oaxaca
All, Mexico
The Preteen President
Empowerment groups help both people and the planet Wherever Plant With Purpose works, participants join empowerment groups. These groups support environmental restoration efforts with economic development through loans and savings. As community members save their extra income in shares and lend money to each other to generate further income, poverty declines. From the group president, […]
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All, Burundi
Knowledge Empowers
Empowerment often takes the form of learning When it comes to community development, you can give away food. You can give clothing. You can give scholarships, or water, or trees. These are all things that are all deeply needed in many parts of the world, and there are many times when giving directly to address […]
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All, Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania
A Village Homecoming
Displacement affects about 10.7 Million people in Africa Displacement refers to somebody who has left their home due to force or a lack of safety, in most cases, conflict. This term differs from refugee status, since refugees are technically defined by crossing a national border. When regional conflicts came to the area of Dushirwe, many […]
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All, Haiti
Can You Reap What You Sow?
You reap what you sow, right? You’ve heard the expression, I’m sure. It comes right out of Scripture– several times. Galatians 6:7 reads, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." 2 Corinthians explains that the point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows […]
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All, Mexico
A better environment benefits all
Rio Garza once suffered from the environmental conditions that plague many rural communities around the world. Problems like deforestation, poverty, and soil erosion create difficult lives for people living in rural areas around the world. This is the reason why rural poverty remains a challenge to eradicate, even though the overall number of those living […]
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All, Mexico, Updates
She won’t be kept down
Twelve years ago, the village of San Isidro Trementina was devastated The small, rural community in Mexico was made up of farmers. When the land was well, the crops grew and the people were well. When the land suffered, so did the crops and the people in the village. Then, the community faced one of […]
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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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All, Mexico, Updates
The Eye of Water
It started with a different vision. About twenty years ago, a visit to the community of Ojo de Agua, “the eye of water” in Mexico’s Mixteca region would have looked quite different. The steep hillside would have been brown and dry. For years, the people of Ojo de Agua relied heavily on the production of […]
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All, Updates
How a healthy environment can keep fathers with their families
Fatherhood is extremely important. This Father’s Day, we’re taking the time to remember the importance of dads. Studies make it pretty clear that the presence of a father or father figure plays a big role in a child’s eventual success. Children with involved fathers, stepfathers, or father figures are far less likely to engage in […]
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All, Mexico
Carolina and the courage to dream
As a young girl, Carolina pleaded with her father to allow her to go to school. He had not planned on sending any of his daughters to school. School fees were far too expensive and he believed home was the place for women. Immediate needs dictated life. Barren and unproductive land made it difficult to […]
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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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All, Mexico, Updates
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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