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Pierre, Haiti: "I have a really good relationship with God because I am a steward of creation.”

“Without the partnership of Plant With Purpose, life would be impossible for me,” starts Pierre.

Pierre, who lives in Haiti, is a prime example of how much progress a person can make when they receive the right training and opportunities.

For Pierre, the motivation to take care of the land around him was always there, but his intentions were met with a lot of confusion.

“Reforestation was difficult,” he recalls. “I didn’t know how to cultivate trees or what species to plant. I also had no financial means or access to loans, but thanks to Plant With Purpose, these problems are solved.”

What made Pierre’s efforts even more difficult was the fact that most people in his community did not seem to share the same commitment towards the environment. It would be hard to be a steward of creation without more community involvement.

“Ever since childhood, I have been educated and involved in farming so that we can have food, money, and honor. I’ve always respected the environment, but a lot of other people did not have the same concern.”

Pierre at his home in Haiti

The unhealthy environment, unproductive farmlands, and struggles with poverty gave Pierre no capacity to pursue his environmental goals. But that changed when he joined a Purpose Group.

“Thanks to the savings I’ve built in my Purpose Group, I can continue farming and conducting business,” he shares.

Purpose Groups provide savings and loan opportunities for rural communities, who often lack services from financial institutions. These savings and loans are often the catalyst needed to start somebody’s journey out of poverty. That was the case for Pierre.

“I took out a loan for my lamadel business,” he explains. “That’s what you call it when you buy and resell animals at a fast rate. I can turn a profit on this every Saturday at the market. This economic change helped take pressure off of me and my family. It brought peace, because I could take care of my family and share with my neighbors.”

Pierre dedicated himself to the group. “I have participated in all of the Plant With Purpose activities, and the ones that were most applicable for me were nursery cultivation, natural pesticide creation, and savings. I was especially excited to plant trees. As a steward of creation my goal was to increase my farming and my animal business. I can now say I’ve achieved these goals, and am hoping to soon build a nicer house for my family,” he recounts.

“My participation in Plant With Purpose has brought a lot of changes for me and my family. The most significant change is the ability for me to send my children to school with no challenges. Before my partnership, the children were often sent back home as we could not pay the school fees on time. This was a problem when harvests were low and sales were not good. We are so thankful to God and Plant With Purpose.”

Plant With Purpose is a Christian organization, which addresses the root causes of poverty and climate change through a spiritual lens. However, the organization will work and partner with anybody who is interested, and Pierre appreciated this approach.

steward of creation
Students maintain a tree nursery in Pierre's community

“I most appreciate that Plant With Purpose works with anybody from any faith,” he notes. “Even people who are not Christians can be participants. The effective way to teach the Bible is to make it accessible to anybody, regardless of their religious background. I have a really good relationship with God because I am a steward of creation.”

The transformation of his community in Haiti validated Pierre’s longtime efforts.

“I am a forest guardian, which means I am committed to preserving our landscape. My job consists of watching the trees. I understand that trees are life. Before, I would be frowned upon in the community because of my position as forest guard. People found me too strict. But everything has changed. We now share the commitment as a community. Now, thanks to Plant With Purpose, the environment has become a matter of importance for most of the community. We have a nursery that grows up to 25,000 seedlings in a year. We have fixed the road that goes to our meeting house.”

“More significantly, there is now more harmony and respect between my family, my neighbors, and myself. My neighbors and I learn, discuss, and collaborate through the group. With Plant With Purpose’s help, the landscape around me has changed. This has come thanks to my own contribution with tree planting as well as other environmental protection activities.

It is honestly very difficult to keep track of our accomplishments, but our lands are reforested, and I have more productive farmland and livestock. It is a great opportunity to play my role as an environmental steward. Thanks to Plant With Purpose, I have grown in wisdom through my work.”

About the Author

Plant With Purpose seeks to restore hope by reversing two of the world’s greatest challenges: global poverty and environmental damage. These problems are interconnected.

Our goal is to see creation’s life-giving regenerative cycles restored and people renewed through their relationship to God, living in healthy sufficiency and empowered to dream.

We operate in eight countries around the world. Our international work is 100% locally-led, with global offices operating both as independent agencies within their country, and alliance partners with Plant With Purpose U.S., which supports their ongoing work.

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