“My name is Stanley. I’m 75 years old. I’m a farmer, and my wife and I have raised seven children. Our youngest is 25 now, and our oldest is 42,” he begins, speaking with wisdom and experience. Though Stanley has always worked hard, the challenges of poverty and climate change loomed large in his life until he joined a Purpose Group through Plant With Purpose six years ago.

“Before I participated in the group, I had a lot of economic problems because I had nowhere to save and borrow money,” Stanley explains. For years, he worked without access to the financial tools that could lift his family out of instability. But then, a former employee of Plant With Purpose introduced him to the Purpose Group in his community. “I didn’t hesitate,” he recalls. “Since that moment, everything in my life has changed.”

Stanley’s transformation wasn’t only financial. It was deeply personal and spiritual. “Spiritually and socially, I have become another person,” he says. “In my group, we live as brothers and sisters. We save money together, give and share loans, and we work in the field. These many changes give us pride and hope for the future.”

Through his Purpose Group, Stanley began to access opportunities that once seemed out of reach. “I save and borrow money,” he shares. “I bought motorcycles for my children to work and go to school, I pay the school fees, and I make investments in other farming projects.” These changes didn't happen overnight, but they grew steadily from the foundation of community support and shared effort. “So, for me, the Purpose Group is an excellent economic tool.”

But economic empowerment is only part of the story. Stanley’s journey with Plant With Purpose also opened his eyes to the importance of healing the land that sustains his livelihood. “Deforestation, erosion, and drought are some of the biggest challenges,” he explains. “They become worse with the phenomenon of climate change disturbing the seasons and negatively impacting agriculture.” As weather patterns became more erratic and crops harder to grow, Stanley and his community recognized the need to take action.

“We continue applying tree planting, soil conservation, and other good practices so that we can contribute to healing the land,” he says. These techniques, learned through Plant With Purpose, offered a way forward, not only for the present, but for future generations. Climate adaptation wasn’t just about planting trees. It was about restoring the balance between people and the environment, one practice at a time.

For Stanley, environmental renewal goes hand-in-hand with spiritual growth. “Sincerely, the more we consider the environment as a frame for our life, the more we agree that Nature is the best teacher about the reality and power of God,” he says. “All things in nature are created by God and belong to each of us for our comfort. So, I praise God for that.”

His words echo the mission of Plant With Purpose: that addressing poverty, ecosystems, and climate is not only an act of justice, but of faith. When communities are given the tools to care for their land and one another, lives change. Families find hope. Opportunities multiply.

Thanks to the generosity of Plant With Purpose supporters, Stanley’s story now includes access to education for his children, better transportation, restored farmland, and a strengthened faith. From a place of financial strain and environmental degradation in Haiti, he and his Purpose Group have grown into a source of resilience for the whole watershed.

“My life has changed,” Stanley says simply. “And through our work together, I know we are changing the future.”