Optiven Foundation Hosts Ivovoani Women

Chirstmas Gifts and Guests Empowerment Through Grassroot Engagement

Trotting in awe through the foyer of Absa Towers in Nairobi, Mama Nduku led nine of her peers to the Optiven offices located on the 2^nd floor. This was the first time that she was visiting the offices of the Optiven Foundation since she became a beneficiary of the Poverty Eradication pillar as well as the Education pillar.

Her journey and that of nine others, was a dream come true as for the very first time, they were able to pay a visit to the city in the sun. With awe struck faces and wide smiles, the women shared their journey from Ivovoani where they have known as their world for their lifetime.

Florence a shy plump mother of three boys and two girls giggles as she shares the wonder of getting into a lift and the fear imbibing itself in her insides as she rides up and down the Optiven offices. She like the others rose up in the embers of the early morning fire flies of Ivovoani to come to the famous Nairobi City.

Florence and her friend Phyllis had always wondered what it would look like and feel like to be in Nairobi. The tales of the great city had been their environment from the time they were little girls. But what made the two want to come to the city is the night time view of the Garden of Joy project in their neighbourhood.

Each of them live on the terrain that enables them to see clearly what is happening at the Optiven project located in Koma. In fact for Phyllis this is her office as she and her son are regular visitors to the project where they offer services and products to the first rising community at the Garden of Joy.

Her son is a much sought after mason in the project based on his stamina in moving construction materials and his expertise in laying foundations. This is a confirmation that the project is now home to a number of investors keen to bring to reality their dreams of home ownership.

The Garden of Joy has seen an influx of investors now constructing their homes or working in collaboration with the Optiven Construction team to build their dream homes. The ten women that visited to Optiven offices and the Nairobi city are part of this success story.

But Optiven is not just about the land they sell. In this case Mama Nduku is one of the beneficiaries of what the Optiven Foundation does. She was recommended to the foundation owing to the deplorable state she was living in. Infact her story mimicked what resilience in life is all about and the decision to survive despite the odds against her.

Optiven Foundation after confirming the situation stepped in and built her a three bedroom house, furnished it and even capped the blessing with a water tank to make life bearable for Mama Nduku. And as she led her friends to Nairobi, they all walked the streets holding hands, looking up at the skyscrapers, taking in the breathe of the city and enjoying every moment to see the monuments that make the city of Nairobi so great.

At the end of the day, with tired but jolly feet and faces, they made their way back to the Optiven offices where they had a moment with the Director for Strategy and Operations, Mary Wacuka and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. George Wachiuri. To cap it all it was an early Christmas as each of the ten ladies were given a hamper of goodies courtesy of the Optiven Foundation.

They each took turns to give their heartfelt appreciation for the lifetime opportunity and for the transformation that Optiven had made from the time it invested in the Garden of Joy in Koma. As they boarded their vehicle in the gleamer of the evening stars, the ten women wore gladness on their faces and gratefulness in their hearts having met a milestone of being in the city.