In our Changemakers We Admire series, we highlight partners planting seeds of transformation in their communities. Each month, we ask the same three questions to a community member to explore what drives their work, what might surprise us, and the future they’re helping cultivate. This month, we’re spotlighting Plant With Purpose through a conversation with McKinley Lewandowski, Donor Impact Advisor.
1. What drives your work in this community?
McKinley: For me, it actually started with Steve Irwin. His passion and deep desire to make the planet better for people and animals has guided me for decades. At Plant With Purpose, I get to live that out every day. We partner with subsistence farmers around the globe to equip them with sustainable agriculture techniques, financial literacy skills and community support. Every tree that a partner farmer plants is an act of worship.
2. What’s one surprising thing people might not know about your work?
McKinley: 63% of the farmers we partner with are women, and women grow most of the world’s food. When women gain access to savings groups and independent income, the impact is intergenerational. I’ve seen young girls learning to manage money alongside their mothers. That kind of agency changes everything.
3. If you could plant one seed for the future, what would it be?
McKinley: “People matter. Rural farmers matter. When we remember that — truly — everything else begins to grow from there.
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Plant With Purpose’s partnerships reduce multidimensional poverty levels by 55% among participating farming families, with those farmers being 44% more likely to have their daughters enrolled in secondary school.
Curious to learn more? Explore their work, the impact their partnership is sparking around the world and how you can support their mission; Check out their impact evaluation here and their website here.