“I believe that planting trees and taking care of the land is the best method of sustainable development and restoring the environment to its original condition at both a personal and country-wide level. If you had visited our area before, you would notice the environment was losing its quality as people randomly cut down trees, our water sources were depleted during the summer, there were bare lands with no trees and low soil fertility. Now, my community’s relationship with the environment has changed enormously as a result of Plant With Purpose’s activities. I personally plant about 150 trees annually around my farm area and as a group we plant about 1,800 to 2,500 trees annually in different areas including around water sources, institutions, and other areas in our village. This has been impactful to my life and community because through planting trees, we experience changes of water availability in our village and improved weather conditions.”

After being widowed, Kanael could have despaired, but instead she hoped in God and believed she could raise her three children on her own. “I knew, despite the fact that I’m a widow, I have to work hard to get money to take my children to school and construct a modern house. My children had dreams to achieve in life, and I have always wanted to see them growing and have a good life.” After some women in her community invited her to learn more about Purpose Groups, Kanael decided to join. Kanael was able to save money from a small business selling bananas in the marketplace. Over time and with the help of several loans, Kanael expanded her banana business, built a modern house, and began raising chickens, pigs, and a cow. Her relationship with her children, her neighbors, and her community continue to grow as she works hard to provide the life she wants to see for her children.

“We invested so much into agriculture, but the returns were low. Our environment was not as provident and beautiful as it is now, and I didn’t even feel the need to have a constant supply of water at home. As a mother, having hungry children was so devastating that I decided it was time I do something about it. I started seeing my neighbors’ lives changing for the better. I decided to ask them what they do to afford their daily meals and improve their agricultural yields. They told me about Plant With Purpose and how it impacted their lives. This was eight years ago when I first joined a Purpose Group.” Today, “My life has improved so much, and I couldn’t have done it without their support. I have achieved most of my dreams today, and now have the courage to stand and testify about my life as a proud ambassador of Plant With Purpose.”