October 9, 2011
Ottawa-funded nursery school breaks ground in Kenya
Elimu is a non-profit organization founded by director Nina Chung to build schools and other educational facilities in East Africa. This summer, Coco’s Cafe in Riverside South and Tiny Hoppers child care centre and Global Child Care Services all came together to support the project, and encouraged their customers and clients to get involved as well. Through this, Elimu which means ‘education’ in Swahili raised $3,000 for its nursery school project in Sabaki, a small town outside Malindi, Kenya.
Since the project is being built in stages as money rolls in, the toilets were dug first - partly because the latrines can serve as storage on site while the rest of the building is under construction later this year.
Sabaki residents led the operation to dig the holes and install sewage tanks under the latrines.
Chung, who spends most of the year in the Malindi area overseeing three charitable projects, said the community came to her with the nursery school idea and asked her to help.
“I was looking around in their area for a piece of land for various other projects, and they said if you would like to assist us, what we really need is a nursery school,” Chung said.
She explained that the closest primary school to the 5,000 person town is one kilometre away, so most children are held back until they are able to walk the distance themselves. Currently, the options for children under six are skipping early childhood education until they can walk to school, or attending the current nursery school in a rented building that is inadequate to serve the many nursery school students in the area.
“There are already about 100 kids attending the school, but they’re running it out of a rented small cinder block home, which is quite dark and cramped but has a good roof and decent walls,” Chung said. It’s not a sustainable investment because it’s being rented, she added.
The $25,000 CDN project aims to build the Upendo (Love) nursery school with three classrooms, some office space and storage with a proper foundation and cement floors by the end of next year.
Of course, the project is far from a charitable hand-out. The community has been incredibly and necessarily involved, Chung said.
On Sept 19, for example, the community planned to meet to discuss building the toilets. Instead they all showed up with shovels and broke ground that day.
“I wasn’t really expecting them to do that, I thought they were just meeting. But they’re highly motivated, and they said ‘Here we are, let’s get digging,’” she said.
The next steps will be to pour the foundation and floors of the main building, which will cost about $2,000. After that, about $11,000 is needed to build the walls.
This fall, Coco’s Cafe and Goodfellow Cleaners will have donation boxes on site for Elimu. Tiny Hoppers and Global Child Care Services will host several fundraisers throughout the season. Residents can also donate at www.elimu.ca. The non-profit organization is currently in the process of becoming an officially registered charitable organization.
Community builders. Leaders of the Elimu nursery school project in Sabaki, Kenya joined community members at the site of Upendo Nursery School, where workers built the first wall of what will be the school’s bathrooms last week. Photo submitted An Ottawa-based non-profit organization has broken ground across the world with the help of several Riverside South businesses, completing the first step to a new nursery school in Kenya: the toilets.
http://www.yourottawaregion.com/news/article/1222387--ottawa-funded-nursery-school-breaks-ground-in-kenya
July 28, 2011
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From left are public relations representative Susan Stoltz and founder of Elimu Nina Chung at Coco's Cafe Friday, July 22.
Source: www.emcbarrhaven.ca |
July 22-23, 2011
Three Riverside South businesses are fundraising to build a new nursery school, but it’s not for Ottawa – they’re sending it across the world to Kenya.
Tiny Hoppers, Global Child Care Services and Coco’s Café will host a two-day fundraiser on Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23 in an effort to raise $25,000 for a much-needed nursery school in Sabaki Village on the coast of Kenya.
From open to close on Friday and Saturday, Coco’s Café at the corner of Canyon Walk Drive and Spratt Road will transform into a Kenyan cacophony of coffee and cultural displays, and proceeds from all small coffees and small ice creams will go toward the nursery school fund. Two local authors will also sell signed copies of their children’s books, with all proceeds benefiting the project. [Read More]
Help build Nursery School in Kenya:
Checkout Riverside South Forum
July 2011
Elimu celebrates the efforts of the community partners of Riverside South including Tiny Hoppers in helping raise funds to build adequate school facilities for Upendo Nursery School in Sebaki Village in Kenya. www.elimu.ca.
Poster for Display (PDF)
Coco Display AD (PDF)
May 28-29th 2011
Black Belt grading! Riverside Souths first black belts! (see photos).
For additional photos, visit Hotmail Skydrive. (You must have a valid hotmail email).
June 2009
Tiny Hoppers makes a guest appearance
on A-channel news (see photo)
TINY HOPPERS FROGGLES Visits
Steve Macleans Elementary School for Walk a thon (see
photo)
Tiny Hoppers at OTTAWA FERRARI FESTIVAL.
Tiny Hoppers proudly sponsors a Ferrari
Festival banner- proceeds going to Villa Marconi
May 2009
Owner Brigida is featured
in Italian Newspaper with father. (more
on story)
February 2009 -
Tiny Hoppers celebrates first
year anniversary in Bridlewood location
(Posted Feb 20, 2009 By Sabine
Gibbins)
It's 'quiet time' for the kids at Tiny
Hoppers. The children are either curled up on their favourite
cozy blanket, or sitting quietly as relaxing piano music
floats through the air. In a few moments, though, they'll
be allowed to race around the room, and climb on one of
the colourful and safe play structures. Tiny Hoppers, which
is based in Bridlewood, is celebrating its one-year anniversary
this season in its Kanata location. As supervisor Shaunna
Warren puts it, it has been a highly successful year and
one on which they'd like to build. "We'd like to grow
more as a business," she says.
Tiny Hoppers runs a nursery school, before
and after school day care, play classes, and birthday parties.
The programs are so popular with youngsters that at the
end of the day, they are reluctant to leave, says Warren.
They don't want to leave to go home," she says. "Their
parents sometimes have to carry a lot of them out."
The play classes have grown immensely, and in the process,
Warren and her colleagues have learned each child is unique
from one another and all are treated differently. "We
laugh with these kids every day," she says. Safe, fun
place to be. (more
on story)
February 22, 2008
Tiny Hoppers is featured by the brains
behind the scene, Brigida Aversa and Theresa Bertuzzi-- (Co-Owners)
in a segment of the A-Channel's
Morning Show. Two Hoppin' Great Stars!
NOVEMBER 2007
Mayor Larry O'Brien and Councillor
Steve Desrochers visited Tiny Hoppers
OCTOBER 6, 2007
Tiny Hoppers Riverside South enjoying
a "Halloween Special Play Class"
OCTOBER 5, 2007
Tiny Hoppers Riverside South School
Age Care Trip to Millers Pumpkin Patch
NOW OPEN!
Tiny Hoppers has opened its 2nd location
in Bridlewood Kanata this past August. We are nieghbors
with Gabriels Pizza, Broadways and the Works. We look
forward to meet you all! Drop by and say "Hello!" Check us
out regularly for further detail.
May 22, 2007
Tiny Hoppers hosts Jeff Hopper from
the Achannel! . Tiny Hoppers had the pleasure of having the
Achannel spend the morning with them on May 22nd . Focus was
on summer camps. The children had a BLAST making frog rice
krispies( Tiny Chefs camp) and frog slime (monstor
science) . Also featured on the show was Bop 'you drop
for the Picassos Camp. Tiny Hoppers super star
instructor Amanda also lead the children through Follow
the leader and hosted the mom and me play class portion
which had the children playing on the parachute and feeding
the fish that hung from the ceiling!!! http://www.achannelmorning.com/ottawa/
May 21, 2007
Douvris Karate instructors that
teach kids karate program at Tiny Hoppers take home Canadian
National Karate Titles! Brothers Fortunato and Domenic Aversa
win Canadian National Karate Titles. Both dominated their
divisons, Fortunato -70kg and Domenic -60 kg. at the Palais
des Congres in Hull this past weekend. Both are very proud
and excited to be representng Canada at the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
in Karlsrue Germany this Aug 2007. www.wkacanada.co
May 15, 2007
Tiny Hoppers chosen as business
of the month by Ottawa Babies www.ottawababies.com
"focus on local business
JUNE 3, 2007
Tiny Hoppers proudly presents
"Riverside South Kids Show" at the Rideauview Community
Centre from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Fun for kids. LOTS
of EXHIBITS.
Tiny Hoppers Sing-a-longs; Meet and greet "Adventure
Girl"; Douvris Karate Demos; Pique Dance Demos; Face
Painting; Baby Soft Climbers; and School Age Climbers. Admission
is FREE. (Accepting gently used toys and clothes for the "Childrens
Aid Society"). Event is sponsored by Gilmore Doculink
International. To see AD. CLICK
SEE AD.
(Download "Kidsshow.pdf"-173kb)
April 1, 2007
Councillor Steve Desrochers
gives Brigida Aversa and Theresa Bertuzzi a congratulatory
certificate for their 2nd year in business. See full
story in Ottawa South Weekender Paper!
Friday, March 9th, 2007
Tiny Hoppers does a segment on the
AChannel about mom and me classes.
MARCH 2007
Douvris Karate instructors
that teach kids karate program at Tiny Hoppers dominate
Canadian Open . Aversa Brothers Fortunato and Domenic Aversa
emerge as STARS at Canadian Karate Open ! The Brothers dominated
and won the Team Matches and brought home $3000 in prize
money! Team Matches proved to be the highlight of
the event with Domenic as the last fighter up for his team
, beating his opponent with a beautiful kick to the head
in the last seconds! Both also won their individual divisions.
-70 kg and -60 kg respectively.Fortunato was also runner
up in the Elite Fighting Division which hosted North Americas
best fighters all weight categories competing together for
the Elite Fighter Title.
February 28th, 2007
Tiny Hoppers Chosen as Top Five Picks
for things to do in Ottawa for mom's and me classes.
(Download "Parent_Zone.pdf"-42.5kb)
February 10th, 2007
Tiny Hoppers chosen as sponsor of the
AChannel's
Cutest Baby Contest 2007.
NOVEMBER 2006
Riverside South resident and
Douvris Karate franchise owner Fortunato Aversa wins GOLD
MEDAL at the Karate World Championships in Spain. Riverside
South resident and Douvris Karate Owner Fortunato Aversa
wins a gold medal at the World Championships in Spain. Fortunato
co-owns and operates the Douvris Martial Arts franchise
in Riverside South which is taught at Tiny Hoppers.
Fortunato emerged as a GOLD MEDALLIST in Spain competing
in the -70 kg point fighting division. This is not the first
time Fortunato has competed at the World Level. He has dominated
the sport since 1993. OVER 13 years!!!!! Tiny Hoppers is
proud to have such a World Class athlete at their centre!
http://www.wka.co.uk/Spain1/spain.index.htm
September 2006
Tiny Hoppers expands by bringing its
nursery school to Kemptville and Rockland!
September 2005
Tiny Hoppers and Douvris Martial Arts
have partnered up!
Ottawa leading martial arts centre will be opening a new franchise
in the Tiny Hoppers in Riverside South.
