What’s Your Purpose?
by Aly Lewis
Recently I was posed the question, Why are you here?
Not why-do-people-exist or what-is-the-meaning-of-life, but why am I HERE at this juncture in my life. At this computer at this desk with these coworkers at this job to do these tasks.
One answer is this:
Reject Apathy: Plant With Purpose in Relevant Magazine
SO MANY THANKS!
by Corbyn Small
Maybe it’s because last weekend in San Diego it was 78 degrees and wonderfully sunny out, but even with all the Christmas sweaters and Starbucks Christmas cups, I STILL cannot believe that Christmas is in 3 days! As the Outreach Coordinator here at Plant With Purpose, the alternative gift season is drawing to a close and I wanted to thank all the churches and groups that worked tirelessly to host alternative gift markets and events so that money and awareness could be raised for non-profit organizations like our own!
Corbyn Small serves as Plant With Purpose’s Outreach Coordinator. He cultivates relationships with donors, churches, artists and musicians to generate interest and enthusiasm for Plant With Purpose’s life-changing programs.
Reforesting the border
The border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic crosses some of the poorest and most environmentally sensitive areas of both countries. Despite rampant prejudice, Haitian and Dominican communities have interdependent economies, common environmental problems, and share elements of a growing border culture. Millions of Haitians cross illegally to seek opportunity in the more prosperous Dominican Republic, and relationships on both sides of the border are characterized by misunderstanding and often violence. One of Plant With Purpose’s most exciting initiatives to date is its Trans Border Project on the Haitian/Dominican border. Through an integrated program of community development, innovative agriculture, reforestation, microcredit, and long-term discipleship, Plant With Purpose is holistically addressing the root causes of poverty and empowering these rural farmers to transform their lives and lands through viable, long-term solutions.
Check out this article recently reported by the Latin American Herald Tribune about the Dominican government’s plan to reforest along the border, and see why the work Plant With Purpose is already doing in the border region is so important.
Dominican Republic to Plant 5 Million Trees Along Border with Haiti
SANTO DOMINGO – The Dominican Republic plans to plant 5 million trees along the border with Haiti as part of a project to fight deforestation, environmental officials said.
The project, which will cost about 35 million pesos (some $972,200), will be carried out under an agreement signed by the Environment Ministry and the General Border Development Administration, or DGDF.
Pine, mahogany, mango, oak, tamarind and guayacan trees will be planted in the border region, the Environment Ministry said.
The agreement will be implemented via the Quisqueya Verde reforestation program in Montecristi, Dajabon and Santiago Rodriguez provinces in the northwestern part of the country, as well as in the southwestern provinces of Elias Piña, Bahoruco, Independencia and Pedernales.
Natural resources “are a national security” issue because “not just forests but also transborder waters” are at stake, Environment Minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal said.
“The production of charcoal is a threat to all of us, but when families join reforestation brigades you create green jobs, on the one hand, and reduce the pressure on resources, on the other,” Fernandez Mirabal said.
The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, with Haiti in the western portion.
Heavy rains from tropical storms and hurricanes have caused mudslides, killing thousands of people in Haiti in recent years.
Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, is prone to devastating mudslides and flooding because of man-made deforestation that has reduced the amount of the nation covered by forest from 25 percent some 50 years ago to just 2 percent today, while the neighboring Dominican Republic retains a lush tree canopy. EFE
Village Spotlight: Komalyangoe, Tanzania
Located at the base of the breathtaking Mt. Kilimanjaro, Komalyangoe is an area of great beauty. Yet in recent years, the area has experienced unrelenting poverty and deforestation.
Before Plant With Purpose began working here in 2003, the men in these villages had no jobs and were completely lost, struggling daily to feed their families. Many had turned to alcohol or drug abuse and the younger generation followed suit, perpetuating a vicious cycle of despair.
With unpredictable weather and a rapidly expanding population, farmers today face a daily battle against unavoidable circumstances in their quest to provide for their families. Formerly dependent on coffee production, which has plummeted as international prices have dropped, the families of Komalyangoe are dependent on their small farms for their livelihoods.
Plant With Purpose is bringing hope to this desperate region and helping families to invest in a better future. Through life-changing projects like family gardens, the construction of fuel efficient stoves, micro credit, and reforestation efforts, Plant With Purpose is helping rural farmers to discover the tools and resources necessary for escaping poverty.
Click here to join us in bringing hope to the people of Komalyangoe.
World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification
by Aly Lewis Working at Plant With Purpose has spurred a fine-tuning of my development vocabulary and equipped me with some pretty shnazzy terms to throw out in casual conversation: deforestation, microentrepreneur, beneficiaries, ecological latrine(okay, maybe I still haven’t found an appropriate way to integrate ecological latrine into a casual conversation, but I sure am trying). Here’s a doozy of a term for you: desertification. No, not dessertification, or the process by which someone either 1. becomes a dessert or 2. turns an ordinary food, say an apple, from a healthy snack into an ooey gooey, caramelized treat. Sadly, desertification is a much graver issue than a renegade apple fritter. While deforestation is the disappearance of forests, desertification is the appearance of desert wastelands in arid areas. Land that once bustled with biodiversity and productivity becomes dry and virtually unusable. Basically, overuse and abuse of scarce resources (such as slash-and-burn agriculture and deforestation) has plunged desert lands (and people) into a deadly cycle of drought and decreased land productivity. The U.N. has declared today, June 17, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. According to a recent press release issued by the U.N. Secretary General, “Desertification and land degradation affect one third of the Earth’s surface, threatening the livelihoods, well-being and development of as many as 1 billion people. Faced with long periods of drought, famine and deepening poverty, many have only one option: flight from the land. There are already an estimated 24 million environmentally induced migrants. That number could rise to 200 million by 2050.” This has huge implications for many of the world’s poor. Without short-term options and long-term solutions, the problem will only get worse as impoverished families continue to destroy their land in a desperate effort to survive. But there is hope. Just like it’s difficult to curb your sweet tooth, reversing such drastic conditions as deforestation and desertification isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. Plant With Purpose works with communities around the world to implement sustainable agricultural practices that will actually improve and restore degraded lands while simultaneously improving farmers’ livelihoods and transforming their lives. We’ve seen hillsides be renewed and streams be replenished. We’ve watched as schoolchildren plant tree seedlings and learn the value of caring for the environment. We’ve witnessed entire communities joining together to establish sustainable land use practices. People and communities around the world are coming together to tackle desertification and are learning ways to build a better future for themselves and their families. Now you’ve got a shnazzy new word to flash around the next time you’re trying to impress your friends with your multi-syllabic-lingo. But more important than flaunting your verbal prowess, maybe take a minute or two to share about the devastating effects of desertification around the globe and what can be done to help. If you’re interested in learning more about desertification and what’s being done to stop it, check out these links: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/index.htm#1
Also, check out our website to see how all of Plant With Purpose’s projects work together to restore the land, create economic opportunity, and transform the lives of the rural poor.
Reforesting the Future
Village Spotlight: Nuxiño, Mexico
Nuxiño, Mexico, with a population of 1,000, is one of the larger communities where Plant With Purpose works. Located 2 hours Northwest of Oaxaca City, this community is a local capital and therefore the area has schools up to the secondary level, a jail, and a health clinic. Although community members have access to more services than many of the farmers in more isolated communities, poverty and environmental degradation are critical problems that threaten the very livelihood of the people of Nuxiño. To the north, the land is dry and barren; to the south, there are thinning pines. Without adequate access to water or proper forest management, the people of Nuxiño will become further
entrenched in desperate poverty. Plant With Purpose’s life-changing projects in Nuxiño include soil conservation, credit cooperatives, reforestation efforts, community tree nurseries, church partnerships, and handicrafts, and are designed to help farmers care for their land, provide for their families, and build a better future for their children. Partner with Plant With Purpose to plant hope in Nuxiño.
Click here to find out how you can help make a difference in the lives of rural farmers in Nuxiño, Mexico.
Plant a tree and transform a life
Scott Sabin, Executive Director of Plant With Purpose, is featured on SDNN.com today. Read his article to find out why planting trees does more than just reduce your carbon footprint:
Scott Sabin: Stop the carbon footprints
While talk of carbon trading is all the buzz these days, I have to wonder, can tree planting have a greater impact than merely soothing our guilty, carbon consuming consciences?
For many of the world’s poorest people, their very survival is contingent on the health of their environment. Of course the same applies to us, but in a much more removed way. It’s easy to forget that our bottled water actually comes from a stream or our prepackaged food may actually have been grown in this thing called soil.
Around the world, small farmers, desperate to feed their families, are forced to cut down large areas of forested land, clearing it for farming or to sell as fuel wood. The resulting erosion and loss of soil fertility leaves entire hillsides desolate and barren, entrenching poor farmers in a vicious cycle of poverty and deforestation.
For these desperate farmers, their environmental impact is literally drying up the streams that sustain them, eroding the hillsides they farm for sustenance, and threatening their very survival. Now. Not in twenty years when more ice caps melt and sea levels rise, but now.
We all know trees play an important part in reducing global warming, absorbing harmful CO2 and releasing life-giving oxygen, but the full benefits of trees go much deeper. Trees’ root systems provide living barriers that prevent soil erosion, replenish the water table, and restore desolate, unproductive lands.
To the affluent city-dweller, these may sound like fringe benefits, but to a rural farmer, completely dependent on the land for survival, a tree can be the difference between life and death, the difference between hope and despair, thriving and barely squeaking by, a better future for their children and a life entrenched in a vicious cycle of extreme poverty and hunger.
When trees are planted alongside crops-a technique called agroforestry-farmers experience all the benefits of trees while also providing nutritious foods and a sustainable income for their families. For example, Floresta works with farmers to utilize agroforestry and sustainable farming techniques, empowering them to overcome poverty, provide for their families, live in dignity, and fulfill their greatest dream of all-leaving the world a better place for their children.
So for me, the excitement of planting trees results when I can see how caring for the environment actually improves the lives of the rural poor: it’s fighting global warming plus reducing poverty plus restoring environments plus transforming lives. All while leaving the world a better place for our own children as well.
For those hungry to reduce their carbon footprint and do something to alleviate poverty in the world, remember that offsetting our own carbon footprint by planting trees can actually transform the life of a rural farmer. Today.
So plant a tree and transform a life.
