families
Fatherhood is extremely important.
This Father’s Day, we’re taking the time to remember the importance of dads.
Studies make it pretty clear that the presence of a father or father figure plays a big role in a child’s eventual success. Children with involved fathers, stepfathers, or father figures are far
For Julius, sustainability protects a family legacy
Julius’ farm is one of the most vibrant sites in his village.
The village of Rombo sits high atop of its Tanzanian watershed. In one of the highest parts of Rombo, you’ll find a large farm growing bananas, sugar, cabbage, amongst a variety of other crops. The area surrounding the
Results, processes, people: All of it matters
When working with teams that cross different cultures and other boundaries, it’s important to value results, processes, and people.
Plant With Purpose values constant learning and continual improvement. With the goal of learning and improving our internal processes, we recently conducted a staff retreat in Southern California.
One of the
Keys to a sustainable summer
Summer gives us an opportunity to develop and strengthen sustainable habits.
For many of us, this has been a long awaited moment. I’m talking, of course, about the beginning of summer. Whether that means freedom from the demands of a school year, more opportunities to leave your jacket behind at
Rising up to face the three big threats
Plant With Purpose exists to respond to three of the biggest threats that face our planet right now.
Environmental degradation. Poverty. Spiritual despair. These three crises aren’t just concepts, but active threats to the lives and well-being of people all around the world.
These three issues are so deeply connected.
This community in Haiti is a hub of entrepreneurs
When you think of hubs where entrepreneurs and start-ups are birthed, places like Silicon Valley, Austin, or Manhattan may come to mind. In rural Haiti, however, is a village where new economic opportunities, innovation, and empowerment have enabled a community of entrepreneurs to create better lives for themselves and their
Celebrating the moms who have it the hardest
We remember the moms in places where raising children is extremely difficult.
There are some places around the world where motherhood is extremely difficult. In many of the communities where Plant With Purpose works, moms have to overcome poverty, food insecurity, disease, and conflict in order to make life better
DRC: The urgency of unity
Right now is a volatile time for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In February, The Economist issued a magazine cover picturing a Congolese soldier with the headline Heading back to hell: Congo in Peril.
This is a headline nobody wants to see.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Time to do something
The environmental threats to our Earth demand that we do something and take action!
Every year, the Earth loses enough forest to cover land the same size as the country of Panama. At this rate, it will be less than a century before its forests are gone completely.
The needs
Environmental stewardship is a spiritual calling
Sustainability isn’t a chore, it’s a calling
Future generations will be living the world we shape through our actions. Today, there are many reasons to be concerned.
People all around the world are consume resources that are disproportionate to their population size. A recent study done by Washington State University,
The people behind the purpose: Sophie
One of the most exciting things that comes with growth for Plant With Purpose is adding new people to the team. Recently, Sophie Casmano joined our team to help strengthen our fundraising efforts. Sophie brings a passion for sustainability and some impressive baking skills to our San Diego office. We
The Earth Can’t Wait
The time to take action is right now
Deforestation is a crisis that isn’t talked about nearly enough
Every second, one and a half acres of forest is cut down.
Half of the world’s tropical forests have already been cleared.
At the rate we’re going, there will be no more
Three ways to celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22, 2018
Go outside
What better way to celebrate creation than to spend some time deeply immersed in it?
Our desire to worship swells whenever we find ourselves in awe of something beautiful.
After all, God took time to admire the world after creation.
The WHY behind our website
You may have noticed we’ve got a new look.
If you’re reading this post, you are most likely on the new plantwithpurpose.org.
This month, we re-launched our digital home. Our new look is meant to bring you closer to our programs all around the world. We believe strongly in the
The world’s poorest communities dispel a major myth about the environment
Environmental conversations aren’t only about major players.
In most ongoing conversations about the planet’s environmental issues, you’ll frequently hear the names of major actors: The United States Government, the Vatican, the oil industry, and the United Nations. These usually-controversial entities often stir up the debate of what should be given
Address root causes
There is no shortage of causes around the world to care about. Every year, thousands of new nonprofit organizations file paperwork to start programs. For people wanting to make an impact, often the problem isn’t finding opportunities to make a difference but choosing one!
The Plant With Purpose team has
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
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,
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
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
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,
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,
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.
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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 […]
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