Last month my friend, Scott Hancock (from www.thecrstudio.com) invited me to go to Haiti and the Domincan Republic with him on a trip to help rebrand one of the firm’s clients, Sundance Organics. The mission was to document the efforts of Sundance’s philanthropic division, *Plant With Purpose*, whose objective is to help people in developing countries restore productivity to their land and reverse deforestation. (www.plantwithpurpose.org)

This image was shot in an orange orchard in the Dominican Republic high up in the lush part of the mountains.

Did you know that a tree can change a life? For rural families around the world, trees mean: Food, income, health, clean water, education and HOPE.

I love the raw potential of hope in this image. My kids said it reminded them of the little tree sprout in the movie, Wall E.

I call this shot *Red Bucket*. This is a woman in a stream bed in Haiti collecting water. Haiti is still so poor that they don’t have clean, accessible water.

This sunrise is in the Dominican Republic. One thing that surprised me is that the mountains are over 5,000 feet high. I didn’t expect to encounter this in the Caribbean.

This is one of my favorite shots of a girl on a scooter. It was shot in a courtyard in a little town in the Domincan Republic.

A local store in Dominican.

I like this picture for the color and movement. They joy of children in the most dire circumstances is something that never ceases to amaze me.

I love the dignity and pride on this boy’s face! Also, the fact that he has a donkey made me happy for him.

This woman is a Haitian farmer that lives up in the mountains. She had a great spirit about her.

A lot of Haiti is very bleak. Way up in the mountains, where they’ve denuded the forest for firewood, I found this exotic flower blooming outside of someone’s shack. The people in the village were laughing at me because I zoned in on their flower, but I thought it was really beautiful.

This scenic shot of the Haitian terrain shows you how the forest has been completely razed. There is nothing to constrain the water when it rains. There used to be a village on the side of the stream bed here in the middle of this photo, but in 2005 it rained hard enough to create a massive flood that wiped out 1000 people. Part of what *Plant With Purpose* does is to teach the farmers who live in the top part of the mountains to build retaining walls and plant trees to try to prevent these devastating floods.

This is a beautiful Haitian boy photographed on a farm.

I photographed this girl in the mountains in Haiti.

This boy was photographed right by the stream bed in the photo above.

This is a little mountain church in the hills of Haiti. We were quite a novelty. I don’t think the kids have ever seen a photo-journalism tour before.

This is one of my favorite pictures of a little girl playing.

There are so many people in need in this world. I have witnessed crushing poverty and human suffering in many places. I think that as American’s it’s hard to know where to give and when to help. Having witnessed firsthand the effect that *Plant With Purpose* is having to alleviate suffering and give hope to families, I can wholeheartedly endorse them as a charity. They are good people who are making a difference in this world.

Also, as consumers, we have power to endorse companies whenever we buy their products. Our family will be supporting Sundance Organics whenever we see them in the stores. Their *Buy 1/ Grow 1* program has a very tangible outcome that will help many needy people in developing countries.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me!