Optivest Foundation at a Glance

Over the last sixteen years, the Optivest Foundation has funded a variety of projects with the desired impact of communicating Christ’s love and care. Our strategy is to express our love to people in meaningful, tangible ways so that they will see our love for God and know God’s love for them. With the goal of funding strategic opportunities that are holistic, collaborative and Christ honoring, Optivest Foundation has funded a variety of initiatives from individual scholarships to single family assistance to transformative community projects.

Northrise University

Ndola, Zambia

Northrise University (NU) is a fully accredited regional university strategically located in Ndola Zambia. The University is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of education through a comprehensive approach to teaching, research and learning. Since its inception in 2004, NU has attracted local as well as international students who receive training in various academic disciplines at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Northrise University is a Christ centered university, serving 550 current students and the surrounding communities through various outreach projects. The 600 acre parcel given to NU by the Zambian government will be used to expand the campus with classroom and dormitory buildings, student center, faculty housing, modern clinic, acres of bananas, dozens of cows and coops with several thousand chickens that are processed each week, creating increasing subsidy for student tuitions. The Optivest Foundation has pledged funds to help build out the university infrastructure during the next two years.

HOPE INTERNATIONAL

Location: Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia

This mission of Hope International is to invest in the dreams of families in the world’s underserved communities through providing biblically based training, savings services and loans that restore dignity and break the cycle of poverty.

Using a model of Christ-centered microenterprise development as the foundation for transformation, Hope International engages in culturally appropriate evangelism and discipleship in each country where they work. HOPE International’s network provides a variety of services and resources across 17 countries to address the pervasive employment gap faced by the world’s poor.

FOREST HOME

Location: Forest Falls, California

Forest Home Ministries partners with the Church to create Christ-centered experiences in which people of all ages hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, explore the Word of God, purse God’s call for their life, engage in Christ-centered relationships and connect with God through His creation.

Established in 1938, Forest Home is located in Forest Falls, California at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. Through a wide variety of engaging programs, retreats and camps in their mountain setting, Forest Home serves thousands of adults, youth, and families every year.

PB+J

Malawi

PB+J Foods, Inc. a United States 501c3 organization and a Malawian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), exists to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve the nutritional needs of some of the poorest communities in rural northern Malawi. Founded in August, 2012, PB+J produces over 1 million sachets of nutritionally fortified peanut butter each year. Located in the Nkhoma valley, the production plant can service the needs of the local village hospital as well as more than 250,000 surrounding residents. The manufacturing plant and related farming has created full time employment to over 900 families in this desperately poor area. Along with delivering the much needed food product to young children who are weakened by the effects of malaria, the hope and salvation found in Christ is also shared.

The Optivest Foundation is providing funds to continue expansion of the plant production capacity and related infrastructure needs.

Serve India Ministries –
Stepping Stone Children Tutoring Centers

Southern regions of India

Stepping Stone Children Tutoring Center ministry—an educational outreach that impacts entire villages. Stepping Stones tutorial centers offer free after-school tutoring plus a nutritious snack for children of all ages. On Saturdays, centers provide Bible stories and songs, games, and life skills training covering topics ranging from good manners to health and hygiene.

Stepping Stones currently tutors nearly 3,500 children in 80 centers.

Stepping Stones tutoring centers:

• Are led by a Serve India national pastor and church volunteers, with part-time tutoring staff to help children with homework and projects.

• Help fight illiteracy and poverty for underprivileged Dalit children.

• Open doors for the Gospel as staff members build trust and friendship with children and their families

The Optivest Foundation has invested funds to sponsor 75 children for one year in the Stepping Stones tutoring centers.

Operation Mobilization USA

Moldova

Operation Mobilization is an organization that utilizes a transformational missions model by forming deep relationships, extending generous compassion and starting spiritual conversations in the thousands of communities they serve around the world. As a strategic initiative of OM USA, the Freedom Challenge works to raise awareness and funds to support projects focused on at-risk women and children, specifically with those who are exploited, enslaved, oppressed and trafficked.

The Optivest Foundatoin has invested funds to support a program in Moldova called Strength to Stand- Self Help Groups. Trained local OM teams come alongside women at risk providing them with a place of safety, biblical community, emotional support and encouragement along with practical life skills to develop them socially and economically.

Acres of Love

Acres of Love seeks to solve the complex problems experienced by infants and children without families living in South Africa. Forever Family Homes offer orphaned children love and care by families in individual homes, run by loving and committed full-time house parents and staff. Their work has resulted in the rescue of over 500 children who either reside in Acres of Love Forever Family Homes, have been adopted into legal and permanent families, or reunified with family. Their desire is to empower these children to experience hope and a bright future.

The Optivest Foundation is providing funds toward the ongoing expense of Sikelela, one of the Forever Family homes.

Madagascar Collaborative Partners

Working with various partners in the U.S. as well as on the ground in Madagascar, the Optivest Foundation is embarking on a multi year project to reach the people located in the southern most region of this remote country.

The ethnic group in this region is defined in church planting language as an ‘unreached people group’ because it does not have an indigenous, self-propagating Christian church movement. Other contributing factors to this definition are the remote location, absence of national support, severe drought prone topography and little to no agricultural development.

Spearheaded by Optivest Properties President, Warren Allan, a strategy will be developed to provide a holistic approach of meeting the spiritual, health and educational needs that exist. The Optivest Foundation will provide funds toward developing this project.

Plant With Purpose

Dominican Republic, Tanzania

Plant With Purpose is a Christian nonprofit organization that works in developing countries around the world with the goal of improving the quality of the lives of people living in extreme rural poverty. Plant With Purpose uses a transformational development approach that brings together environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and spiritual renewal. Plant With Purpose currently works in more than 430 communities in seven countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

The Optivest Foundation is providing funds to expand the reach of Plant With Purpose in the Dominican Republic.