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 in local hands organized by local leadership, it lasts. It multiplies. It ripples outward into stronger families, thriving farms, and flourishing forests. And it inspires a new story of resilience, justice, and hope for that community.
Why Local Leadership Matters
For decades, well-meaning efforts to end poverty have overlooked an important truth. The people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution. Outsider-led projects teach communities that lasting transformation must come from outside. At Plant With Purpose we have a different approach. When local people have the tools, and are trusted to lead, transformation takes root.
Perhaps that's why, in savings groups, regenerative agriculture training, and watershed restoration, it is the local community alone who leads the way.. Farmers plant trees, build soil, and practice sustainable agriculture. In doing so, they restore creation for future generations. When Purpose Groups manage their own savings, neighbors start to dream bigger, and act collectively.
This shift is powerful. Communities that once felt powerless say: “We have the ability to solve our own problems.”
Micheline’s Story: From Hurt to Healing
Micheline is a 26-year-old leader of a Purpose Group in her watershed. Before, she never expected that her greatest transformation would not begin with finances. It started with reconciliation.
Before joining her group, Micheline carried a deep wound. A fellow villager had lied about her, damaging her reputation and leading her to leave her church. She felt betrayed and isolated. Micheline could not imagine ever collaborating with this person again.
Yet in the very Purpose Group they both joined, something remarkable happened. They joined a Purpose Group to learn about regenerative agriculture and savings strategies. But Plant With Purpose’s gospel-centered approach also taught the power of truth, reconciliation, and community. Micheline and her neighbor were both deeply moved.
“I forgave her, and we became friends again,” Micheline recalls. “I came back to the church, and now I have friendly relationships inside and outside the Purpose Group.”
That moment of reconciliation did more than heal a relationship. It restored Micheline’s faith. It strengthened her community and gave her new hope for the future.
From Isolation to Interconnection
With her Purpose Group, Micheline now stands in solidarity with her neighbors. Together, they contribute savings. They send their children to school, and invest in small community projects. They build anti-erosive barriers and enrich soil with compost. And they plant trees to combat deforestation and restore the environment.
The results are tangible. Farms are more productive. Families are more financially secure. Forests are being restored. And perhaps most importantly, trust and community have replaced isolation.
“Before the partnership of Plant With Purpose, we did not meet and work together,” Micheline explains. “Now, we’ve become more collective, and we have new technical skills to protect our environment. Our attitudes and behaviors have deeply changed.”
A Sacred Responsibility
For Micheline, caring for creation is an act of worship.
“I do not literally see God in front of me in a physical sense,” she shares. “But all the amazing things in nature show me God’s existence and full power as our planet’s Creator. We have to take care of nature by doing better actions day by day. It's the aim to keep developing our relationships with God.”
Her words reflect Plant With Purpose’s belief in Christian environmental stewardship. Protecting the earth is a moral responsibility and a spiritual calling.
Why Change in Local Hands Lasts
Micheline’s story echoes what we’ve seen across dozens of watersheds worldwide: local leadership transforms lives. Communities become more resilient to climate change. Families emerge from poverty with dignity. Churches grow stronger as centers of reconciliation and service.
This is why we remain committed to putting change and leadership in local hands. Because when neighbors lead, they plant hope. When they reconcile, they restore communities. And when they care for creation, they honor the Creator.
Together, we are witnessing a new story: one of resilience, justice, and hope. And it all begins with the simple belief that true change belongs in local hands.
