Stories
Discover real-world stories of communities overcoming poverty and deforestation! Plant With Purpose, a Christian non-profit, shares examples of environmental sustainability and stewardship from all around the world. These stories show us how faith, resilience, and sustainable practices transform people’s lives as well as their environment. As rural families overcome poverty and heal the planet, embrace empowerment, renewal, and hope.
All, Updates
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 work we do, and we […]
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All, Updates, Why
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 priority– economic growth or environmental […]
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Let the locals lead
One of the things that sets apart Plant With Purpose’s work is a commitment to building and developing leaders among locals. Visit any of our international offices and you won’t find any expat staff members. Instead each partnering country has its own autonomous office staffed by nationals. These offices work to develop even more local […]
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About Our Work, All, Updates, Why
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 experience working on a number […]
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There is no us versus them
When we see people strictly in terms of us-and-them, it becomes extremely easy to turn people into projects. Thinking in terms of "the needy" versus "the rich" is a very common tendency among charitable organizations. We must not think in terms of haves and have-nots. Some communities have been recipients of aid for so long […]
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Why we work in rural areas
In order to truly help the vulnerable, we must know and understand what their situation is like. These beliefs have led us right into rural locations in developing countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These are the places where poverty overwhelmingly exists. 85 percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas. While the […]
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All, Thailand, Updates
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 how they once had to […]
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All, Thailand, Updates
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, garner far less attention. In […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
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 community, however, doesn't always embrace […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
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 extremely valuable– coffee. Coffee is […]
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All, Mexico, Updates
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, things took a turn for […]
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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, Mexico. Before, his community exclusively […]
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All, DR Congo, Updates
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. It has continually ranked in […]
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All, Haiti, Updates
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 event that claimed 300,000 lives […]
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All, Haiti, Updates
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 have not always produced great […]
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