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.
Dominican Republic
Isabel, Dominican Republic: "We are driven by the thought of our children’s future"
“My husband and I work hard because we are driven by the thought of our children and their future,” begins Isabel. “When an adverse situation arises, what we do is focus on how to solve it and continue with our task as parents.” Isabel and her husband are coffee and cacao farmers, living in Ozama, […]
Read More
Tanzania
Nafika, Tanzania: "I see a future well educated woman thriving in life"
Nafika is a 32-year-old single mother living in the Shengena West watershed. She is raising a 15-year-old daughter while working as a Tanzania farmer and entrepreneur and being an active member of a Purpose Group. As a farmer she is involved in poultry and fish farming, caring for chickens and managing a fish pond. Nafika […]
Read More
Dominican Republic
Margarita, Dominican Republic: "The change in my life has been enormous"
Margarita is a farmer and mother living in the Ozama watershed of the Dominican Republic, farming her land. Like many mothers, she worries about her children and their safety. “I worry a lot about my children and their safety when going to school,” she tells us. “The road is very long, and they have to […]
Read More
Environmental Restoration, Why
Causes Effects and Solutions to Environmental Degradation- Part II
Eight Ways to Invest in People and Planet for the Next Generation In Environmental Degradation Part One we explored the causes and effects of environmental damage and the interconnected problem of global poverty. In this article we focus more on the interventions and environmental solutions that are helping to lift families and communities in the […]
Read More
Environmental Restoration, Haiti, Living Sustainably
We are able to persist: Sustainable agriculture in Haiti keeps parents resilient
In recent years, few countries have reached the level of instability seen by Haiti. The collapse of its central government and authority structures have created an atmosphere of lawlessness, in which street-level violence has escalated. The constant threat of harm and kidnappings has disrupted everyday life for most Haitians, particularly around larger population centers. Many […]
Read More
Thailand
Nakon, Thailand: "My mission is to make the soil more fertile"
Education is a widespread concern of parents all over the world. This includes Northern Thailand, where many Plant With Purpose members are challenged by insufficient agricultural practices and tenuous rights to land. Plant With Purpose works with parents like Nakon to improve the crop yields of the Thailand farmer and the health of their land. […]
Read More
Malawi
Plant With Purpose opens in Malawi with a big celebration
Plant With Purpose's newest country program has officially opened! Last month, our newest partnering country program, Floresta in Malawi, launched with a program inauguration ceremony in Nkhata Bay. The links between environmental health and sustainable livelihoods in Malawi are so strong that working in the country's rural communities was an ideal fit for Plant With […]
Read More
Burundi
Josias, Burundi: "My mission is to make the soil more fertile"
My name is Josias. I am 53 years old and a member of a Purpose Group where we are all famers in Burundi. Before I joined the Purpose Group, I lived with many financial struggles. I used to be a trader in the Bujumbura Central Market, and I had a better life. Unfortunately, there was […]
Read More
Mexico
Shining a Light of Opportunity: The Indigenous Women’s Struggle for Education in Rural Mexico
In Southern Mexico, rural Indigenous women remain at the bottom of the educational ladder. While progress has been made in recent years with education in rural Mexico, a gap persists, casting long shadows over their lives and perpetuating a cycle of poverty that ripples through generations. The roots of this educational disparity run deep, intertwined […]
Read More
Tanzania
Catherine, Tanzania: I used to be so poor, but things have changed for the better
Catherine lives in the Sanya watershed of Tanzania. She describes her life before Plant With Purpose as normal, though what was normal in Sanya is what many of us would consider extremely difficult. The burdens of poverty made it difficult for her to provide the life she desired for her children. “I am 44, and […]
Read More
Climate Solutions, Our Response
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Navigating Complexity: Why the easy way isn’t always the best way
One of the most important parts of Plant With Purpose’s work is measuring its efficacy. This is also one of the most difficult parts. As we apply our model of Community Designed Restoration© (CDR) to rural watersheds across the globe, we want to ensure that our work is having its intended impact. As trees are […]
Read More
Dominican Republic
Benjamín, DR: Leadership is knowing how to serve people, knowing the problems of your community
Benjamín has been a member of Plant With Purpose's program as a Dominican Republic farmer for four years. In that time he has applied his new knowledge and practices and seen his life improve alongside his community's. We had a chance to ask Benjamín a few questions about his experience and outlook. What challenges did […]
Read More
About Our Work, Academic, Living Sustainably
Sustainability Glossary for a Greener Planet
Your guide to environmental buzzwords and important ideas to help restore our world We have created a sustainability glossary for you! In the world of sustainability, there is no shortage of buzzwords. Even the term sustainability is often overused and misunderstood. When terms become extremely popular, it's a good indicator that there is enthusiasm for […]
Read More
DR Congo, Updates
Revisiting the Congo: A year after opening for oil drilling
With significant climate implications. The Congo Basin Rainforest is the second largest rainforest in the world and hosts about 70% of Africa’s tree cover. With a large portion of the rainforest made of peatlands, it serves as a powerful carbon sink. Disrupting it would be a significant loss in our efforts to maintain a livable […]
Read More
Thailand
Nala Jakor: "Working with tree seedlings helps me build intimacy with God"
"I believe that everything has its own time and that life has seasons of high and low," begins Nala Jakor. Farmers who work closely with the land are perhaps the most familiar with the seasonality of life. Nala Jakor and her husband Nakorn have endured several drastic ups and downs. The two of them are […]
Read More
