Dreaming Together on the Border

by Aly Lewis

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality." ~Dom Helder Camara

Last week, Annie Fikes, our PR and Marketing Intern, blogged about the renewed hope and reconciliation that is taking place between Haitians and Dominicans as a result of Plant With Purpose's program on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This week I'd like to share a story about a Dominican farmer from the border region who is working--and dreaming--with Plant With Purpose to overcome poverty and build a better future for his family.

Antonio Guarionex Soto, a farmer from the village of Angel Feliz, is quite the innovator. With Plant With Purpose's encouragement, he continues to add new components to his agroforestry farm. He currently grows bananas, two types of avocados, zapote, oranges and beans. As a result of his agroforestry efforts, he has seen his soil quality and his crop yields improve. Avocado is by far his most successful crop because of the high demand for avocados in the region, and his farm is lush with the valuable fruit.

Antonio and his son, Jendis, show off one of their avocado trees.

Building on his success, Antonio would like to acquire more land in order to plant more fruit trees and see his business grow and thrive. His greatest dream is to provide better opportunities for his son so that he will not have to migrate to another region. As Antonio continues to improve and invest in his land, enabling him to enhance the quality of life of his entire family, we believe that he is well on his way to turning his dream into a reality.

Our innovative Trans Border Project has given hundreds of dedicated, hardworking farmers like Antonio the skills and resources needed to improve their farms, provide for their families, and realize their dreams for themselves and their children. Through Plant With Purpose's Sponsor A Village program, you too can dream together with rural farmers from around the globe and partner with them as they work to turn their dreams into a reality. To learn more, Click Here.

Above: a truck full of avocados makes its way to the local market. An abundant crop means farmers like Antonio can feed their families, improve their living conditions, and send their children to school.

International Day of Peace

by Corbyn Small

In case you missed it, the 21st of September was not just the last day of summer… it was also International Day of Peace as well!

In 2002 the UN declared this date the permanent Day of Peace. It has been suggested that "Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."

Yesterday Plant With Purpose joined hundreds of students, faculty, and non-profit organizations at the beautiful campus of the University of San Diego as the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice hosted a celebration of peace. The event included a peace march, dove release, moment of silence, and inspirational speakers from around the world encouraging anyone and everyone to celebrate peace.

If you are ever interested in hosting a Plant With Purpose table at an event or even just joining staff and volunteer to help out, please contact corbyn@PlantWithPurpose.org Also keep your eye on the calendar of events on facebook or our webpage.

http://internationaldayofpeace.org/about/background.html

http://www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/news/events_calendar/international_day_of_peace/

Honor them with Peace

by Mackenzie Miller (Plant With Purpose's newest intern)

It’s easy to feel helpless on a day like today. A day when we all are reminded of the tragedy and terror, the heartlessness and hatred of that now infamous date; September 11^th.

Everyone has a “what I was doing when the towers fell” story, and mine is not unusual. I was simply eating a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and watching television, when I was captivated and horrified by the images paraded across the screen. I remember thinking to myself that my life would never be the same; that the world would never be the same. I was only 13 years old.

Growing into adulthood during such a turning point has had a great impact on me, and my whole generation. It’s as though the world – especially the media – was asleep before 9-11, and was abruptly awakened to realize the inequalities that surround us all.

Eight years later, the memories are just as tragic. Today, our daily routines may seem robotic. But as the protective scabs we have formed are ripped away to expose that familiar raw fear, I urge you to surround yourself with hope. Because if anything, the past eight years have proved we are definitely not helpless in the fight against hatred.

With the growth of organizations like Invisible Children, CASA and Plant With Purpose, more young people than ever are getting involved with spreading peace. My new internship at PWP has already shown me that the littlest things – like, planting a tree – can make the biggest impact.

PWP is dedicated to empowering hundreds of thousands of the rural poor to take charge of their lives through economic empowerment, environmental restoration, and spiritual inspiration.

I was right, you know. When I thought the world would never be the same, eight years ago. Because it has changed, and is still changing – for the better. And it’s filled with people (and companies, like Plant With Purpose) that are dedicated to changing it for the better.

So please, don’t retreat to solitude or helplessness on this day of mourning. Reach out, and touch a life.

Ripple Report: Beyond the Trees in Burundi

by Aly Lewis

The impact of Plant With Purpose’s newest program in Burundi, Africa goes far beyond the benefits of planting trees and spurring sustainable development. Like all of the areas Plant With Purpose works, Burundi is plagued with extreme poverty and environmental devastation. However, a widespread current of intolerance, anger, and misunderstanding between the country’s Hutu and Tutsi tribes intensifies these devastating environmental and economic problems. After decades of violent civil war, these tribes have only recently reached a peace accord. Though both Hutus and Tutsis living and working in the Rutana province share a common set of socioeconomic problems, long-standing hatred and prejudice remains. As refugees flood back into the country and people begin to rebuild, Burundi is faced with the challenge of transitioning from a nation on the brink of extinction to a nation of hope.

Similar to Plant With Purpose’s restorative work along the Haitian/Dominican border, yet unique among PWP’s other programs, our Burundi program offers a vital Peace & Reconciliation component. PWP encourages restoration and reconciliation two ways: by providing training and facilitation to community leaders on peace and reconciliation and, more importantly, by requiring that projects are all inclusive of all community members, Hutu and Tutsi alike. Community projects bring together people who were on both sides of the conflict to achieve project goals. This practical reconciliation is the most important and significant part of our strategy.

We’re already through year one in Burundi and have been excited to witness true reconciliation and heart changes. Leoni Karenzo of our Dushirehamwe group shared with us about her renewed hope and confidence since joining a PWP community group. The group consists of Hutu and Tutsi who have shared goals and interests. They work with, not against, each other. Since joining together, they now have harvests to bring home to their families. They feel love for each other and have regained confidence as a community. They have benefited from the economic gain and also rebuilt trust. Leoni recalls that before her exile, life was stable, but when she was forced to flee they suffered from malnutrition and poor health. Rebuilding life in Burundi was difficult and when she heard about the group she wanted to join. Now they have access to seeds, they can plant again, and they are rebuilding their lives, together.

We can’t wait to hear more stories like Leoni’s!