A little over a month ago I got to visit some dear old friends in Honduras that I’ve known for over 20 years. I have photos of Isis, (in the cherry shirt), as a toddler running around the Santos-Mata farm in central Honduras, and remember building one of my first Justa stoves in Fanny and Gerardo’s kitchen. 

Planting trees is about more than just planting trees. We hear this frequently from our partners. On Lakota Tribal Lands, planting trees is done with great care, intention, and gratitude. When asked about what makes Pine Ridge a special place for him, Chief Henry Red Cloud told us it was the beautiful country, the rolling hills and the animals. “It’s all here,” he mentioned as he spoke on the importance of honoring trees as relatives.