Thrive Institute
A learning community committed to Growing Health.
The Future of Gardening
With fast-paced changes in the world and the cost of education rapidly increasing, online learning is becoming the new standard for those seeking to learn foundational gardening and health techniques.
With world-class instructors, peer support, demonstration videos and extensive resources, the Thrive Institute has set the bar as the new standard in nutritional security education. We have trained hundreds of gardeners in over 80 countries, and we are just getting started.
Elizabeth
“The health of my family has been changed by learning to make food our medicine. We make our own smoothies, eat raw vegetables and sell surplus, which has enabled us to sustain our living fully. Our garden has also attracted our neighbours, and the healing is spreading to our community!”
Designed to create an outstanding student experience with learning content that includes videos, demonstrations and quizzes.
Built on over 10 years of research and thousands of applications in different countries, temperate zones and cultures.
The learning experience is enhanced when it is continuously refreshed, and new, relevant content is readily available.
Teaching and training is simple, easy to transfer, and highly effective.
The New Way of Training Health – For All
We built our training on an incredibly user-friendly and student-led platform that is grounded in ‘micro-learning’. Based on the most recent research, our learning is at its best when we consume small pieces of information, apply and reinforce.
The New Way of Training Health – For All
We built our training on an incredibly user-friendly and student-led platform that is grounded in ‘micro-learning’. Based on the most recent research, our learning is at its best when we consume small pieces of information, apply and reinforce.
Community Knowledge Hub
At the core of the Thrive Institute is our ‘peer-to-peer’ learning hub. Custom built and designed, the Community Knowledge Hub delivers a highly engaging virtual community where students and trainers can support each other as they learn, engage and impact their communities.
As part of our community, you can join other students from around the world to gain experience, knowledge and resources and find best practices and solutions for techniques, crops and methods.
It is a place where students can access articles, FAQ’s, update practices, manage questions and requests for help and inquiries.
All enrolled students gain access to this online community for free!
The Growth Fund
For students interested in receiving a Life Gardener certification and require financial assistance, we offer access and support to our Growth Fund. Students are empowered with the ability to ‘crowdfund’ their “Pro Package” membership.
After completing the Life Gardener certification, students who want to expand their impact into their communities can utilize the Growth Fund to source needed funds for tools, seeds and supplies.
Meet The Instructors
Joyce Lotodo
Joyce Juma is one of Thrive’s fearless leaders who has started all of our prison projects. Joyce faced many hardships in life at a young age. She was physically abused, an orphan, poor, hungry, and faced many life-threatening diseases. By God’s grace, Joyce was able to eventually attend school, where she developed an interest in agriculture. Soon after, she was introduced to Thrive and had the opportunity to take the one-month seminar.
Over time, Joyce started 3 community Life Garden projects, a community church project that had 64 beds, her home garden project that grew to have 32 beds and her old high school project which had 34 beds. During this time, a women’s prison became very interested in organic farming and wanted to learn what Thrive was teaching. Joyce was the perfect candidate. Joyce went to this prison and taught our 5-day workshop to 150 inmates and 17 guards. Since then Joyce has been doing an amazing job working with the prisons. In 2020, Joyce was promoted to Thrive’s Training Coordinator and has transformed many lives by sharing her knowledge.
Dale Bolton
Dale has enjoyed working on Life Garden projects for the last 40 years in 30 different countries. Growing up on a small farm in Ontario, Dale admired and learned from his father who remained active all of his life and maintained his own small vegetable garden well into his eighties.
2004 was a pivotal year for both Dale and his wife Linda Bolton. Understanding for the first time the reality of 40 million unsupported children in Africa caused both of them to want to make a difference at a community level. They started their for-profit company, Natural Calm Canada, to raise funds to help and created the non-profit Thrive for Good, to empower communities impacted by the orphan crisis.
Dale continues to research the best practices for training programs in organic gardening, creating high nutrient meals, plant-based medicine, and small-scale income generation. The Bolton’s use all this great health-related information personally and they look forward to spending many disease-free years with their children and 10 grandchildren.
Ambrose Motian
Ambrose started his growing health journey in 2006 when he attended a two-year organic farming program at the Manor House Agricultural Center. During this time he connected with Dale Bolton, the founder of Thrive for Good. Ambrose, a new team member, started Life Garden projects in his community. After some more training in 2014, Ambrose became the school director of Thrive training center in Kitale, Kenya. In 2019 Ambrose was promoted to the CEO and continues to lead change throughout Africa.
Ezekiel Abure
South Sudanese by nationality, Ezekiel grew up with an interest in agriculture as it was part of what his family did to survive. Ezekiel experienced many complications and sickness growing up, specifically malaria 3 times a month. As he continued to push through his studies and support himself, he was introduced to Thrive for Good and started training with the organization. Since war broke out in his home country in 2016, Ezekiel continues to reside in Kitale, Kenya. From being an Organic Agricultural Trainer to Intern Coordinator and finally in 2020 to Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator. After learning about nutrition and natural medicine, Ezekiel no longer experiences malaria or other health complications.
Katherine Boggs
Katherine is trained as a holistic nutritionist and brings her knowledge along with her love of healthy food to the Thrive Institute. She loves teaching others about the benefit of including healthy food in the diet. She spent 10 years as a child growing up in Kenya so she is delighted to be able to focus her efforts on a region of the world that means so much to her. Katherine currently lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and 3 children who are frequent taste testers and critiques of her culinary creations.
Linda Bolton
Linda Bolton’s career included working as a Director of Nursing, CEO in Long Term Care, and a Nursing Consultant for 20 years. Linda and her husband, Dale Bolton, were co-pastors and church planters for Vineyard Christian Fellowship between 1993- 2008. Since starting her company, Natural Calm Canada in 2004, Linda has become a magnesium researcher and expert in her field. Linda completed Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Course in 2016. She has been voted one of Canada’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs and one of Canada’s Top 100 Health Influencers for several years running. Linda is the co-founder of Thrive For Good and has taught at the school several times since its foundation in 2010.
Wendy Jackson
Wendy Jackson is a content creator for Thrive Institute, as well as an entrepreneur. She enjoys creating new products, business ventures, lesson materials, and processes. Wendy has opened 3 restaurants and 2 online companies, but values creating tools for making change in countries where people are eager to learn how to become self-sufficient. She is very passionate about nutrition, gardening, natural living, self-sustainability and biking. Outside of work, she is constantly looking for a way to visit Africa again!
Dave Jackson
From the sunshine state of Florida, Dave has a degree in Information Technology and has 2 children and 3 step-children. Dave’s journey with Thrive began in 2015 when he took his first trip to Kenya and helped his wife, Wendy Jackson, teach a course on fermentation science. Since then Dave has adopted Thrive’s bio-intensive techniques and attends to his own Life Garden at his home. His other hobbies include archery, hunting and fishing. Fun fact about Dave is that he can ride a unicycle!
Stacy Vann
Stacy is originally from Texas, United States. She has a very extensive testimony of healing disease and injuries through changing her diet from processed foods to chemical free food to plant based nutrition. Her professional training is emergency medicine and large animal anesthesia. She is a Thrive graduate, instructor and currently the agriculture advisor at Appalachian Center for Torah Studies in Limestone, Tennessee. Her passion is to give back the life she has been given to her family and community through natural medicine and regenerative agriculture.
Frequently Asked Questions
We realize you probably have a few questions for us before you join. Therefore, we have provided answers to some of the most common questions.
Discover
Experience the transformation of Thrive Life Gardens.
Get a free trial of 4 courses today and explore topics such as the “Deep Soil Preparation” course which includes resources and a demonstration video.