Sporting triumph

Meet our sporting champions – Mariam, Salama , Natasha and David.

Happy House kids Mariam, Salama and Natasha  and David, a day pupil in our school, came first in their events in the district school sports have won through at zone level.
Salama triumphed in the sack race, Mariam in the tyre race and the elder of our two Natashas in the chair race. David won the boys' tyre race.

Ushindi and Mwende, who won their zone events, also represented Happy House in the district but  this time they were unplaced.

Well done to all of you.

Pictured from left are:Mwende, Mariam, David. Ushindi, Salama and Natasha.

                                                 Save the date

Steve and Cherith Cushing, who held a very successful barbecue for the Happy House last summer, are going to host another this year at their home in Staining, near Blackpool. It was a lovely afternoon/evening of family fun. This year's event will be on Saturday, July 13.

We hope friends and sponsors who live nearer enough to come, or who might like to stay over on the Fylde coast for the weekend, will  join us.

Please save the date ... more news soon.

History in the making

A public holiday on Tuesday marked the inauguration of Kenya’s new president, Uhuru Kenyatta , following his victory in March against Raila Odinga

And as dignitaries and tens of thousands of people witnessed the new president, son of Kenya's first president Jomo Kenyatta, being sworn in at the inauguration in Nairobi, our children watched this new chapter in their country’s history unfolding on television.

They are encouraged to take an interest in what is happening around them and the older children watch the news every evening.

But for this important event even our youngest member of the family, Athman, was wheeled in … listening from his pram on the sidelines!.

Yesterday, Athman had his first trip to Malindi with social worker Uncle Billy and volunteer DawnHeather White.

DawnHeather  writes: “ Uncle Billy and I headed off to the baby clinic in Malindi with little Athman. I doubt he would have slept so contentedly in my arms on the way there if he had known what was ahead of him.

We arrived and joined the queue to sign in and get Athman weighed. Even though I had to place him on a steel scale he still continued to sleep while Billy and  I were thrilled when we learnt  of his continued weight gain. The next task was not quite so pleasurable as I had to hold Athman’s leg straight while he got an injection first in one tiny thigh and then the other. However, he made clear his displeasure at the taste of  the polio drops by screwing his face up in disgust. Once back in the car he drank a bottle of  milk and once again fell sound asleep for the return journey.”

A wedding blessing

Kim and Keith Monahan

Our wonderful webmaster and true friend Chris Franklin is a very talented photographer is often asked, by friends, to be their wedding photographer.

He does so in return for a donation to our Happy House family.

His most recent wedding was that of Kim and Keith Monahan who tied the knot at Cirencester Agricultural Collage.

Kim and Keith are both tutors at the college and were very pleased to donate to the Happy House.

They also hope, in the future, to visit and to volunteer.

Thank you Chris for your continued kindness and thanks too to Kim and Keith, we wish you a very happy life together.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

Loving and being loved by our Happy House kids is just the best feeling in the world, writes Elizabeth Gomm

Brenda, Red and Auntie Libz

They hold a huge place in my heart, and as I have said before, they are the magnet that draws me back to Kenya time and time again. To know that you, too, hold a place in their little hearts and that they love you too is indescribable.

Our kids are so special, they have been through so much before they come to us they do not, understandably, invest their trust easily.

But when you earn that trust, you have it forever.

I am privileged that I have known each of  them since they joined our family, and have been able to watch them grow and blossom. Our friends Brenda and Red Groves have also know them right since the start.

Harry

Baby Harry was a year old when I took him back to meet the lovely lady who found him, newborn, abandoned in a carrier bag on a rubbish tip in Malindi.

Yesterday, he sat on my lap in Kidz Club singing his heart out and doing all the actions to the hymn Running Over.

Harry will be three in June and owes his very survival to the Happy House magic.

Cake for Sudi

When I first met Mama Sue, way back in 2007 when the Happy House was a just her dream, her vision, I had no idea how that day would change my life.

As she told me, the journalist, about her plans, although she had no land, nor money, nor formal plans, I knew she was going to do it and that I wanted to help her.

Her vision of a Happy House where vulnerable children could grow in safety with love, education and opportunity struck a chord so deep within me I hadn’t known it existed.

Now these children are my driving force. They are my Kenyan rays of sunshine and  brighten every day of my life. I am their Auntie Libz.

Helping my friend , their Mama, in my small way to make a difference to such important little lives is the best thing that I could ever do.

It is with a heavy heart that , with Brenda and Red, I said goodbye to our family  ( to soften the blow we did it with cake!), to fly home to the UK today, but I know that when I next come back , my second family will  be here waiting with open arms and happy smiles to greet me.

That day cannot come soon enough.

Making his Mark

Mark Baker, a lovely guy who lives and works in Holland, came to visit the Happy House to check it out before he starts a few days with us as a volunteer this week.

Mark is keen to help make a difference to our kids in any way he can and has offered to help anywhere he is needed , apart from with the babies which, quite rightly, he reckons is best left to the more qualified!

Mark really liked what he saw at the Happy House and our exceptionally high standards, and was delighted to meet some of our kids including our new baby Athmani. Enjoy your time with us Mark and please stay in touch.

Dawn Heather White, who has volunteered with for the last three years, arrives back for her latest stint this week. Everyone is looking forward to seeing her again. Dawn, who lives in Bangor, Northern Ireland, is in Katana's sponsor family.

Musyoka gets busy

Musyoka takes over the blog today, and a very bright and busy boy he is too.

Musyoka writes:

When there is time I normally help Uncle Josphat in the kitchen, to cook and wash the utensils and to sweep the floor.

I help Uncle to cook ugali. First you boil some water, then you wait five minutes and put half the flour, you wait two minutes, and then you put more flour. You take a spoon and stir it. You wait until it comes together. Then you can eat it with vegetables or with soup with fish.

I also help serve the snack to the babies, tea with biscuits.

My favourite food is kuku (chicken) and chips or rice and beans.

Abdul's birthday is a piece of cake

One of the very first day pupils to join our school community celebrated his birthday with his Happy House friends.

Abdul and Oscar

Abdul, eight, joined our Little Chicks Kindergarten not long after it opened and his mum has been delighted with his progress ever since.

We now have almost 60 children, whose parents pay fees for them to attend our school and the number is growing as word about the high achievements of our pupils spreads.

By having day pupils alongside our Happy House kids, we are assuring that the school supporting itself,  and entirely separate from the Happy House.

The school is one big happy family and everyone helped Abdul celebrate his big day. Kindergarten head teacher Madam Rose wished him a long and happy life and everyone sang Happy Birthday.

Francis, Griffin, Abdul and Oscar

After having his face decorated with blobs of icing for good luck by his best friends Francis, Oscar and Griffin, Abdul cut the beautiful, and very big, cake sent in by his mum.

Everyone tucked into a slice and then after more songs it was back to afternoon school.

Happy birthday, Abdul, and thank you for sharing your special day with all your friends.