We love to welcome friends to Happy House and January is bringing us lots of visitors.Angela Lewis, from Somerset and her friend David Paris, from Kent, were welcomed by Mama, Papa and the family.They brought with them so lovely things for their sponsor children. David, who sponsors Abdulmalik and David, and Angela, who sponsors Esther, Neema and James, brought lovely gifts for their children. And their visit coincides with Esther's birthday. She's just turned eight!Also arrived is Fiona Lockyer, a good friend who has visited many times, who is going to be spending eight weeks volunteering with our family. Fiona also brought gifts for her sponsor children, Daudi, Hussein and Stephano. We are delighted to see Angela, David and Fiona again and wish them a very happy time.
It is never easy to be asked to choose a winner - specially when both teams really try their best. But that's just what Happy House asked of visitors Chris Franklin and Caroline le Bourgeois at Kidz Club.They were asked to choose the winners of a song and dance contest between the girls and the boys.Here's Chris, a trustee of Children of Watamu charity, announcing the girls as the winners and a clip of their performance. Kidz Club also celebrated two birthdays - Esther has just turned eight and Katana who is now 15. Caroline presented them with their gifts.
Children growing up in the Happy House family know the importance of being polite.They are reminded to use their nice words, to says please and thank you, and to be courteous to those they meet.Mama Sue held a group session to underline the need to be polite to ensure that children who have joined our school family this term know what's expected of them and why.
It was a hugely emotional day for Mama Sue when three of her Happy House kids went to enrol at university.
Janet, who was one of the very first children to join our family when we opened in 2010, and two of our first scholarship kids, Nasri and Gabriel, went to Malindi together to sign up for online degree courses with Mount Kenya University.
They will have the support of the Mama and the Happy House family they love, the value so highly as they progress on their chosen career paths.
And they all aim to help take the Happy House forward, to help continue and perpetuate Mama's work.
They are Generation Happy House and we are so, so, proud of them.
When Mama Sue had to make the tough decision to close our Happy House Secondary School she wanted to ensure that our those youngsters living in our care or on scholarships would have the best Government school education available.This led her to Canon Mweri Secondary School and that is where these young people started the new academic year earlier this month.Now she has been to visit them in school and as you can see they have settled in very nicely, enjoying the challenge of a new educational environment and making new friends - whilst also having the continued support of the Happy House School, its teachers and facilities.Canon Mweri School is well ordered, is well equipped and is, so far, proving an excellent option.
* Our secondary school sadly closed because we couldn't enrol a sufficient number of fee-paying pupils to make viable and to help support the education of those on free places.We had hoped that parents, so thrilled with the high standard of education their children had received in primary school with us, would move them up into our secondary school. But sadly that wasn't the case and they have followed the traditional path of putting their kids into boarding school at 14. The secondary school building is being used to provide even more space and new specialist areas of learning for our very busy Happy House primary school family.
Lloyd Wray who has been visiting Happy House with his wife, Judith, has been delighted and amazed by what he has seen.In this video he explains how he finds our charity founder and the driving force of the Happy House both inspired and inspirational and of the attributes that have enabled her to bring her vision of a home for needy children followed by a school into a reality.
The Happy House has come to life for Judith and Lloyd Wray.Friends of our charity for so long, they have watched it progress from the start of build to the thriving home and school it is today.From their homes first in Blackpool, and now Leicester, they have kept up to date with blog, seen the videos, but for Judith that was never enough. She wanted to see it for herself, and now she has felt its warmth and experienced the happiness of our children it really is a dream come true.Back in Leicester, their church and their friends supported their trip - donating money for them to bring for our family.They bought some materials for the art room, but the rest has been used to buy groceries for our family - enough for a whole four weeks!Thank you to everyone who contributed, we are truly grateful.
It is never easy to be asked to choose a winner - specially when both teams really try their best.
But that's just what Happy House asked of visitors Chris Franklin and Caroline le Bourgeois at Kidz Club.
They were asked to choose the winners of a song and dance contest between the girls and the boys.
Here's Chris, a trustee of Children of Watamu charity, announcing the girls as the winners and a clip of their performance.
The Happy House has come to life for Judith and Lloyd Wray.
Friends of our charity for so long, they have watched it progress from the start of build to the thriving home and school it is today.
From their homes first in Blackpool, and now Leicester, they have kept up to date with blog, seen the videos, but for Judith that was never enough.
She wanted to see it for herself, and now she has felt its warmth and experienced the happiness of our children it really is a dream come true.
Back in Leicester, their church and their friends supported their trip - donating money for them to bring for our family.
They bought some materials for the art room, but the rest has been used to buy groceries for our family - enough for a whole four weeks!
Thank you to everyone who contributed, we are truly grateful.