Daniel stands quietly in the Lwafwa watershed, looking over the land that raised him. The soil under his feet is familiar, the paths woven through his village echo years of memories. But lately, he’s noticed some changes that trouble him deeply.
“I grew up here,” Daniel says. “And a good number of people around me are involved in the charcoal and timber business.”
What began as a way to earn a living had slowly become a pattern of destruction. “A lot of trees have been cut down. Some parts of our area are bare now,” he explains. “And because of that, I have seen the impact on our farming. The land is drier. The rains come differently. The crops don’t grow the way they used to.”
The deforestation left scars—on the land, on livelihoods, and on the relationships between people and nature.
“I was worried,” he confesses. “Worried and disappointed.”
But Daniel’s story doesn’t end there. In fact, it was just beginning a new chapter.
“Though I was disappointed, I also had hope,” he says. “When Plant With Purpose came to our community, things started to change.”
It was November 2023 when Plant With Purpose began working in Lwafwa. Through workshops, community meetings, and faith-based reflection, Daniel and his neighbors began to see their environment—and their role in it—differently.
“Through the training, I learned that forests are vital,” he shares. “They are homes to millions of species, they prevent soil erosion, they keep the soil moist by blocking the sun. And most importantly, they play a crucial role in the water cycle.”
That understanding struck a chord, especially as Daniel began to connect the dots between climate change and poverty. “We were taught that deforestation harms agricultural productivity,” he says. “It makes it worse for crops. It makes it harder for families. Climate change is driving many people to poverty.”
But the training was more than technical. It was spiritual.
Daniel is not just a farmer or a community member—he’s also a pastor at Full Gospel Church of God, one of Plant With Purpose’s church partners in Malawi. His role in the community is deeply rooted in faith, and that’s why the message of creation care resonated with him so deeply.
“Why should Christians be involved in creation care?” he repeats. “Firstly, it helps address the current challenges facing creation. Secondly, it helps the Church serve as a witness to God’s kingdom in our time. And third—and most important—it shows how Scripture calls us to be ‘keepers’ of God’s creation.”
He pauses for a moment before continuing. “Creation care was ordained by God before the entrance of sin into the world. That’s what it says in Genesis 2:15. And through Plant With Purpose, we are taught that stewardship is a clear biblical command. It’s part of what it means to follow Jesus as Lord.”
These words are not just theology for Daniel—they are a calling.
In 2023, that calling turned into action. Plant With Purpose provided trees to 15 partner churches, 4 schools, and 21 Purpose Groups across Lwafwa. Daniel’s church was among them. Together, they planted woodlots, and individual families were given trees to plant at their homes.
Daniel’s Purpose Group took it seriously. They met regularly to plan where to plant, how to care for the seedlings, and how to keep each other accountable. Slowly, something began to grow—not just trees, but trust.
“If you think about the real impact of each of your actions, you can build trust,” Daniel reflects. “When I plant a tree, it shows my community that I care—not just for my land, but for our future. When I protect the forest, I am protecting my neighbor’s farm too. And when we act together, we restore more than land. We restore relationships.”
That trust is what makes community restoration work. It’s what transforms a group of individuals into a Purpose Group. It’s what turns information into transformation.
“People began to work together,” Daniel says. “And when people see change, they start to believe again.”
For a long time, many in Lwafwa saw environmental problems as something too big to solve. But now, they are part of the solution.
“I am so thankful,” Daniel says. “Plant With Purpose didn’t just give us trees. They gave us a new way to see our land. A new way to care. A new way to live out our faith.”
As a father of six, Daniel’s dreams are bigger than himself. He thinks about the soil his children will plant in. He prays over the forest that will shelter their future. And he knows that every tree planted today is an act of hope tomorrow.
“This is how we build trust,” he says again. “By taking small actions with big meaning. By restoring the land and each other.”
Thanks to the support of Plant With Purpose’s generous partners, stories like Daniel’s are becoming more common. In Malawi and beyond, communities are learning that creation care isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. And that by acting together, we can reverse poverty, restore ecosystems, and reflect God’s love in every corner of the Earth.
“We are keepers of God’s creation,” Daniel says. “And now, we are living like we believe it.”
