DEPARTMENTSDirector’s Corner

Breaking News

Spotlight: Pang Tuay, TH

WINTER 2014

ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS

HUNGER TO HARVESTHOW PLANT WITH PURPOSE IS HELPING TO FEED FAMILIES

3

4

2

6

7

FEATURESGifts of Hope

Hunger to Harvest

A MOTHER AND HER HEALTHY BABY IN BURUNDI

2

Plant With Purpose has been tracing a curve of exponential growth for some time. This has been easiest to see in our budget, but even steeper curves are emerging in the reach

and impact of our programs and in our ability to measure that impact.

In the past year, we expanded our work in Mexico beyond Oaxaca into the state of Chiapas, where we have now established an office. From Burundi, we have also begun plans to start work-ing across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However, even more important is the process of bringing to scale what we are already doing in the communities where we work. In Tanzania, 37 new Village Savings and Loan Associations were formed in the last quarter, bringing the to-tal to 170 groups serving over 4,400 families, while in Burundi the number of groups grew from 51 to 89, despite some budget setbacks.

This growth has required a dramatic increase in efficiency. We have been able to drop our cost per family to less than half of what it was just a couple of years ago, as we have continued working to steward the precious financial re-sources with which we are entrusted.

Worldwide we are now serving nearly 100,000 individuals in 331 villages. Because of the em-powerment model that is fundamental to our work, this means we now have 100,000 allies working alongside us in the fight against pov-erty, environmental degradation, and spiritu-al blindness. For example, VSLA members in Tanzania planted 1.4 million trees last year, greatly multiplying anything we would have

been able to do on our own. Similarly, partner-ing churches are reaching out into their commu-nities, offering Bible studies and practical ser-vice, and seeing impressive growth as a result.To measure the impact of all this work we have a number of annual indicators and conduct exten-sive impact evaluations every three years. In our last evaluation we learned, for example, that wa-terborne illness had been dramatically reduced in watersheds where we had been working—up to 50 percent in some cases. We also saw huge improvements in crop yields and savings rates.

However, we have been diligently working to develop better and more frequent objective measurements of impact. One of those involves using satellite imagery to measure vegetation change over time. A recent analysis of that da-ta has showed a dramatic correlation between the locations of the Plant With Purpose commu-nities and increase in tree cover and vegetation. This study is still being compiled as The Sower goes to press, but it is exciting to get a glimpse of what partnering communities around the world are accomplishing.

As we work to increase the impact of our pro-gram, we know that it is all possible because of your support. Your gifts and your prayers are changing lives in real and lasting ways.

This season as we celebrate the gift of Jesus, who came to earth to transform lives, we are also thankful that together we are involved in God’s ongoing, life-changing work through Plant With Purpose.

Scott SabinExecutive Director

THE SOWER ISSUE #102 Plant With Purpose, a Christian nonprofit

organization, reverses deforestation and

poverty around the world by transform-

ing the lives of the rural poor.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Scott Sabinscott@plantwithpurpose.org

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Doug Satredoug@plantwithpurpose.org

MARKETING AND EVENTS: Becky Rosalerbecky@plantwithpurpose.org

ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS

STAY CONNECTED: 4903 Morena Blvd. Suite 1215San Diego, CA 92117

Ph: 800.633.5319

Email: info@plantwithpurpose.org

Web: plantwithpurpose.org

Tw: @PlantWPurpose

Fb: facebook.com/PlantWithPurpose

EMAIL MEDIA@PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN: • Share your Plant With Purpose story• Host an event• Become a Plant With Purpose advocate

Leave a Legacy. Please consider includ-ing Plant With Purpose in your wills and bequests. Contact Doug Satre: doug@plantwithpurpose.org.

copyright © 2013 Plant With Purpose

DIRECTOR’S CORNER

VSLA LEADERS COUNT THEIR GROUP’S SAVINGS IN OAXACA

WWW.PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG 3

GIFTS OF HOPEUncommon gifts–a cheeping chick, breeding bunnies, a family garden–provide ex-traordinary benefits to families living in poor, rural communities around the world. Take Mrs. Eleazar Pacheco Hernandez, a wife and mother living in Monte Flor, Mexico, for example. Eleazar tends to the family’s vegetable garden and their chickens. Veg-etables from the garden provide a stable diet with the eggs, increasing the consump-tion of protein for her children. The sale of surplus produce and eggs has allowed El-eazar to increase her income. She even purchased a garden hose, which allows her to water her garden with greater ease while also expanding its size. Eleazar credits Plant With Purpose for improving her ability to provide for her children.

This Christmas, you can help families like the Hernandezes change their circumstanc-es. Plant With Purpose’s online Gift Catalog provides the opportunity to give the Gift of Hope to families in need on behalf of someone you love!

GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALTH

Half the world’s families cook meals on

open-flame stoves that cause premature

death and rampant deforestation. The gift of

an improved wood-saving stove can help re-

store health to families and forests.

GIVE NUTRITION TO A FAMILY

Chickens give families a sustainable supply

of nutrition and income. Eggs provide much-

needed protein for hungry children and can

be sold at market. Your donation will pur-

chase 5 chicks and training for a family in

need.

GIVE NUTRITION TO A FAMILY

Rabbits are ideal for families because of

their ability to reproduce quickly, provid-

ing protein-rich food, fertilizer for crops, and

a source of income. Your gift will provide a

family with two breeding rabbits and training

in how to best care for them.

PAIR OF RABBITS$20

CLUTCH OF 5 CHICKS $10

FUEL-EFFICIENT STOVE$30

GIVE SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

We believe the church is a key instrument of

change in a community. Plant With Purpose

programs are equipping local congrega-

tions to teach and to live out Christ’s gospel

among their neighbors. Your gift of $50 will

provide Bible study curriculum for a church

and training for a pastor and church leaders.

GIVE SEEDS OF HOPE

A family garden represents sustainable hope

to a poor family. Vegetables add nutrition to

family diets and provide income. Your dona-

tion of $50 will help a family establish a gar-

den and provide training in sustainable gar-

dening methods.

GIVE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Poor, rural families are not looking for hand-

outs. They’re looking to change their circum-

stances. Village Savings and Loan Associa-

tions (VSLAs) provide financial safety nets

and create opportunity. Your gift of $50 pro-

vides economic training and materials.

SAVINGS-LED MICROFINANCE$50

A FAMILY GARDEN$50

CHURCH-LED DISCIPLESHIP$50

VISIT

PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG/GIFTS

for the complete online catalog and

to print a special card to tell loved

ones about the gift given on their be-

half. You can also mail your donation

to Plant With Purpose in the enve-

lope provided.

4

Imagine entering the holiday season with little to celebrate. As a tough year comes to a close for impoverished families around the world, too many parents are forced to make life-or-death decisions. Do they spend the little money they have to send their child to school or to put food on the table? Do they sell their livestock for a short-term solution, causing further suffering down the road? Needless to say, Christmas presents are not an option as parents find alternative ways to celebrate the gift of Jesus.

THE HUNGER ISSUEAround the world, 870 million people go hungry each and every day–that’s one out of eight people. Poverty and hunger are deeply interconnected issues. Burundi is the hungriest country in the world (2013 Global Hunger Index). More than 73 per-cent of the population is undernourished (World Food Programme, 2012). During the recent civil conflict, disease harmed seeds and existing crops. Drought has left the

land unproductive with crops growing in-consistently. This has left few options for food as mothers and fathers returned to fields that fail to produce enough to eat.

A Plant With Purpose farmer association member from the Rutana province shares, “The stomach that goes to bed hungry wakes up jealous.” The physical effects of a hungry stomach convolutes the ability to think, further trapping the poor in despair.

FOOD MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCEBut a little food can change everything. Proper nutrition equips the human body to fully function and children to grow and learn. Food fuels our ability to focus, energizes us to work, and brings people together. Plant With Purpose is working to help parents put food on their tables. However, rather than offering handouts for short-term solutions, Plant With Pur-pose provides training, seeds, and op-portunity to bring a long-term solution to hunger.

Marko Philip was desperate for a solution to hunger. At 35 years old, Marko is mar-ried to Paulina, and they are blessed with three children ages 4, 8, and 11. The cou-

ple struggled with poverty in their com-munity of Gonjanza, Tanzania. Growing what they could to put food on the table proved unsuccessful after five years of inconsistent rains left little to harvest. Marko and Paulina’s main source of food became maize and beans. Coffee trees grew old and tired. A small quan-tity of beans meant little left to sell for income. In the prime of his life, Marko felt utterly defeated.

In 2009, Plant With Purpose began to work with farming families in Gonjanza. “We were trained on the importance of conserving our soil through contours, producing organic vegetables through the use of double dug garden beds, tree planting, and the management of livestock and chickens, as well as im-portance of savings-and-loan groups,” Marko shares. When he put to use the

“THE STOMACH THAT GOES TO BED HUNGRY WAKES UP JEALOUS.”

HUNGER TO HARVEST HOW PLANT WITH PURPOSE IS HELPING TO FEED FAMILIES

WOMEN IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC PREPARE FOOD GROWN ON THEIR FARM

BURUNDI IS THE HUNGRIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

PHOTO CREDIT: AARONCHANG.COM

5WWW.PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

training he received, he saw an increase in his annual income. Much of this in-crease is the result of raising livestock and chickens, and better management of his land.

MOTHERS AND FATHERS FEEDING THE WORLDLike Marko, Joseph Saint Jean Claudius wants to increase his family’s resources so he can better respond to their needs. Joseph and his family of four live in Baryè, Haiti. Hunger is an issue in Haiti where more than 44 percent of Haiti’s population is undernourished (World Food Programme, 2012). Reports share that 85-90 percent of Haitians depend on what they can grow to feed their families and earn an income. These families are left to farm steep hillsides where there is a loss of topsoil due to deforestation, which makes things tough for fathers like Joseph to provide for his family.

Since Plant With Purpose got involved in Baryè, Joseph has been learning how to make his farm produce more effectively. “Because my farm is no longer eroding, I have more crop yields. Thanks to Plant

With Purpose Haiti, now I have more crops and more income too.”

Joseph is also involved in a Village Savings and Loan Association, where he puts his newfound income to work. “I used the loans to buy animals and seeds and to pay school fees for my children.” These small improvements represent huge steps toward a brighter tomorrow for Joseph’s family.

Working with resilient mothers and fa-thers to grow food to feed their families is at the heart of Plant With Purpose. Parents are putting food on the table. Better nutrition helps their children succeed. Together, healthier communi-ties are established—communities free from hunger and on the path out of poverty.

So as we celebrate this season of Jesus, the Bread of Life, coming to live among us as Savior and King, let us remember that He also called us to feed the hun-gry. Plant With Purpose is doing just that for people like Marko and Paulina, Jo-seph and his family, and thousands of farming families around the world.

A COUPLE IN GONJANZA STAND PROUDLY IN THE GARDEN NEXT TO THEIR HOUSE.

EMPTY MARKET STALLS IN HAITI.

DEFINING HUNGERUndernourishment is the status of people whose food intake regularly provides less than their minimum en-ergy requirements. For the average person, that means consuming fewer than 1,800 kilocalories a day, accord-ing to the Food and Agriculture Orga-nization (FAO).

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) takes into account undernourishment, un-derweight children, and child mortality.

Percentage of people with-out enough to eat in Haiti44.5

Percentage of people with-out enough to eat in Burundi 73.4

Percentage of people without enough to eat in Tanzania38.8

Percentage of families around the world who depend on what they can grow to feed their children

70

The number of children who die every day due to hunger-related causes

16,000

The verse in the Bible’s book of Matthew where Je-sus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.”

25:35

*Information from World Food Program (2012), IFAD (2011), Bread for the World

PHOTO CREDIT: AARON.CHANG.COM

6

The 2013 Planting Hope Gala was a phe-nomenal success with over $337,000 raised to invest in the lives of the rural poor! We are grateful to those who at-tended, and we are deeply humbled by your generosity, passion, and commit-ment to the work of Plant With Purpose. Thank you to everyone who made the night possible!

SCOTT SABIN AT IDEACAMPThis fall, a group gathered in Austin, Tex-as, to talk about the concept of Human Care. Scott Sabin spoke into the idea that Creation Care is Human Care. To learn about other events and conference where Plant With Purpose will be, check out plantwithpurpose.org/events.

BLACK FRIDAY, CYBER MONDAY, GIVING TUESDAYThe day following the purchasing fren-zy associated with Thanksgiving week-end comes Giving Tuesday—a day to fo-cus on giving back either financially or

through a donation of time. Be watching for an email from Plant With Purpose of-fering ideas on how you can participate in Giving Tuesday this year.

CHRISTMAS TREES, PLEASEChristmas gives us a unique way to ap-preciate trees: by bringing them into our homes to adorn. This Christmas, in addition to purchasing a Christmas tree, donate a dollar to plant a tree in a rural community. Visit plantwithpur-pose.org/trees for more details.

THE JUSTICE CONFERENCE The Justice Conference is returning to the West Coast. Join us in Los Angeles on Feb-ruary 21-22, 2014 for a two-day conference that engages conversations on the com-pex issues surrounding justice. Leave in-spired by those combating injustice and with tools to join the effort.

YOU SHOP, AMAZON GIVESAmazon has rolled out a new service for

conscious buyers, called Amazon Smile. Shopping on Amazon Smile is essentially the same as shopping on Amazon.com, except that 0.5% of all purchases through Amazon Smile will be donated to a non-profit of your choice—including Plant With Purpose.

Bookmark smile.amazon.com, sign in with your current amazon.com account, and give back to Plant With Purpose while shopping on Amazon.

UPCOMING VISION TRIPSIf you haven’t visited one of Plant With Purpose’s programs, we’d love for you to consider joining us. Contact Doug Satre for more information: doug@plantwithpurpose.org.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:MARCH 23-29, 2014

HAITI: MAY 5-11, 2014

BURUNDI:MAY 4-14, 2014

PLANTING HOPE GALA A HUGE SUCCESS

7WWW.PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

Dario Baez Enemencio’s partnership with

Plant With Purpose Dominican Republic has

changed his life. He celebrates with the com-

munity of Piedra Blanca as they “graduate”

from Plant With Purpose’s program—evi-

dence that they have been equipped and em-

powered to improve their quality of life using

their own God-given talents and resources.

Before, Dario says, “My financial situation

was bad. I lived in a cottage and had a small

income. I just planted yucca. In most cases

it wasn’t profitable because I could not find

buyers. My land had little value, and I didn’t

have enough knowledge in cultivation tech-

niques to develop a profitable farm. I didn’t

know God, nor did I attend church.”

Today, his family’s situation is differ-

ent. Dario learned to diversify his farm

by planting lemon, mandarin, and eu-

calyptus trees alongside vegetables.

As a result, his income increased. “I

used to live in a thatch house,” he says,

“but now I have my own concrete block

house with a concrete roof. My family is

more financially stable.”

Beyond his family’s improved economic

well-being, Dario has experienced spiri-

tual transformation. “I had never visit-

ed a church before,” he says. “I went for

the first time and I really liked it. I at-

tend more frequently now.”

CHILDREN PLAYING GAMES IN THEIR HOMETOWN OF PANG TUAY

VILLAGE SPOTLIGHT:PANG TUAY, THAILAND

Like all supportive parents, when asked

what they hope to see in the years ahead,

the parents in Pang Tuay describe bet-

ter opportunities for their children. These

parents understand that education will

provide a better future for their sons and

daughters. But the distance to schools

is not the only challenge that families in

Pang Tuay face.

Imagine establishing your home and set-

tling in an area only to be told you have

to uproot and move. Forced relocations

have uprooted the entire community of

Pang Tuay three times in the past 40 years.

This group of ethnic Lahu—one of the six major

hill tribes in Thailand—originally put down their

roots in Pang Tuay while seeking a peaceful

place to build their lives. Unfortunately, Thai cit-

izenship is not granted at birth, and land owner-

ship is directly connected to citizenship. For the

past 15 years, the community of Pang Tuay has

been living on land where at any time they face

the threat of once again having to move.

Despite this threat, the people of Pang Tuay are

making a home for themselves on the hillsides.

Plant With Purpose Thailand has been working

with this community to develop a program of

caring for the local forest, which is the primary

source of livelihood. A recent study by

Plant With Purpose shows that this pro-

gram, known as Community Managed

Forests, encourages better protection of

the forest because people depend on it

for their survival.

Plant With Purpose is working with the

Pang Tuay community to increase their

knowledge of environmental issues,

community forestry, land rights, agro-

forestry, and replenishing streams with

fish. These resources are creating great-

er stability and are helping families build

toward a hopeful future.

PIEDRA BLANCA GRADUATES!

Plant With Purpose

4903 Morena Blvd. Suite 1215San Diego, CA 92117

Ph: 800.633.5319

Email: info@plantwithpurpose.org

www.plantwithpurpose.org

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGEPAIDPERMIT 751SAN DIEGO CA

THANKS FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN 2013

We use soy-based ink and 80# environment text

with 80% post-consumer fiber. FSC certified.

TWO GIRLS IN HAITI SMILE FOR THE CAMERAYOU CAN GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT

This Christmas:

Give gifts that change lives.

Information inside or at

plantwithpurpose.org/gifts.

CHANGE THE FUTURE FOR

CHILDREN THIS CHRISTMAS

PHOTO CREDIT: AARON.CHANG.COM