Sporting duo through to county

 Two Happy House kids have raced ahead to represent Malindi district in the county inter-school kindergarten sports.
After being a part of the team from Happy House to compete in the third-heat, the sub-county level,  of the contest at Chumani Primary School yesterday.

Khalid & Priscilla

 Priscilla Ponda and Khalid Mohamed wereour champions winning their events to take them forward to the next level - Priscilla in the potato race and Khalid in goalkeeping.
Sports teacher, Mr Steve, said the Happy House was overjoyed to have done so well and everyone in the team had done their best.
He thanked Mama Sue  and her management team, and the entire school and home family for their support and encouragement.
The full team taking part (pictured top): was Priscilla ponda,Amina Karisa, Gift kaingu, Erick Safari, Moffin Oduor, Tumaini Kaingu and Khalid Mohamed.  

Up to £700

Our Lets Do IT appeal to raise £3,500 to buy five new computers and to overhaul three existing ones rose to £700  yesterday.

The total cost is £3,500 but this will ensure that our school computer room is equipped with enough machines for each individual taking part in a class there.

This is vital to our children's future and computer literacy will give them a headstart when they eventually enter the workforce.

Please donate, we can't do IT without you. Thank you to everyone who has already donated and anyone wishing to give can go to

https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/childrenofwatamu/letsdoit

We must do IT for our kids

Where would we be without computer technology?
For a start you wouldn't be reading this.
And as for our Happy House, it probably wouldn't exist.
The advent of computer technology made our world smaller and put us in reach of each other.
It impacts on every area of our daily life.
Without it, Mama would not have been able to reach out to find individuals and organisations to support her charity and to build her dream.
A dream that is making a difference to the lives of hundreds of children born into poverty or despair.
When I first met her in the small Blackpool hotel she and papa owned, she was spending most of every day (and night) at her laptop trying to find funding to enable her to create her Happy House.
A badly smashed heel in 2009, and other illnesses that have befallen her since, have not stopped her working because having a computer made it possible.
When, a little over two years after opening the Happy House, Mama and Papa were forced to spend many months in the UK while she was treated for breast cancer, it was computers that ensured our kids knew their Mama and Papa were safe.
It was a difficult and emotional time, but telling the kids she and papa were busy fundraising ( and that was true too), she could reassure them and listen and watch as they excitedly told her what they'd been up to.

Mama in Blackpool 2009

Computers enable us to speak to you directly, to bring you our daily news and for you to stay in touch with our work and your sponsor children.
We may never have met, but we feel as though we know you and hope you feel that you know all of us.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram have turned strangers from every continent into our friends as they;ve discovered Happy House via the internet and social media.
In every walk of life, computers have a huge impact - we are a digital society, this is the digital age.
That is why we must ensure the students in Happy House School, kids who've had the worst start in life, learn IT from kindergarten upwards.
To do this we must have the tools for the job. 
We have a dedicated computer room, but not enough computers for each individual in a class. This holds up lessons and learning.
 We must buy five new machines, and processing units to repair three more.
This comes to a total of £3,500. To date our Let's Do IT Appeal has raised £635.
Please, could you make a donation,  hold a little fundraiser with your friends, collect your loose change, give up chocolate for Lent and donate what you save or do something more inventive to help take us to our target.
If you need any help or support with leaflets, publicity, etc, please email me: elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net I'd be happy to help
We know how hard you work and how many pressures you have, but please help us if you can.
Computers have changed our sophisticated world, we do not want our children to be left behind.
Please donate at https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/childrenofwatamu/letsdoit

School Report: Pupils go to the polls

 Emmaline, Vanessa,  Joseph,  Baraka 

Students in Happy House Primary school have been going to the polls, writes Md Russell.

They put democracy theory into practice when they held their own election for the head boy, head girl and prefects.

It's a time when they voted for the candidates they think will carry out these important roles within their school in a responsible and caring way.

The new head boy is Joseph Mirza with Baraka Mukatano as his assistant. Vanessa Mgomba is head girl with her assistant being Emmaline Neema.

The mid-term examinations have now been completed.

Celebration for teachers

Our teachers had a special treat when Mama and Papa invited them to their home for a party. The event was celebrate their efforts which resulted in our students gaining outstanding results in the 2016 KCPE exams.

Mr Laurent reports: "It was a day to be merry for members of the teaching staff in Happy House. This celebration of our school being recognised by the heads of education in the county as a pacesetter in academics 

Besides the presence of our cheerful Mama and Papa Dave and their friends Mark and Thalia, were Aunties Rose and Velma,  and teaching staff ranging from those in the kindergarten, through the primary school, to high school,

The party mood came to life through great music and dancing for all.
Papa Dave organised party games  It was Papa’s quick-fired questions  in the "Yes or No " game, that brought out the mental genius in him.

After the games came time to eat and Mama’s cooking was great in the real sense of the word. That is why first servings were follwed by second and, for many, a third

The party then moved to the swimming pool. 

And it was from here that this special gift from our caring Mama and the eventful day came to an end. 

As everyone dispersed our inner eyes focused on another day, another party, but what remained clear was another excellent result."

Welcome home Uncle Ronnie

Welcome home Uncle Ronnie.

We are delighted to bring you the news that Uncle Ronnie will be returning to our family as social worker,

It exactly a year since he went back to college after 12 months placement at Happy House working alongside Mama and Uncle Billy.

Now, following Uncle Billy's resignation for personal reasons, Uncle Ronnie will be working on a part-time basis until the end of this semester in April when he will then become full-time.

He will continue his studies at evening classes to complete his degree.

The children are thrilled to see him. When they returned from activities at school on Saturday morning, Mama told them Uncle Ronnie was in the office.

"There was much laughing and squealing everyone pushing each other to be the first to see  him.

"He is so happy to be back.  I do things during the week and then we talk it through on a Saturday. He is so good with the kids,'' said Mama.

It really is like coming home for Ronnie, who knows and understands many of our children so well, and he is looking forward to getting to know those who have joined us since he left.

We know that you, too, will be delighted he is back home. It will be he who will be going through your emails, letters etc with your sponsor children, explaining anything they don't understand,  and will be keeping you up to date with their news.

My teacher, by Lilian Rehema

:

Judging from this very informative blog, scholarship student Lilian Rehema has the making of a reporter!

Her blog is all about her teacher.

My class teacher is called Mr Karani. He is 28 years old.

Mr Karani teaches us science. He is a good teacher. 

Mr Karani  is as tall as a flag post  and he is as brown as the soil.

Mr Karani lives in Watamu. He is a Christian and he goes to church every Saturday and Sunday. 

He wakes up early in the morning to prepare himself to come to school. 

Mr Karani likes making funny faces and he is a humble teacher. He likes the colour red.The house of Mr Karani is built of blocks. 

He has a daughter called Eosophugus .His daughter is five years old .

An essential today

Our Lets Do IT school computer appeal has risen to £615.
Thanks to everyone who has given to the appeal which has to raise £3,500 to repair and add computers to our school computer room.
We need enough machines for every pupil taking a class, so they no longer have to share.
Learning IT will give these kids a headstart in the jobs market when they enter the workplace at the end of secondary school.
Every class from kindergarten upwards are learning computer skills in our school.
Please can you spare a few pounds, euro or dollars to help?

Every donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference to the young people of today who will, in turn, make a difference to their world tomorrow.
Young people like, Gabriel, a second year secondary student on a free place scholarship.
Before he became one of our first scholarship students, he was working on a building site trying to help buy food for his family.  He was desperate to be in school, but denied a place in a Government because he had no money to pay.
Without Happy House intervention he would have remained on the scrapheap of life  
Now he has opportunity,hope and a bright future,
Gabriel writes:

I am so happy to be in Happy House. Here we have  so many things that  make my study to be smooth. 

We all know that in this world of today computers are essential. I am fortunate to write this using a computer.

For a person to get a job he or she must have learnt computer.

So please can you help us. 

We need more computers because we do not have enough and have to share in computer lessons.

We ask you to help us if you can so that we can do better in our studies.

We will, at the time when we will go out to work, know how to use computers and we will help our economy and raise up our country.

Thank you for always assisting us. God bless you.

To make a donation please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/childrenofwatamu/letsdoit