“I profess myself a citizen of the world, totally unfettered by the little, mean distinctions of climate or of country, which diminish the benevolence of the heart and set bounds to philanthropy.”
How it all began
It all started with one wish; to donate a water tank to one school in Morogoro, Tanzania, the home town of one of our founding members and his father, Kam and Riyaz Haji.
Kam travels to Tanzania each year, but in 2018 he asked his business partners to join him in donating a water tank to a much-deserving elementary school in his home town.
With the plan in place and the help of his Dad, Kam sourced local contractors to install the water tank.
What happened next
This first action ignited inspiration and instilled a willingness to do more.
When Kam got back to Canada, he shared the story with his business partner, Garet, and reached out to Shaylene to be a part of the next steps.
During the first meeting, the three of us discussed how we would expand, what we saw for the future, and how we wanted to go about it. From there, the name Ground-Up was born.
What’s in a name
So, why Ground-Up?
Currently, we install and maintain water tanks, but this is the beginning of our story. We want to build future for children’s and communities from the ground up and, for us, that starts with water.