SUMMER 2012

in this issue
FEaturES
Knowledge is Contagious Visit a Village: Oaxaca Wahines

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DEPartmEntS
Directors Corner Breaking News Village Spotlight: Zumbador, D.R.

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Farmer Lenny sanid presents her garden in maLindi, tanzania.

EnvironmEntal SolutionS to Humanitarian ProblEmS

KnowlEDgE iS ContagiouS: FarmErS riDE tHE wavE oF innovation

By Aly lewis, Staff Writer and Grant Specialist

The results are in: Plant With Purpose is contagious.

in late 2011, plant With purpose conducted an impact evaluation on each of its six country programs. like a regular checkup or health exam, these impact evaluations give us an idea of how were doing, what progress is being made, and where we can improve our efforts to make a greater impact on the communities we serve together. these evaluations measure progress and effectiveness in improving the lives of the rural poor economically, environmentally, and spiritually. the most recent impact evaluations show that we have much to celebrate. For example, plant With purpose program members in thailand had twice as many children attending high school as those

in non-participating families. also, participants have shown improved household economic conditions, including a greater number of average rooms per household and an increased rate of cattle ownership. in tanzania, almost all plant With purpose participants99% of householdsare actively saving cash, and 50% of participant households claim to have enough savings to cover expenses for 6 months. Non-participant households, by contrast, are saving less frequently (48% of households), and only 6% of non-participant households claim to have enough money set aside to cover 6 months of expenses. as farmers save, they create a safety net to protect their families in case of emergencies. this is incredible news for those who formerly struggled to produce enough crops to feed their children, much less save for the future or a crisis.

additionally, the savings generated in groups are used to grant loans to members so that they can invest in small businesses. Because of these businesses, savings-led credit groups have a multiplier effect that benefits the whole community. When group members invest in successful businesses, they buy raw materials, hire employees, and stimulate the economy. Success generates success. this ripple effect can be seen across plant With purposes programs, not just in the savings and loan groups. in fact, the percentage of farmers who have shared their knowledge with friends and neighbors, multiplying our reach, is one of the most striking results from the 2011 impact evaluations. in short, the knowledge plant With purpose teaches is spreading. Over half of all plant With purpose participants in all six countries have shared their knowledge

burunDi

Haiti

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landscape

tHailanD

tanzania

96 75 89 90 63 98
SHarED tHEir knowlEdgE
95% of plant With purpose farmers have shared their knowledge with others at an average of 23.5 people each.

others

SHarED tHEir knowlEdgE

75% of plant With purpose farmers have shared their darker lighter knowledge with others, an average of 6.4 people each. 69% of plant With purpose participant households believe that those with whom they have shared are also applying this knowledge in their fields.

SHarED tHEir knowlEdgE

a high proportion of plant With purpose participants, 89%, have lighter darker shared their knowledge with others at an average of 16.1 people. a similarly high number of member households, 70%, believe that those with whom they have shared knowledge also apply this knowledge on their respective farms, on average 7.5 people per member.

SHarED tHEir knowlEdgE

almost 90% of plant With purpose farmers have shared their knowledge with others, with an average of 36 people each.

SHarED tHEir knowlEdgE

almost two-thirds of plant With purpose members, 63%, have shared their acquired knowledge with others, and on average, each member has shared knowledge with 7.8 people.

SHarED tHEir knowlEdgE

almost all of plant With purpose members, 98%, have shared their acquired knowledge with others, and on average, each member has shared with 20 people.

with othersand not with just one or two other people, but between six to 36 people! in tanzania, almost all of plant With purpose members (98%) have shared their acquired knowledge with others, and on average, each member has shared knowledge with 20 people. Nearly as many participants, 94%, estimate that those with whom they have shared technical knowledge are applying this knowledge in the field. in the last year, plant With purpose directly trained 1,883 farmers in tanzania. if you take the ripple effect into account, plant With purposes reach extends from 1,800 to over 37 ,000 farmers in tanzania alone! throughout our six programs, we are not only directly teaching 8,500 or so farmers how to earn a livelihood, but those 8,500 farmers are in turn teaching over 100,000 of their neighbors to be self-sufficient. the impact goes on and on. entire regions are equipped with the skills and knowledge to im-

plement sustainable projects that have transformed hundreds of thousands of lives. Just a couple of months ago, program participants in tanzania took the multiplier effect one step further by organizing an Organic agriculture trade Show in their region. this was a chance for farmers to demonstrate the latest agriculture products and activities as well as examine recent market trends and opportunities. Remarkably, 3,980 people attended the event, including farmers, local residents, hotel owners, tour companies, grocery store representatives, traders, exporters, governmental officials, and other local leaders. the trade Show helped create strong networks between farmers and the business community. it also turned out to be an excellent platform for idea sharing, training, and networking. the event brought a lot of attention to plant With purposes programs and led to a significant increase in interest in Village

Savings and loan groups, training in environmental care, and organic agriculture. We expect to see incredible growth in our programs, and also in the use of sustainable agriculture techniques throughout the region, meaning families will have greater access to higher quality fruits and vegetables both to eat and to sell. as families increase their income and improve nutrition, children are able to attend school, health improves, families generate a buffer of savings in case of emergencies, and transformation spreads across generations, among communities, and within regions. theres an african proverb that says, if you want to go quickly, go alone. if you want to go far, go together. plant With purpose empowers communities around the globe to create lasting change and go further than theyve ever dreamed, together. WWW.plaNtWithpuRpOSe.ORg 3

DirECtorS CornEr
By sCOTT sABiN, Executive Director
When you mention Burundi to most people, you get a blank stare. about half can tell you it is in africa. Very few know that it is emerging from decades of civil war and genocide, with a history similar to that of Rwanda, leaving it one of the poorest countries in the world. and almost none know what an amazing and hopeful place it really is, albeit one with some daunting challenges. With the return of peace, hundreds of thousands of exiles are returning from tanzanian refugee camps, often after decades during which they have been unable to work or settle. they are coming back to one of the most densely populated countries in africa. those dynamics add a very unique dimension to our program there. in order to encourage reconciliation and help those with no land, lazare, our country director, has had to exercise a great deal of creativity. We are encouraging the formation of farmers associations, requiring those with more land than they are able to cultivate on their own to team up with those who have no land in order to receive our services. associations must include hutus, tutsi, and twa, both returnees and those who never left. We have been working with the associations to introduce improved seeds and crop propagation methods - critically important in a country that saw its agriculture decimated by war - and teaching improved agricultural techniques. Weve also introduced Village Savings and loan groups in the region. after just a few weeks, savings are growing and excitement is palpable. Because so many people put their lives and vocations on hold during their time of exile, lazare, who holds a phD in theology, has focused on teaching a theology of Work seminar, helping people to develop a new work ethic and see their efforts as giving glory to god. We are now working with more than 25 of these associations. a partnership with World Relief is providing some of the same kinds of services on a more temporary basis to over 50 groups of returning refugees. the most promising of these groups may become a long-term part of our program. One story i found particularly moving was that of leoni, a woman who had been both a refugee and a member of an insurgent group.

viDEo From SCottS timE in burunDi

landless and with no prospects, lazare discovered she had learned how to make fuelefficient stoves (which use much less firewood and produce less harmful smoke) while she was a refugee. Suddenly, someone who was regarded as having nothing to contribute realized she had a much-needed skilla talent she could use to contribute to her friends, neighbors, and country. as leoni taught the groups about these stoves, she earned enough money for a cell phone, allowing her to further expand her business. Shes empowered others to follow in her footsteps, start their own businesses, and rapidly scale up the use of these stoves. leonis buried talent was dug up and put to use for gods kingdom. this is the sort of personal transformation and redemption we are seeing throughout our programs and is so gratifying. thank you for being a part of it.

Scott Sabin Executive Director

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saVe the date

th

Planting HoPE gala

inSPiring uPDatES From tHE FiElD FrEE & ConvEniEnt ParKing livE auCtion & FunD-a-nEED witH nEw auCtionEEr, miKE Hogan SilEnt auCtion inCluDing Country CraFtS & otHEr grEat StEalS
proceeds go towards empowering the rural poor to improve their lives and land.

OctOber 13, 2012

6 oCloCK in tHE EvEning
Rosaler at becky@plantwithpurpose.org if you would like to donate.

We are currently procuring auction items and are looking specifically for an apple ipad, fine dining certificates, vacation retreats, or airline miles. please contact Becky

brEaKing nEwS
tHanK you For HElPing to maKE our EartH Day CamPaignS a SuCCESS!
grouPon
Within a week, we surpassed our goal of raising $1,000, which was matched not only by a generous donor but also by groupon!

KEllogg garDEn ProDuCtS

this spring, our friends at Kellogg garden products have launched a new high-end line of premium planting mix and potting soil, eden Valley. With each bag of eden Valley purchased, Kellogg will donate $1 to plant With purpose. that means youre not only going to grow some pretty amazing vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, but youll also be growing the lives of our brothers and sisters who depend on their soil for survival.

zania. to follow their progress and support their efforts visit wingsofkilimanjaro.com.

wayS to gEt involvED

like us on Facebook or follow us on twitter to receive updates on our work. Subscribe to our blog: plantwithpurpose. org/blog to keep up with the buzz. Become an advocate. Visit plantwithpurpose.org/take-action and find ways to help us spread the word in your community. intern or volunteer at plant With purpose. Contact emily@plantwithpurpose.org.

livE:58 in april, plant With purpose was highlighted on the global impact tour. Our efforts focused on Restoring Fruitfulness to the land in the Dominican Republic and almost $25,000 was raised to train farmers and plant trees!
Our friends at World Vision aCt:S promoted plant With purpose as one of their Save the earth partners, allowing us to post earth Day challenges and resources to their young audience of activists.

wingS oF Kilimanjaro

tHE SowEr iSSuE #95

The Sower is published quarterly by plant With purpose.
editor-in-Chief aly lewis aly@plantwithpurpose.org

aCt:S

ProjECt 7 the Save the earth Campaign

placed project 7 gum at check-out counters in Walmarts throughout the country with the end goal of planting 2 million trees. Stay tuned as we continue reporting on the success of this endeavor, which culminated with the project 7 staff traveling to haiti to see our programs.

Most people only dream about hiking to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in tanzania. Fewer people have the idea to launch themselves off the top in a paraglider. Our friends at Wings of Kilimanjaro are recruiting 200 pilots to join them in this unprecedented launch from the Roof of africa. each pilot is raising funds to further our work in tan-

4903 Morena Blvd. Suite 1215 San Diego, Ca 92117 ph: (800) 633-5319 Fax: (858) 274-3728 email: info@plantwithpurpose.org www.plantwithpurpose.org Please consider including Plant With Purpose in your wills and bequests.

WWW.plaNtWithpuRpOSe.ORg

viSit a villagE:
By CAThi luNdy, Board Chair
For the second year, i have been blessed to be part of a special group of women, the Oaxaca Wahines! We traveled from los angeles to Oaxaca, Mexico to learn about plant With purposes programs, share Bible reflections, and host a handicraft exchange. there is something special about a woman-only trip a lot of tears and hugs and heartfelt connections spring up as we see people struggle with the basic needs of life. Our hearts had been touched and changed the previous year by meeting women who told us their babies had died before getting a cistern to collect and provide safe water, and seeing the joy of women using fuel-efficient stoves (whose arms were scarred, burned from the fires of their traditional stoves). Returning from our trip in 2011, we felt inspired by the way plant With purpose Mexico has empowered people to improve their lives. We wanted to help and so we returned to share useful ideas for handicrafts that the women could sell to support their families. We prayed for gods guidance and our creative members brainstormed craft ideas. the Oaxacan women were excellent at embroidery, but most did not know how to knit. Back home, we included our friends, churches, and Bible studies by asking them to donate old yarn, crochet hooks, and knitting needles. at the same time, we collected money for a cistern and fuel-efficient stoves. the four returning Wahines were overjoyed on arrival to see our friends on staff and wom6

Oaxaca Wahines strike again

en we had previously met. One lady was even wearing a hair band from our 2011 handicraft exchange. this year, we were blessed to bring a gifted violinist, who played in the various villages. When she began playing praise songs, tears streamed down our faces, Wahine and Oaxacan women alike, as we felt gods presence and were united in the universal language of praise. Our long awaited 2012 handicraft exchange arrived. We proudly set out the kits of yarn that had been stuffed in our suitcases. a third of the women were returnees, so there were hugs as we recognized our old friends. Women had walked over two hours with babies on their backs. Our hearts were warmed watching the ladies carefully choose one kit of yarn, settle into a circle, and learn to knit or crochet communicating through Spanish, english, and pantomime. it was a day full of joy. taking in the room, one of the Wahines said with misty eyes, My cup is full! Our service extended as we opened our arms, embracing the many new babies so the mothers could learn and work on items to sell. the day ended with a special god moment we visited the newborn baby of a plant With purpose promoter, and our Wahine, Kerry, a nurse and lactation consultant, was able to counsel the new mother on nursing issues. What perfect timing! Kerry had no idea god would use her medical training on a trip to plant trees and share handicrafts. and oh, did i mention the ministry of shopping? You should see nine women swarm on pine needle baskets and embroidered tortilla wraps at every village we stopped at. We all loved buying crafts from the plant With purpose villagers, especially knowing that our purchases honored the dignity of their work. plans are already in the work for a 2013 trip! anyone want to join us?

if you havent visited one of plant With purposes programs, wed love for you to prayerfully consider joining us on one of the trips listed below. please contact Doug Satre for more information at doug@plantwithpurpose.org or call (800) 633-5319.

uPComing viSion triPS

October 22-27, 2012 - Oaxaca, Mexico January 23-February 3, 2013 - tanzania March 15-20, 2013 - Oaxaca, Mexico March 17-22, 2013 - Dominican Republic June 2013 - thailand

villagE SPotligHt:

zumbadOr, dOminican repubLic

By BeCky ROsAleR, Marketing and Events Coordinator

pastor luis plot of land in Zumbador, Dominican Republic produces more than one crop. On a trellis about 4 feet above the ground grows a vine with a fruit they call granadilla. using the background knowledge that pastor luis learned from plant With purposes agronomist, he grafted the weaker granadilla into the disease resistant passion fruit vine. the product is a healthy crop of pods valued at 100 Dominican pesos a fruit ($3 uSD). Below the trellis grows the fragrant leaves of cilantro, which cover the ground in a blanket of green. the cilantro is being cultivated by a church member who doesnt have access to his own land. With a lot of hard work, the cilantro will generate an income and this brother will benefit from the generosity of his pastor. the ingenuity and kindness of pastor luis has extended outside of his plot of land or Sunday services. after completing a survey encouraged by our Church, Community, and Change initiative, this congregation decided to start a literacy program that is further empowering the community. pastor luis reach goes beyond his family, his life, and his resources. he is investing back into his community of Zumbador and many lives will be impacted because of his generosity.

On a recent Vision trip, nine students and leaders from the Fathers house Church witnessed the altruistic attitude of not only pastor luis, but that of other community members as they came out to help plant orange trees and host the group for lunch. the time spent in Zumbador had special meaning for the Fathers house. this youth group from Southern California is committed to sponsoring the village of Zumbador in the Dominican Republic. Stories from Zumbador are rippling through the lives of these students, to their family and friends, their church and youth group, our supporters at plant With purpose, and on to a national platform through a website called The Way. Some of you might remember an edition of the Bible that came out in the 70s called The Way. The Way has been revived with a second edition, which was released this spring. Scott Sabin contributed to the new version. there is an online component to create community through honest conversation, voicing thoughts, and moving people towards action. Reflections from the Fathers house students will be posted on this site (www.theWay.is) in the next couple of weeks, an opportunity that had gods fingerprints all over it.

We want to send out one more ripple for all of you to hear from the students voices. here are a few sound bites from their reflections: Although we did little labor and hands-on work to help the communities we visited, I believe we played an even more crucial role as guests, listening to the work the Lord had already been doing in their country, villages, and communities. -Aubree Heath We helped a farmer plant orange trees in his cilantro fields, yet there was a multitude of men and women working. So we asked, Do these men all work for you, or do they have their own farms? His response was phenomenal. These men all have their OWN farms, but I needed help, so they came to help. OH MAN! MIND BLOWN! In the US, nothing like that would ever take place. Nor would anyone here in our culture (maybe far and few) ever go out of their way to help one another get ahead. -Deborah Sanchez
Visit our website, www.plantwithpurpose.org, or fill out the attached remit slip to learn how you can Sponsor a Village like Zumbador in the Dominican Republic for just $1 a day.

WWW.plaNtWithpuRpOSe.ORg

Plant With Purpose 4903 Morena Blvd. Suite 1215 San Diego, Ca 92117 ph: (800) 633-5319 Fax: (858) 274-3728 email: info@plantwithpurpose.org www.plantwithpurpose.org

NoN-Profit org U.S. PoStage Paid Permit 751 SaN diego Ca

tHE rESultS arE in: Plant witH PurPoSE iS ContagiouS.

read hOW pLant With purpOses prOgrams are spreading hOpe.

pLant With purpOse inspires smiLes FrOm schOOL girLs in FOnds Verrettes, haiti.

HoPe is sPreading