Virginie is a farmer and the mother of six children. In 2017, her husband went into exile in Tanzania, and she became the head of the household. “I was so poor that even our children's school fees, firewood, and daily rations were a big problem. … It was in 2019 that I decided to join the Purpose Group organized by Plant With Purpose which has now become a second family.” Through her Purpose Group activities, Virginie was able to purchase livestock and increase food production so much that her children are able to eat three times a day instead of only once like before. When her husband in exile fell ill, she was able to send money for his medicine. Today, Viriginie is truly a pillar in her household and community. She helps her neighbors who are in conflict and plans to start a small business selling improved stoves.

Ella lives with her husband in the Siguvyaye I watershed, where Plant With Purpose began work in fiscal year 2022. Ella has been a Purpose Group member since August 2021. She shares her experience less than six month into our partnership: “These training sessions led me to change my cultivation methods to prioritize environmental restoration and generational health. I decided to make compost using leftover crops, kitchen scraps, and manure from the barn. I planted different varieties of agroforestry trees during this silvicultural season and finally saw an increase in soil fertility and conservation. … With only this short time spent with Plant With Purpose, I am completely changed. My perspective now is directed towards bodily and spiritual self-development. I have learned to finally serve as a role model in my family and to those around me.”

Ernest has been a member of a savings group through HOPE International for eleven years. Through this group, he and his wife received “loans to buy agricultural fields and begin a small business. However, agricultural production remained low and undiversified.” In 2021, with the support of Plant With Purpose, agroecology training was introduced to Ernest’s savings group, and he was selected as the local facilitator. “Although I was considered a modern farmer in the community, I learned a lot of things that I did not know before. … Learning about the importance of agroforestry and native trees in restoring soil fertility prompted me to buy an unfertilized field. I plan to plant various species of agroforestry trees there to restore soil fertility to that of a natural forest. After a few years, I will plant crops in expectation that the fertility of this field will be restored due to the integration of trees.” Today, Ernest no longer has to buy vegetables at the market to eat, and he has the knowledge to expand his productive agricultural lands.