Thrive is a non-profit organization based in Canada that was founded in 2008 to help eradicate extreme poverty.
Thrive took a different approach than most to the concept of charity though, and instead of giving help in the form of money or handing out single meals, they dug deep to find the roots of such poverty and carefully began sowing seeds of change.
Often individuals that live in hardship are given meals prepared with processed foods which include white grains and corn. While these meals help people feel satiated, they do not contain the necessary vitamins, minerals or micronutrients that human bodies need to function efficiently. People, especially those living in extreme hardship, need the nutrition that only an abundance of whole, living foods can deliver.
Thrive knew that if they only focus on filling bellies, they wouldn’t create a sustainable, long-term solution. Instead, they worked on empowering people with the training and simple tools they needed to grow an abundance of healthy, organic, disease-fighting foods, for life.
Thrive for Good’s Life Gardens began to grow. From around the world, people went to their training centre in Kitale, Kenya, to learn the Life Gardens growing methods. They then went out and trained others in African villages, urban zones, schools, orphanages, prisons, HIV groups, hospitals and more. Steadily change began to occur.
West Coast Seeds was able to support one of the trainers by providing seeds during a desperate time. The time was crucial, as seeds needed to be planted prior to the rainy season ending. Thrive’s primary trainer in Liberia, Ernest Moore, received over $1,000 worth of seeds that he used to build a massive community garden and provided to other community leaders to help feed the nearby families in Liberia.
These seeds of hope have now harvested into transformation and change in Liberia. Families are growing high-nutrient, immune-building food which will combat life-threatening diseases.