Happy House kids? YES, we are!

Sue has always said, right from those early days when the Happy House was just a distant dream, that her aim was to create a family of children who would be proud to hold their heads high and say: "I'm a Happy House Kid."

Being a Happy House kid brought up with love and respect for others, hopes and ambitions, a sense of belonging and community, education and skills and, above all, honesty and integrity, will, we are sure, be a key that unlocks doors of opportunuity for our children when they are ready to lead independent lives.

But, most of all, the Happy House is THEIR home and THEIR family, and wherever the future may take them it will always be the home they can  go back to knowing they will be welcomed with love and delight.

And Sue always said that one day she would get them tee-shirts printed with "I'm a Happy House Kid" to wear when they go out together as a family or in groups representing the Happy House at community events.

Now that day has come, and the kids smiles say it all, Sue. No one can be left in any doubt that they really are proud to be Happy House kids!

Another dream realised and we are all so pleased for you Mama Sue and Papa Dave.

 

Setting the scene

The stage is set for a a fantastic day-into-night fundraiser for The Happy House and two other great charities in Lancashire today.

The Secret Garden party, hosted by entertainer Scott Jay Marks, is a sell-out with a fabulous line-up of entertainment and much, much more to make sure everyone has a ball and to bring in lots of money for the Happy House, the Meningitis Trust and Parkinson's UK NW Holiday Project.

Volunteers braved yesterday's heavy rain to get everything for the party in place and a Jacqueline Winters, Lynn McCluskey and Jolene Setterfield called on the spirits of nature to bless the wishing trees which is now set to share the secret hopes and dreams of party-goers today.

Please note

Of course Sue, Rose and Billy love to get your emails and photographs - both of your visits to the Happy House or for your sponsor children - but please make sure that when you are emailing any attachments that they are very small files only.

Technology in Kenya is still way behind us here and large files take so long to download that they can completely block the system, sometimes closing altogether.  It also costs a lot of money as we do not have broadband yet. If you do have special photos, please could you put them on a disk or get prints which you can send by post

Restaurant treat

What a very special treat it was for our children to be invited for a meal at one of Watamu's leading restaurants, Savannah, by the couple who have made it such a success, Jackie and Mike.

The kids put on their best clothes, many of them sent by you for their birthdays, and were all set to party.

Sue tells us: "We had a little Kidz Klub before we went, talking about table manners and using our nice words. About the toilets and things in general.

When we arrived and all sat down, Jackie said the meals would be 10 minds and told the kids they could play outside if they wanted to.

They all went together and started playing different games in a circle and singing, when Rose went down to take the pictures she was amazed.

We called them in for lunch  (sausage and chips, followed by ice cream) they came and sat down, each one saying  thank you for drinks and food they were served.

After the meal they asked Jackie if they could dance so she put music on for them, all the staff joined in, they remarked to Rose how polite our children are.

The kids all looked lovely in their clothes, the majority of them were wearing clothes that had been sent to them for their birthdays.

We had asked the children at Kidz Klub who wanted to say a word of thanks at the end of the time at Savannah, so Margaret, Rukia, Janet & Evans each said lovely words. Jackie cried.

" It was so nice for me as we had asked the children what THEY wanted to say, not told them what we wanted them to say.

As we waited for the meal I asked the children, what shall we do while we are waiting so they all said they could sing, and sing they did!

Deciding together what the next song should be, quietly discussing, no arguing or squabbles."

Jackie sent Sue and Dave a text later in the day which said:

"You should both be very proud of yourselves. It was a pleasure to have the kids here.They were a credit to you both and your staff. Mike & Jackie."

Jackie (wearing pink) and Mike have invited them all back at Christmas and been told to take all the little ones as well

Sue said " As we thought  Mwende, Pendo,Linus, Steve etc  were too young to go  this time we are taking them out  for ice cream as a special treat."

What a lovely day they all had and a big thank-you to Jackie and Mike and everyone at Savannah for giving our children, who have come from nothing and had so little, a day they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

E is for EXCELLENCE

Opening the Happy House nursery school back in January was a huge step, but one that has got our children leaping ahead in their education.

Our aim is not just to give our children a head-start but,  by taking children of local business people as fee-paying pupils, eventually (when in profit) to give free places, plus uniform, books, shoes and meals, to some of the most disadvantaged children from the local area whose parents are so poor they cannot afford the the obligatory books, uniform and shoes to access free Government schooling.

Our school is also setting new standards, by introducing teaching methods, new to Kenya, and by adding art and music to the syllabus.

The teachers have embraced changes with enthusiasm, encouraged by the rapid progress of their pupils, and the kids are just flying!

Sandra Foulkes, who retired last year as the head of Singleton CE School, near Blackpool, visited the Happy House last year and rhas eturned again this summer. 

Sandra has been a keen supporter of the Happy House for several years and sponsors twins Sauma and Pendo.

As a headteacher of many years experience Sue  asked Sandra to cast her expert eye over our school.

This is her report:

"Eight years ago I went, with several other teachers , to Senegal to look at creativity in the educational system!

This trip was a real eye opener to the group. Lessons were taken in crumbling, concrete classrooms with the pupils, seventy to a class, sitting on planks of wood across old petrol barrels. The staff were wonderful and doing a brilliant job with three sticks of coloured chalk and an old blackboard! The children were fantastic and eager to learn but "creativity" was never on the agenda.

The pupils, God bless them, sat listening to the teacher talk. The older ones wrote notes in dog eared exercise books and when we took a lesson and distributed craft materials the children didn't know what to do as they had never seen glue, coloured paper and scissors before!

What a difference at The Happy House School!

Sue asked me, as an ex head teacher, to wander around the school and report back! This proved to be an eye opening experience, especially in comparison with the Senegal schools and several others I had visited whilst in Kenya.

The Happy House classrooms are light and airy. The desks and chairs are like we have in England. The class numbers and classrooms are small. There is children's colourful art work on the walls. There is a well stocked library. There are structured reading books donated by Oxford Reading Tree. There is a computer room with computers which are actually working. There are musical keyboards. The staff are fantastic and enthusiastic and Rose, the head teacher, and her staff are very open and willing for ideas to move towards a creative curriculum.

Each week there is a special assembly to celebrate good work- this is a fantastic way of celebrating success and bringing the school together once a week and something we did every week at my own school in England. Lovely comments and positive praise are a wonderful free tool!

The one thing which is the same is that the children are very eager to learn and want to show off their skills to anyone who will listen.

The children are learning very well and responding positively to this type of teaching. The results from those children attending the local high school are excellent and we can only wait and see where these children will be in their adult life with this wonderful Happy House home and school."

*The children are pictured with some of the educational aids sent out by Sandra and Sandra is pictured with Lily and Evans.

Mama and Papa

Mama Sue and Papa Dave mean the world to the Happy House family they have created.

It takes very special people to do what they have done. How many people would turn their backs on a comfortable retirement to move to another country to start a family ... with the current figure of 54 kids?

The children adore them and rush to tell them, full of excitement, about what they've been doing in school or at play.

Because the children know they are loved and respected, they are never afraid to speak out. A Kidz Club they are encouraged to air their views and Mama patiently waits until they do. If there is something they don't like - like Rukia and cabbage - they can say so knowing they will get an understanding response.

For Sue, who looks after the overall administration and keeps everything running on a very tight budget, it's a tough and demanding job but her reward is the laughter and smiles of her children and the little gems they sometimes present to her.

Like this most recent portrait of Mama and Papa by talented young Oscar will be destined for her Happy House gallery.

We love the flowers in your hair Sue!

Tables time

"What's the best thing about the school holidays?" Sue asks the kids at weekly Kidz Club.

"Learning our tables!" they chorus back.

And that is what good teaching is all about ... making it fun. 

Sue, shocked that the oldest of our kids had no idea how to do simple multiplication, decided to make it a holiday mission to get the children learning their times tables.

They are spending an hour or so ever day concentrating on tables, with teachers, staff and Papa Dave helping and encouraging them, and they are catching on quickly.

"They love it," said Sue "once they have finished their tables time in the bandas, they carry on..

"Everywhere you look their are groups of children practising their tables. They are doing so, so well.

"They really want to learn and love the challenge,all determined to do their best. They are so full of enthusiasm.

"Can you imagine that with kids in the UK?"

 

Growing our own

As you all know we aim to be as self-sufficient as we can and that means growing our own.

It's a tough call on land that was once under the sea and has coral as its foundation, but "Country Boy" Papa Dave is constantly looking out for new ways to get the best he can out of it.

Our gardeners are enthusiastic too, and are really keen to try anything they can to maximise the crops we get.

It's paying dividends ... they have been harvesting a handsome crop of bananas and just look at the size of the grapefruit Dave brought in to show Sue. More than one portion there for our kids!

The seeds you are sending are growing so well too, much better than anything we can buy in Kenya. Evans went out to pick radishes which Uncle Billy was delighted taste test.

The bonus of grow-our-own is not just fresh fruit and veg straight from the garden, it also makes a significant difference to our grocery bills.