SPRING 2011

Hope for in this issue

Features

Children
Hope for Children at Risk 2
Country Spotlight 3
International Meeting a Success 4
Meet our New Board Chair 7

at Risk NEWS
Director’s Corner
Breaking News
5
6

Formerly known as Floresta USA

 Hope for
Children
at Risk
By Doug Satre, Director
of Outreach and Development
On a recent visit to the Dominican
Republic, a small group of visitors
and I walked into the farm of Dario
Peña, looking forward to seeing
the typical projects farmers are
so proud of - cisterns and garden
beds, tree nurseries, and improved
stoves. But what was on Dario’s
mind was something else. “This is
my daughter, Claudia,” Dario said,
glowing with pride. “She is at the
university now!” Pleased to have
an attentive audience, he launched
into the story of how he had been
able to develop his farm and raise
his income so that his daughter
could attend college. What before
would have been a far-off dream
had become a living reality.
Not having known Dario’s situation before,
it was hard for me to really appreciate how
far he and his family had come. But the real-
ity is in every country where Plant With Pur-
pose works, our staff specifically seeks out
the communities and regions that are the
most vulnerable and where conditions are
the worst - places where few children finish
high school, let alone attend university. In
these regions people typically have the least
2 Formerly known as Floresta USA
access to economic opportunity and spiri-
tual care. While Plant With Purpose doesn’t
specifically talk about it that often, this also
means we are working where children are
most at risk. The children of these communi-
ties lack access to proper medical care, edu-
cation, and nutrition. In many cases, espe-
cially in Haiti and Thailand, they are at risk
of being victims of family or racial violence,
abandonment, or being trafficked as slaves.
The reality of this risk was brought home to
me three years ago on my first trip to visit
Plant With Purpose’s work on the Haiti / Do-
minican border, in the community of Angel
Feliz. As we arrived in the village, we found
the community in great turmoil: the twelve-
year-old son of a Dominican farmer was
missing. It was soon discovered that he had
been kidnapped and subsequently killed by
one of his father’s Haitian farm hands.
How does our work impact situations like
these? In many ways. But by addressing
the root causes of poverty in these regions,
such as a lack of economic opportunity and
land degradation, Plant With Purpose helps
plant hope for a better future. Families stay
together as parents find work in their home
communities; children develop healthy bod-
ies as they benefit from improved nutrition;
children are able to stay in school as their
parents can afford their school fees; and
children grow up in an atmosphere where
they and their families feel increasingly em-
powered as they absorb the message that
they are loved by God and endowed by him with
precious gifts and talents. They have hope for a
better future. Plant With Purpose’s community
reconciliation work helps protect children from
becoming victims of violence.
As a result of long-term commitment to the well
being of poor communities, there are many,
many success stories to share. For example in
Oaxaca, where an estimated 70% of the popu-
lation suffers from malnutrition, girls like Lupita
and Susanna (pictured above) are at great risk
of suffering from hunger and a lack of access to
medical care. Plant With Purpose’s work in their
community is helping their parents find work lo-
cally and increase their incomes.This has a direct
impact on children like them, as they are more
likely to stay in school and enjoy healthy growth
in their crucial early development years.
Plant With Purpose works with many rural farm-
ers who are anxious to develop their gifts and
talents; farmers who, with encouragement, train-
ing, and God’s help, are building a better future
for their children and themselves.
You can help children plant hope for a better
future by sponsoring a village. Visit our web-
site at www.plantwithpurpose.org to choose
a village to sponsor for $30 per month, or
call our office at (800) 633-5319.
Your recurring donation will be matched for
the first year, making an even bigger impact
in the lives of the rural poor.
Country
Spotlight:
A Look Back
at Burundi’s
Achievements
in 2010
In 2010 Plant With Purpose received requests to collabo-
rate with three new community groups in Burundi, which
extended our work to new regions and provinces this
year, adding to the 186 members from the nine commu-
nity groups we already work with. Last year Plant With
Purpose began training groups on building and using fu-
el-efficient stoves, resulting in 69 new stoves built in the
last quarter alone. As a part of a new partnership with
World Relief, Plant With Purpose trained World Relief’s
beneficiaries in stove making as well. Farmers’ groups
were successful in selling cassava cuttings, beans, egg-
plant and arrowroot cuttings. One community group, for
example, earned $3,551, which is a huge accomplishment
for struggling families. Plant With Purpose also received
prominent recognition from media and governmental of-
ficials within the country. The Ministry of Agriculture rec-
ognized Plant With Purpose on Burundi’s national televi-
sion news as one of the five best non-governmental orga-
nizations in the Rutana province. Plant With Purpose also
received a 30-minute segment on a leading Burundian ra-
dio station that focuses on conflict resolution. Exposure
like this builds on the already positive reputation of Plant
With Purpose’s newest program and will help to expand
our transformational work.
Help us reach our goal of $25,000 to teach farmers sus-
tainable agriculture techniques that will increase their
crop yields and improve their land this year! Visit www.
plantwithpurpose.org to donate.
www.plantwithpurpose.org 3
 International
Meeting a Success
In November, all of the Plant With Pur-
pose country directors and some of the
Plant With Purpose U.S. staff and partners
met in Tanzania to share ideas, brainstorm
new methods, and review Plant With Pur-
pose’s holistic ministry and transforma-
tional development process. The meeting
was incredibly inspiring as people shared
stories of how communities are changing
their lives.
The village of Malindi, for example, shared
how villagers were only getting one meal
per day, but after joining VICOBA, they now
are getting three meals a day and have
money to pay school fees and meet medi-
cal needs. Several people shared that their
health problems have cleared up with eat-
The Sower Issue #92
The Sower is published quarterly
by Plant With Purpose.
4
4 Formerly known as Floresta USA
ing the vegetables they grow organically from
the Plant With Purpose training.
A staff member from the Oaxaca program,
Evelin Perez Bravo, said:
 
I don’t have to live like a poor Mexican wom-
an who was conquered 500 years ago. I may
live in poor conditions but I do not have
to be poor, to live in a permanent and un-
changeable state of poverty. Our goal is to
help people discover their story in the con-
text of God’s story so they can change their
story.
We praise God for these amazing reports,
and hope you will continue to partner with
us so we may continue these efforts.
4903 Morena Blvd. Ste 1215
San Diego, CA 92117
Ph: (800) 633-5319
Fax: (858) 274-3728
Email: info@plantwithpurpose.org
www. plantwithpurpose.org
See Plant With
Purpose’s Vision
Every year Plant With Purpose sup-
porters have the opportunity to trav-
el to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, or
Tanzania to meet the farmers we work
with and see our life-changing pro-
grams first-hand on a Vision Trip. The
photo above is from the November
2010 Tanzania Vision Trip where visi-
tors had the chance to participate in a
Village Community Banking (VICOBA)
meeting (which involved singing and
dancing!) in the village of Mng’ende
in the Pare Mountains. The group
also attended the opening ceremo-
ny of a new water cistern built by the
Mng’ende VICOBA.
Here are this year’s Vision Trip dates:
Dominican Republic:
April 28 – May 3, 2011
Haiti:
August 21 – 27, 2011
Oaxaca, Mexico:
October 19 – 24, 2011
Please contact Doug Satre at
doug@plantwithpurpose.org or call
(800) 633-5319 if you are interested
in participating in a Vision Trip.
Editor-In-Chief: Kate Nare
kate@plantwithpurpose.org
Please consider including Plant With
Purpose in your wills and bequests.
Director’S CORNER
By SCOTT SABIN, Executive Director
Why Isn’t
Haiti Fixed Yet?
January marked the one-
year anniversary of the
earthquake in Haiti. Much
of the news coverage
focused on where the aid
money has gone, asking
why, with all the money
pledged, things haven’t
improved significantly. Most analyses fo-
cused on corruption, lack of leadership, or
NGO inefficiency as key reasons for a lack
of progress. While all of these are factors to
one degree or another, I believe the two most
important factors have been almost entirely
overlooked.
The first is the sheer size of the disaster.
300,000 people were killed. 1.5 million ren-
dered homeless. Sixty percent or more of the
structures in the capital city were destroyed,
including almost the entire government infra-
structure. There is simply no equivalence be-
tween the money spent and the need.
Perhaps equally important to understanding
where Haiti is today is in understanding the
function of relief aid. Asking why Haiti isn’t
fixed yet is a little like asking a patient in in-
tensive care why, with all the money being
spent on them, they haven’t run a 10K yet. If
we want the patient to run a 10K it is time to
invest in some physical therapy. The bottom
line is that most of the money that has been
spent thus far has gone to keep people alive.
One organization estimated that they were
spending $170,000 a day to keep their camps
operating. It hasn’t all been spent yet - thank
God - because it is still necessary to keep peo-
ple alive.*
In a way, when people ask, “With all the mon-
ey that has been spent why isn’t Haiti fixed
yet?” they are asking the very same ques-
tion that Plant With Purpose’s founders asked
nearly 27 years ago. As we have told the sto-
ry many times over the years, Tom Woodard
was working in the Dominican Republic fol-
lowing Hurricane David and observed that
all of the emergency assistance that was be-
ing provided was not changing people’s lives.
Rather it was allowing people to merely sur-
vive. With that, Plant With Purpose was born,
seeking upstream solutions to the down-
stream problems that kept people dependent
on food aid.
In order to do more than merely survive, peo-
ple need jobs. In a country where the vast
majority of the people are farmers, but which
struggles to feed itself, the land must be re-
stored to health. Most importantly, the people
must be given the tools so they can change
their own situation and rebuild their own
country. We have seen this approach bear
fruit in the Dominican Republic over the long-
term, and in several corners of Haiti we are
seeing it proven again.
However, in order to make that change on a
significant level in Haiti, people must be will-
ing to invest in more than just emergency
relief. We found it shockingly easy to raise
money for disaster assistance in Haiti, and
we continue to find it excruciatingly diffi-
cult to raise funds for our primary work of
empowering communities. People must be
willing to invest in developing local capac-
ity and opportunities. And we all must be
willing to be patient. Plant With Purpose
has seen huge improvement and signifi-
cant change in the villages where we work.
But we have invested 14 years in Haiti to
get there. The good news is that it is possi-
ble and no one is willing to work harder to
see it happen than the Haitian people!
*In October 2010, Plant With Purpose com-
pleted spending and utilizing 100% of the
approximate $1 million we raised for earth-
quake relief. Since then we have been work-
ing with our existing programs to broaden
our base of service and help more of those
impacted by the earthquake.
Scott Sabin
Executive Director
Visit our website, www.plantwithpurpose.org,
for the most recent update on our work in Haiti
and to donate toward these efforts.
www.plantwithpurpose.org 5
 Breaking News

Is Your Church
Looking for a Speaker? Meet
our New
Board
Creation Care, or Christian environmental stewardship, is a topic that has people talking.
As Christians, do we have a unique responsibility to Creation? Must we choose between
caring for people and caring for the earth? Plant With Purpose’s Executive Director is
to be the savior to a world that already has
a savior), Tending to Eden: Environmental
Stewardship for God’s People (an overview
Chair:
available to speak at Sunday services, evening programs, Sunday school classes, home
fellowships, and groups gathering around particular topics, such as missions or justice.
of Scott’s book).

For more information and to book

Cathi
Lundy
Possible topics include: “Understanding the Connection Between Poverty and the Envi- a date, please contact Kate Nare at
ronment,” the Biblical basis for Creation Care, what works and what doesn’t when help- kate@plantwithpurpose.org or call
ing the poor (ideal for short-term mission teams), “How Not to be a Hero” (how we try our office at (800) 633-5319.

Upcoming Events
Plant With Purpose is excited to introduce our ter learning to garden organically instead of us- with our kids and the time was spent getting
Planting Hope Gala new board chair, Cathi Lundy. Cathi has been ing chemicals.  I love how Plant With Purpose to know each other much more than the few
Save the Date! The Planting Hope Gala will take place on Saturday, October 8th at 6:00 p.m. at involved with Plant With Purpose since the or- provides training and support for the people to tasks we helped with.  I learned that it is more
Paradise Point Resort. Come experience the gala like never before at a fresh new venue with ganization first started in 1984, and she has change and improve their own lives, instead important to have a relationship with people
locally grown gourmet food, exciting entertainment, and lively auction activities! Please save been a board member and an active supporter. of giving things to people or doing things for than to do things for them.  People in other
the date and help us spread the word about this inspiring evening. This is a great way for your Here is a little bit more about Cathi: them. countries really don’t want outsiders to come
family and friends to learn about Plant With Purpose’s vital work of empowering the rural poor.   and do work, then leave without interacting
We hope to see you there! Q: How did you hear of Plant With Purpose and Q: Which of our programs have you visited? with them.  Our American culture teaches us

save the date

what drew you to become involved? A: We took our family to visit the Dominican to take charge and solve problems and it is
Spring Banquet
A: My husband, Albro, went to law school Republic in 2003, and then as a family we vis- tempting to want to do this for the world.  It is
Mark your calendar! This spring Plant With Purpose is hosting a banquet at the beautiful Trinity
Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana, California on Sunday, May 15th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Planting Hope Gala with Dan Woodard, who is the brother of Tom ited the Tanzania program at the very begin- more meaningful to help people learn to take

Come and meet fellow Plant With Purpose supporters, enjoy a lovely dinner and entertainment,
and hear Executive Director Scott Sabin speak about Plant With Purpose’s life-changing pro-
grams and how you can get involved. Please contact Kate Nare at kate@plantwithpurpose.org
or call our office at (800) 633-5319 to reserve your seat.
Grow in Your Knowledge of God’s Heart for Creation
This spring, grow in your understanding of God’s heart for the poor and ultimately for all of Cre-
ation by reading Scott’s book, Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God’s People.
Throughout the book Scott details many of the lessons learned in eighteen
years of working to heal the land and its people around the world. Please
help us spread the word by telling your friends and family about this won-
derful resource, or by sharing the Creation Care Bible study in the back of
the book with your small group or church. Tending to Eden was named a
finalist in the Christianity Today Book of the Year Awards and the National In-
die Excellence Awards. You can purchase Tending to Eden on Amazon.com
and through our website, www.plantwithpurpose.org.
October 8, 2011 TH
Paradise Point Resort
Blog Buzz
Wondering what the latest news is at Plant
With Purpose? Stay in the know by signing-
up to receive blog posts to your email inbox!
You will hear inspiring testimonies from the
farmers we work with, as well as information
on upcoming events and ways you can get in-
volved. Visit www.plantwithpurpose.org/blog
to keep up with the blog buzz.
Woodard, founder of Floresta, [Plant With Pur-
pose].   Dan invited us to the first fundraising
dinner ever held in 1984.  We loved the com-
bination of helping people spiritually and ec-
onomically and helping the environment, and
we have been involved ever since.  As a busi-
nesswoman, I especially appreciated the way
business principles are taught and integrated
into the program.
 
Q: Why are you passionate about Plant With
Purpose’s mission?
A: I am passionate about it because I have met
the people whose lives have been changed
by Plant With Purpose.   In Tanzania, the local
facilitator Elisafi told us that people used to
have one meal a day but now they have three
meals a day thanks to the training they have
received.   He was also one of several people
who told us how much his health improved af-
ning when it was only one person - the direc-
tor, Edith Banzi!  I was blessed to join the vision
trip to Tanzania this year and see how much the
program had grown in 6 years.  The program
has since expanded to helping thousands of vil-
lagers directly and impacting many more indi-
rectly. I also visited the new Burundi program
in 2009.
 
Q: Briefly describe one of your trip experiences
and how it impacted your life.
A: It is very hard to pick one experience since my
Plant With Purpose trips are truly the highlights
of my life.  One defining moment was when
our family visited Tanzania in 2004.  We arrived
at the village of Masia Mamba expecting to
work and plant trees. Instead, they invited us to
have cookies and tea.  It was very important to
them to have us sign their guest book and get
to know us.  Their school children played soccer
charge of their own lives, and to love and af-
firm them in the process.
 
Q: Do you have any favorite hobbies or inter-
esting facts about yourself you would like to
share?
A: I love to sing and take photographs.  I have
four children, ages 12 – 22, who have really
enjoyed visiting the Plant With Purpose pro-
grams.   If you watch the slide show on the
home page of the website (www.plantwith-
purpose.org), you will see my daughter Neva,
who went with her brother alone to Tanzania
in 2008 to research success stories. My pro-
fessional background is marketing and public
relations and I have an MBA from the Ander-
son School at UCLA.  I am very excited about
telling the Plant With Purpose story so more
people can know God’s love and become em-
powered to improve their lives.

6 Formerly known as Floresta USA www.plantwithpurpose.org 7

 Plant With Purpose Non-Profit Org
4903 Morena Blvd. Suite 1215 U.S. Postage
San Diego, CA 92117 Paid
Ph: (800) 633-5319 Permit 751
Fax: (858) 274-3728 San Diego CA

Email: info@plantwithpurpose.org
www.plantwithpurpose.org

Hope for Children at Risk

Read how Plant With Purpose helps plant hope for a
better future for kids at risk.

Why Isn’t Haiti Fixed Yet?

Executive Director Scott Sabin addresses this frequently
asked question.

Floresta is now Plant With Purpose!