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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.
About Our Work, All, Resources
How layered agroforestry can help millions
In order to help people, Plant With Purpose plants trees! That’s the short version of why we exist. The longer version of that is, well, much more nuanced. The way we plant trees is just as important as the fact that we plant them. We encourage and empower locals to participate in reforestation, for starters. […]
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All, DR Congo, Haiti, Tanzania, Updates
Parenthood vs. Poverty
Being a parent means wanting the best for your children. This simple desire is present in parents no matter what part of the world they live in, and it allows parents from California to the Congo, from Haiti to Hollywood to relate to each other. While all families want these same outcomes, not all will […]
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All, Meditations, Why
To the ones who keep showing up
Trying to make an impact on the world isn’t an easy task. While change is possible, the process isn’t linear. There are ups and downs, setbacks, and moments of discouragement that every person who tries to make an impact faces. That’s why a key trait of people who make a big difference is resilience and […]
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All, Meditations, Why
We can't forget to celebrate hope
The communities where Plant With Purpose works are some of the most difficult places on the Earth to live. As much as our stories focus on change and how a better world is possible, they are also incomplete without a reminder that our group members live very difficult lives. In villages across rural Latin America, […]
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About Our Work, All
Hope in a Weary Land
Where is the most difficult place on the planet to survive? You could certainly make a case for a few of the countries where Plant With Purpose works. Experts frequently mention the Democratic Republic of the Congo among the most difficult countries for someone to live. Frequent episodes of violent conflict, rampant hunger and poverty, […]
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About Our Work, All
The Need for Trees
People need trees, and trees need people. What would happen without trees? In many parts of the world, people would suffer greatly. Trees fix soil with vital nutrients. Trees fix beneficial nutrients in the earth which enables other plants to grow, including vegetables and crops needed to feed people and livestock. Their roots also help […]
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About Our Work, All, Updates
Why a better floor indicates a better future
A typical decision made by rural families: Imagine this scenario: You are a parent living in rural Burundi. For years you’ve struggled to earn an income of about 80 cents a day. With five children to feed, things have never been easy. Lately, however, things have started to look a little bit better. Last year, […]
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All, DR Congo
The Pastor and the Problem Solver
We’ve been so excited about what’s been happening in our Democratic Republic of the Congo communities. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is undoubtedly one of the most challenging places to live. It is among the most difficult countries to be a mother. Conflict and unrest has threatened the fragile stability that the country […]
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All, Updates
Celebrating the moms who have it the hardest
We remember the moms in places where raising children is extremely difficult. There are some places around the world where motherhood is extremely difficult. In many of the communities where Plant With Purpose works, moms have to overcome poverty, food insecurity, disease, and conflict in order to make life better for their children. As we […]
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All, Updates
DRC: The urgency of unity
Right now is a volatile time for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In February, The Economist issued a magazine cover picturing a Congolese soldier with the headline Heading back to hell: Congo in Peril. This is a headline nobody wants to see. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured a history of […]
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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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All, Why
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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All, Why
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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All, Why
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, 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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