SUMMER 2016

DESIGNED
FOR PURPOSE
HOW EVERYONE HAS A UNIQUE ROLE TO PLAY

FEATURES
Our Solution to Rural Poverty
Designed for Purpose

DEPARTMENTS
Directors Corner

Equipping farming families in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo brings purpose to their lives.

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Breaking News
Village Spotlight: Kiremba, Burundi

ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS

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DIRECTORS CORNER
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS

THE SOWER ISSUE #112

Plant With Purpose, a Christian nonprofit
organization, reverses deforestation and
poverty around the world by transforming the lives of the rural poor.
About eight years ago we
went through the process
of rebranding, which included changing our name
from Floresta to Plant With
Purpose.
I confess to being the one who most resisted
this change. I am not fond of change, but was finally swayed by focus group data that showed
the most common products people associated
with Floresta were toothpaste or sleep aids.
Even still, I was not thrilled, but I understood
that to meet the growing demand for program
partnerships, we needed to more clearly communicate our core purpose.
The plant part of the name has always been
obvious. It was the purpose part that I struggled to connect with. I was often (jokingly)
asked if purpose was to distinguish us from
those who planted randomly.
In recent months, our purpose has again become evident to me. While walking through rural Congo in April, I was struck by the terrible
consequences of a lack of purpose. I was also
inspired as I saw the excitement of people beginning to discover their God-given purpose
through our Theology of Work curriculum.
When we think of poverty, we dont tend to
think of poverty of purpose as being significant.
Yet as one of the participants in a World Bank
study called Voice of the Poor relates, For a
poor person everything is terribleillness, humiliation, shame. We are cripples; we are afraid
of everything; we depend on everyone. No one
needs us. We are like garbage that everyone
wants to get rid of.
This poverty of purpose doesnt just impact the
poor. Author Sebastian Junger, in his new book
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, examines the challenges of returning veterans and

writes, Humans dont mind hardship, they

thrive on it. What they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of
making people not feel necessary.
The unemployed, the poor, and certainly subsistence farmers are told they are unnecessary
in a myriad of ways. Every bit of outside information a subsistence farmer hears reinforces
that message, whether it is the value that the
global economy places on their production,
or the way local governments treat themas
if they were backwardor even well-meaning
aid groups, or missions teams who ignore local
capacity and do for people what they could do
for themselves. All of this sends the message to
the smallholder farmer that they have nothing
to contribute. All of this is helping to perpetuate
the lie that they are not necessary.
One of the messages of the Gospel is that we
are all given a role to play, talents to invest, and
a vocation to fulfill. It was this good news that
helped to make The Purpose Driven Life a bestseller in the early 2000s, reminding millions of
people that God has created them for a purpose. As much as this was good news to so many well-off, western churchgoers, can you imagine how amazing this news is to the destitute or
to the refugee?
I feel as though I am just learning how the
unique combination of our spiritual renewal curriculum, creative solutions to agriculture,
and savings groups are developing peoples
agency and helping rural farming families find
new purpose. This combination brings incredible energy. It is exciting to see how we really are
planting with purpose.

Scott Sabin
Executive Director

SPIRITUAL
RENEWAL

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

Scott Sabin
scott@plantwithpurpose.org
DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING DIRECTOR:

Christi Huizenga
christi@plantwithpurpose.org
MARKETING & EVENTS:

Becky Rosaler
becky@plantwithpurpose.org
STAY CONNECTED:
4747 Morena Blvd. Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92117
Ph: 858.274.3718
Email: info@plantwithpurpose.org
Web: plantwithpurpose.org
Tw: @PlantWPurpose
Fb: facebook.com/PlantWithPurpose
Leave a Legacy.Please consider
including Plant With Purpose in your
wills and bequests. Contact Doug
Satre: doug@plantwithpurpose.org.

copyright 2016 Plant With Purpose

OUR
SOLUTION
TO RURAL
POVERTY
BY CHRISTI HUIZENGA, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING

Reversing rural poverty is the root of everything we do at Plant With Purpose. As a reader of The Sower, you have heard us talk about
planting trees, restoring watersheds, equipping churches to better minister to their communities, facilitating savings-and-loan groups,
and so much more. If you have been lucky
enough to travel on a Vision Trip to a Plant With
Purpose field program, you likely met farming
families who showed how these pieces work.
These are the activities that fill most of our
days in the field and excite us back in the U.S.
office.

Mr. Khamsee Pawsang from Thailand expresses his personal story, Before partnering with
Plant With Purpose, I did not have enough
food. After working with Plant With Purpose
for six years, he shares, My family does not

IF MANY PEOPLE IMPLEMENT

WHAT PLANT WITH PURPOSE
TEACHES, WE WILL ERADICATE
POVERTY IN TANZANIA.
~ISAYA MANGOWI (PICTURED BELOW)

But do you know why we do all these things?

Our partnering families do. When we ask families why they are willing to plant so many
trees, volunteer their time to build soil erosion barriers, or engage in the many ways they
serve their community, the answer is almost
always a storya personal story of climbing
out of poverty.

need to buy food anymore. We harvest it from

our farm and gather some extra to sell too. I
know that God has helped me, and so I share
these things with my neighbors. Other people
now respect my voice because I teach about
agroforestry and they have elected me to the

RURAL FARMING FAMILIES

IN TANZANIA EXPERIENCE
TRANSFORMATION.

village committee. I see that God loves me, so I

must love others.
The combination of environmental restoration,
economic empowerment, and spiritual renewal
is a highly effective solution for eradicating rural
poverty. Trends in global poverty show that the
lives of families around the world are slowly improving, but Plant With Purpose partnering families are lifting themselves out of poverty much
faster than their neighbors. In fact, a significant
number of families are working so diligently that
they have crossed the poverty line entirely. Most
families who apply the Plant With Purpose solution are able to work their way out of poverty in
less than five years.
As we dig into numbers and statistics, we see
that Plant With Purposes holistic approach to
poverty alleviation is working. Lives and land are
being transformed, which is something very special to be a part of, something worth celebrating.

PLANT WITH PURPOSE

PARTNERING FAMILIES ARE
LIFTING THEMSELVES OUT
OF POVERTY FASTER THAN
THEIR NEIGHBORS. IN FACT,
A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF
FAMILIES HAVE RISEN OUT OF
POVERTY ENTIRELY.
PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

DESIGNED FOR PURPOSE

HOW EVERYONE HAS A UNIQUE ROLE TO PLAY
BY SCOTT SABIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

THIS COUPLE IN THE

DRC HAVE FOUND A NEW
PURPOSE BECAUSE OF
PLANT WITH PURPOSE.

From the very beginning, God has invited

people to participate in what he is doing in
the worldcreating, redeeming, restoring,
and loving. In short, we were created for
a purpose. Yet for many people that sense
of purpose is precisely what is missing in
their lives.
I had never given it much thought, until one
evening in the mountains of Haiti when the
Episcopal priest we partnered with joined a
group of visitors at the guesthouse. Though
he had been given a remote rural parish, he
flourished, founding dozens of schools and
providing opportunities for thousands of people.
As we sat in the dark, he told us how happy
he was that God had given him a task. God
gives each of us something to do for him, he
said. Its as if he gathered us together and
said to each of us, I have a very important job
for you.
With great exuberance he exclaimed, It
makes me happy that God has something for
me to do. I feel excited! But after a pause he
said, Can you imagine how it would feel if he
said to you I have nothing for you to do? So
many of the people in these mountains think
they have nothing to give.

USING OUR TALENTS

Jesus parable of the talents recorded in

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Matthew 25:14-30 comes to mind. For some

reason, when Jesus told this particular parable, he chose the man who only received
one talentthe poor manto be the villain. This man buries his gift. He, perhaps
like many in the mountains of Haiti, felt his
contribution did not matter, so he buried
his talent, declaring his master to be harsh.
For years, this aspect of the parable has
bothered me. Even though I still do not
understand why those who received more
had an easier time recognizing their role, I
have seen that it is often those with fewer
talents who tend to bury them. The good
news though, is that everyone received a
talent and therefore had a job to do. No one
is told, I have nothing for you to do. Everyone has a role to play, a purpose in the
kingdom.

FINDING PURPOSE

That evening in Haiti was the first time I realized how awful it must be to believe you
have nothing to contribute, to feel you are
and always will be completely dependent
on the goodwill of outsiders. It is the very
definition of disempowerment.
I began to realize that this level of disempowerment is more widespread than I
originally imagined. Subsistence farmers
often feel like they have little to offer their
community let alone have a role to fulfill
in the kingdom. It is something I have wit-

nessed throughout Plant With Purposes

programs, especially as we first start
partnering with new communities.
As the program launched in Burundi in
2008, we focused on working with returning refugees, some of whom had
spent decades in refugee camps where
they were prevented from doing anything productive. These men and women
had never worked before and had little
confidence in their ability to contribute.
But what we found is that they were hesitant to try farming or participating in savings groups until they began to realize
that God cares about every aspect of life.
In fact, he calls us to join him in the creative and redemptive work of cultivating
creation. Plant With Purposes local staff
designed an outreach curriculum called
Theology of Work that offers hope to
this country, while encouraging people
to discover their vocation, calling, and
purpose.
Throughout Burundi, there is a deep
desire for workshops teaching this curriculum. Churches all over the country
are asking for training. Few things match
the joy on the faces of those who have
discovered they have agency and can exercise their talents creatively. Real power
is unleashed. Innovative businesses are
flourishing and subsistence farms stand
as well-designed works of art.

MOTHERS IN THE DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC ARE FINDING PURPOSE
AND USING THEIR TALENTS TO
DEVELOP SMALL BUSINESSES.

OUTCOMES OF AGENCY

I most recently witnessed this discovery of

agency while visiting our newly launched
program in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC). Plant With Purpose has been
working in the Kakumba watershed in South
Kivu since July 2015, offering the transformational Plant With Purpose package: agricultural training, reforestation activities,
savings groups, and Christian outreach focused on empowerment and reconciliation.
However, a number of things make our work
in Kakumba unique. The DRC is our first new
country program since refining our watershed approach a few years ago. Focusing
on the whole ecological unit has brought
together communities that have been linked
by conflict as much as geography. Indeed the
history of conflict in the region is deeper and
more horrible than I previously imagined,
making reconciliation a key element of our
work. Our local partner, with employees and
participating pastors from seven different

tribes, is a living demonstration of possible

peace and reconciliation.
This reconciliation is not only taking
place between tribal groups; it is also
taking place within family units. Many
of the men we encountered were previously involved in armed militia groups
while their wives did virtually all of the
work to support their families, including
farming. Today we are seeing examples
of men and women working side-by-side
in the fields. As one man told me, We
used to sit around and play cards all day,
but maybe if we work together we can do
something great.

INCREASING AGENCY
As subsistence farmers realize they have
agency, they step out in confidence trying
new endeavors and taking the steps to improve their lives. Savings-and-loan groups
assist partnering farmers in managing their
finances and encourage the start of small

businesses. Because of her savings group,

Dolores Frias in the Dominican Republic
is embracing this purpose. She shares, I
thank God and Plant With Purpose. Before
joining my savings-and-loan group, I didnt
save my money. Now I do. With my loan,
I planted trees, cassava, and other crops.
I earned money from my small business
of making Johnny Cakes, which I take to
the school and sell to the children. With
that money, I am able to survive. With the
loans, I buy supplies to make more Johnny
Cakes. At the end of the first savings and
loan cycle, I built a beautiful bathroom for
my home.
Plant With Purpose will continue to tell people: God loves you. God has a purpose for
you. God wants you to invest your talents.
God invites you to create with him. Our
prayer is that partnering families will echo
the sentiment of Neema Elikunda in Tanzania, I thank God for lifting me up from
nothing to something.
PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

MORE INFORMATION AT
PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG/GALA.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 8

and the 2016 Planting Hope Gala! Join us at
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa for an evening
of celebrating families growing out of poverty
around the world through Plant With Purpose.

BREAKING NEWS
UPCOMING VISION TRIPS
If you have not visited one of Plant
With Purposes programs, we
would love for you travel with us.
Additional trips for 2016-2017 are
in the works.

SCIENCE CORNER: BIODIVERSITY

In assessing optimal ways to equip Plant
With Purpose partners, we often discuss
the value of biodiversity: the diversity of
life found in a specific ecosystem including
plants, animals, and microorganisms. Biodiversity provides necessary subsistence,
increases income, and lowers risk through
diversification. Plant With Purpose Latin
America program officer Milmer Martinez
shares, A biodiverse ecosystem is a healthy
ecosystem. A community within a healthy
ecosystem is a resilient community.

Contact Becky Rosaler for

more information:
becky@plantwithpurpose.org.

Plant With Purpose Dominican Republic

recently performed an extensive biodiversity survey in the Ozama River watershed. The purpose behind the survey is to
increase the locals understanding of biodiversity as a tool to improve livelihood,
highlight peoples positive or negative
effects on the ecosystem, and guide future interventions and methodologies to
best serve each community. The nature
of the survey is almost as significant

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE TOP LEFT

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: August

HAITI: October
MEXICO: October

PARTICIPANTS IN THE OZAMA WATERSHED

BIODIVERSITY SURVEY.

SCIENCE CORNER CONTINUED

as its findings. Unique to this experience was the level of collaboration that
brought together representatives from
the National Zoo of Santo Domingo,
the Botanical Garden, the Dominican
Adventist University, the Ministry of
Environment, and Plant With Purpose.
Surveyors included local community
participants from Ozama and 50 students from Los Guineos High School.
In preparation for the field study, surveyors attended a two-day workshop
hosted by the National Zoo and visited
the Botanical Garden for a trial survey
of local vegetation.
The biological results of the survey will
take time to analyze; however, several
goals have already been realized. We
hope to see wildlife return to its natural
habitat and an even greater enthusiasm
for environmental stewardship in partnering communities.

The repercussions of ethnic

conflict and genocide that
took place from 1993-2006
in Burundi still exist. Many
fled as refugees. Farmland
sat fallow while disease infiltrated existing crops. Development of infrastructure
was ignored. This past year
has once again brought uncertainty and instability to an
already shaky country. With
great resilience, Plant With
Purposes Burundian team
continues to reach out to
vulnerable communities, offering hope and steps to improve both lives and the land.
During this uncertain time, a solution to
helping partnering families came through
a partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). Through a Food for Asset compensation program, 500 par-

VILLAGE
SPOTLIGHT:
KIREMBA, BURUNDI
MELISSA COY,
Development Assistant

ticipants planted 100,000 trees in the

Nyakazu watershed during the spring
planting season. Payment for this work
was given in basic necessities by the
WFP.

In Burundi, trees are hard to come by with
indigenous tree species nearly non-existent. In order to provide for their families,
subsistence farmers are driven to cut
down trees to convert and sell as charcoal or use directly as fuel wood. Barren
land is not suitable for farming and does
not put food on the table. Deforestation
is sinking the worlds most vulnerable
deeper into poverty. Plant With Purpose
Burundi is working with communities
to restore the land in a sustainable way
while equipping farming families to lift
themselves out of poverty. One such way
is through the planting of trees.

SINCE 2008, BURUNDIANS HAVE

PLANTED 1,636,616 TREES.

These tree-planting efforts are bringing visible change to communities like

Kiremba. Divine and her two friends are
noticing the return of fruit trees on their

DIVINE AND HER

SCHOOL FRIENDS EAT
FRUIT FROM THE NEWLY
PLANTED TREES.

walk home from school. She shares,

We are very happy to see fruit reappearing that had totally disappeared.
When we come home from school, we
often pass by to eat and go home with
full tummies.
Although the picking of fruit may seem
trivial, in one of the worlds hungriest
countries (2015 Global Hunger Index)
it is a sign of real change. And school
children are not the only ones noticing.
Monkeys and baboons often provide
competition in the hunt for fruit. This
competition is welcome and signifies
increasing biodiversity.
Plant With Purpose Burundi will continue to plant indigenous trees. An additional partnership with Jane Goodalls
Roots and Shoots Organization is focusing on restoring the environment to
the point where endangered primates
such as chimps, lowland gorillas, and
mountain gorillas will return to the
area and thrive.

For just $1 a day you can help communities like Kiremba find solutions to hunger
while restoring the environment. Fill out
the enclosed envelope or visit: plantwithpurpose.org/sponsor-a-village.
PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

Plant With Purpose

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PLANTING HOPE GALA

October 8, 2016
Information inside.

Plant With Purposes

solution to rural poverty is
working, allowing kids in Haiti
to experience childhood.

PLANT WITH PURPOSE: A PROVEN SOLUTION TO RURAL POVERTY