Head over heels in love with life

David has a place in the hearts of all our Happy House friends all over the world.
And today's video is another celebration of a little life we were told would probably never amount to anything. 
When, at 11 months, he was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome, Mama Sue was told "just take him home and love him".
We did much more than give him love, sought expert advice, put a programme of  three -times daily exercises into practice, and our whole family, kids and adults, encourage him to take part in everything we do. 
We ensure David, six, has additional help in school and at home and time and time again he rewards our efforts with his courage and his smiles and his results.
So when the acrobats came to Happy House to perform for our kids, David wanted to show them they were not the only people who could do cartwheels ...
Please share this blog with your friends and family, we need more sponsors for our kids, more funds to ensure we can continue to transform more lives and bring out the best in every child.
 For information on how to sponsor or to donate go to www.childrenofwatamu.net

Aiming high!

The thrills and spills of being an acrobat were demonstrated to our kids when Mama invited a team of professional tumblers from Malindi to put on a show at Happy House.
The skill of the four-man team, who work together entertaining local and tourists in local hotels and restaurants captivated our youngsters who watched intently.
Using precision moves they performed extraordinary and thrilling gymnastic and tumbling routines for their excited audience who were watching every act of agility, coordination and skill.
After their show, the acrobats spent three hours working with our would-be acrobats showing them how its done.
With patience they explained and demonstrated their moves and got the kids, and teachers, taking part.
Madam Getry and Mr Isaac leading the way for the teachers!
It was a fun time for everyone and the pros will be returning for a second workshop soon.
Sports tutor Mr Steve said: "We thank Mama Sue for the brilliant ideas she has had to take this activity forward, not only did we have acrobats to demonstrate but also to show us how to do what they do.
"Mama always says "You can be the best you can be if you try hard and want to be.
" And at Happy House our kids all want and believe that they can be the best and make Happy House the best."

Harvest home

 Maize is the staple crop in Kenya and in every community a large percentage of small farmers depend on it for an income and also to feed their families.

So understanding how to cultivate this key crop is essential to every young person - and at Happy House it is no different.

Our kids prepare the land and plant the maize seed in readiness for the approaching rains, and once the rains come and the seedlings shoots up they keep the maize plots free from weeds.

Last week, our maize was ready to harvest so the kids were out in the garden eager to bring it home to the our kitchen.

No sooner than had they delivered the precious crop to our cooks, they were back out on the plots clearing the land, tilling the soil and getting ready to sow a second crop.

Harvest of hope...

It's six years since I first wrote these words for a Blackpool harvest festival which was supporting Happy House, writes Elizabeth Gomm.

They are relevant now as they were then.

At the Happy House our harvest is about much more than producing crops to feed our family ...  it is also about growing our children.

These vulnerable little souls who come to us with so little; hungry, frightened, fragile and poorly, with few expectations or aspirations.

They are our seedlings, plucked from poorer soil, which we plant in our fertile garden of hope.

We nurse their ills, nourish their bodies, feed their minds and nurture them ,  each as an individual, with love, honesty and respect.

We see them grow and flourish.

Slowly at first, as if shy to break through the hard earth and then, with strength restored and confidence growing, they spring into life, a vibrant force eager to soak  up every opportunity given to them and learning, enthusiastically, every lesson taught.

We watch them blossom, t

heir smiles brighter than the Kenyan sun.

As our Happy House grows, with YOUR help, YOUR love and YOUR support,  we can add more classes to our school, grow more crops, and make room for ever more children in our  home and school family.

Only then will we start to gather in our true harvest ... over many, many, years to come.

Our harvest will come from the hope we sow, and which will remain, forever, in our children's hearts.

Our magic is your doing, by Moses

Moses is a talented yound man who education was punctuated with long gaps out of school because of financial constraints on his family, until he was given a free scholarship place at Happy House school.

Three years on, he has passed his KCPE and is now in our secondary school and getting ever nearer his goal of becoming a doctor.
He writes:

Hi everyone, I am form two  secondary student in this lovely and joyful Happy House family.

I just want you to know that am glad to be called one of the kids in Happy House.

I am now in the third year of getting a scholarship and being in this lovely family living the  lovely life I had been longing to live so that I could secure my  future. This is thanks to your help and our  nurturing mum Mama sue.

I had been struggling for so long because of my background, dreaming of th education to take me towards my goals and ambitions. Now my dream has come true. 

This has been brought about by you and your support that helps to make the Happy House magic.

The spirit in this land of opportunity is soaring. We believe in Happy House Power and  Girl Power too. 

Thank you so much for supporting the Happy House, my friends say they have seen so many changes in me since I came to Happy House.

We scholarship students had nothing to laugh or smile about before coming here, but now we can always smile because those difficulties in education are gone. That is Happy House magic.

We also have healthy foods which boost our learning power and because of this we all look "Wow"!

Thank you for making it possible for us kids.

We need your support NOW

 We desperately need people to sponsor a child, from abject poverty, who is only in school because they have a free place at Happy House School on our Dr Danwata Scholarship Scheme.

Each of the students pictured here with Mama Sue needs a sponsor. 

Of our 93 scholarship students, we have 55 without sponsors.

 Not just to help support their education financially but also to become a friend who will, through emails, letters and postcards, open another window on their world and to encourage them in their studies.

It costs just £20 a month to sponsor a scholarship student and to light up a life.

£20 provides all a youngster needs - schooling, uniform, books, PE kit plus nourishing breakfast, lunch and snacks.

 Please tell your friends about us, encourage them to sponsor; hold a fundraising event or make a one-off donation.

Together we ARE changing lives and together we will change many more

For details of how to set up a sponsorship please email: elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net

Birthday double

Two birthdays to celebrate at Happy House this week.
The birthday children who took centre stage at Kids Club for family greetings and gifts were Stephano Sifa and Jessica Khadija.
Papa handed  gifts over to Stephano whilst Mama did the honours for Jessica.
Have birthday kids.

New moves

 With so many keen young acrobats in our family, Mama
 decided to fire their imagination by showing them some videos on YouTube..

They watched  the carefully chosen videos of top gymnasts with interest and then went off to practice their moves.
A couple of days later and they were ready to show what they'd learnt much to the delight of all the family.
Watch out for more to come, they are sure to have something new and exciting on the cards.

Puzzling time

School's out for four weeks.

Term dates have been altered this year to ensure the general election on August 8 is during this current break.

Happy House is having a holiday club when our kids will be enjoying lots of organised activities in the mornings, centred on learning through play, with afternoons for sporting fun and games.

Yesterday, our some of younger kids had a puzzling time putting together jigsaws as you can see in the picture.