Family ties

Sometimes, even at the Happy House, there is the sorrow of partings.

At Friday Kids' Club, usually so upbeat, the family , all together, were told the news that Joash, Mark, Nicholas,  Franco, Rosalind and Mary would be leaving next week, to start the process of being reunited with their birth relatives.

Uncle Billy and Mama Sue explained the reason why the rescue children, now looked upon as brothers and sisters by the kids, now had to leave. Reassuring them that they could stay in touch and promising that they would all be a part of Happy House family forever and always welcome back, but how it was now the right thing for these six children to go back to their homes.

Joash, Mark, Nicholas, Franco, Rosalind and Mary were the Stars of Week for playing such a big part in the Happy House family life.

Everyone at Kids' Club, children and adults, were quiet and sad. Some of the kids saying how much they would miss the others.

Then there news of more change - that baby Joseph was leaving us too.   Little Joe's mum died shortly after giving birth to him. She had fallen into a coma during labour and never regained consciousness - not even long enough to see see her newborn son.

Her husband, Julius, was devastated by her death and, with older children to care for, and no relatives nearby, was unable to cope with his baby son. He turned to the Happy House for help.

Now, weeks later, he is on the road to recovery, coming to terms with his grief, and his sister has moved to be close to him so that she can help look after all the children.

Although he lives many miles away, Julius has visited Joe regularly and loves him very much. It is right that he should have his lastborn son home now that he can care for him properly. Right for the family and right for Joe. The Happy House played its part by bridging a gap in a time of great need.

Julius and sister Esther came for Joseph yesterday.  Sue, too emotional to see her baby go, went home early. I stayed with Billy to wait for them to arrive.  Once the paperwork was done, and Joe ready to go the kids gathered to say goodbye - singing him a farewell song.  

All the adults were fighting back tears, specially Uncle Billy and mum Monica who loves all the babies as if they were her own.

Julius told me how thankful he was for all the Happy House had done for him. "Without it I would have been in such a bad place," he said.

Leaving us with his babe in arms, the kids waving, his final words were: ''God bless this Happy House".

Changing times

Frustrating and tiring, yesterday was spent in court in Malindi with the six rescue children giving evidence against the woman accused of failing to protect them from abuse and neglect, writes Elizabeth Gomm.

The case, already adjourned twice since they came to the Happy House on a temporary care basis last October, was due to be heard at 9am.

Sue, Billy and I left the Happy House with six very apprehensive children just after 7.30am.  At court we waited in an open courtyard where witnesses were sitting side by side with defendants. Armed police mill around, some escorting prisoners in handcuffs.

After almost 90minutes were were told that the magistrate had decided to hear all other cases on his list before ours, and to bring the children back at 2.30pm.

Sue and Billy, who had instigated the rescue after two of the children came crying at the Happy House gates, were angry but not surprised. Their concern is for the kids, who should have been repatriated to their families in other parts of the country many months ago.

They are now Happy house kids and leaving will get harder for them and for and the family with every day that passes.

We all piled back into the matatu , the kids with bottles of juice, and headed back for the Happy  House where they settled down to watch a DVD with popcorn as a well-deserved treat.

There was time for Sue and I to catch up on emails, the blog etc, before we set off back to Malinidi at 1.45pm.

Again we waited in a stifling courtyard - the kids just feet away from the Mama accused of ill-treating them- until just before three when she was called into court and the first child called to give evidence.

Sue and Billy, as witnesses had to remain outside, but a children's officer sat in on the proceedings for the kids and I was allowed to stay, hoping I would be able to give these vulnerable kids just some reassurance.

At five, the last child's evidence heard, the magistrate again adjourned the case. This time until June, leaving us no nearer an outcome.

But now with the children's evidence heard, their part, at least is over, and the tough decision of when and where they should go now has to be made.

Repatriation will stat next week when they will return to their homelands, under the care of social workers, until they can be reunited with their own families.

 Sue  and the Happy House have only the children's  best interests at heart and the children will know that they will always be a part of the family and will always be welcome to visit.

In the months here they have become confident, healthy, and prepared, as much as they can be, for the future ahead.

Emotional meeting

Yesterday was an emotional and extraordinary day for me, writes Elizabeth Gomm.

I felt so proud and privileged to take foundling baby Harry on a very special outing to Malindi, where we not only visited the special care baby unit where he spent the first eight weeks of his little life, but I also met the woman who found him last June - when she heard the tiniest whimper coming from a plastic bag on a rubbish dump, as she passed by.

Thankfully she looked inside and found Harry, eight weeks premature and just a tiny scrap of life, with the umbilical cord and placenta attached.

She is the kindest woman in the world and took him straight to a midwife before taking him to the hospital.

The Happy House provided all his nappies, milk and medication until he was well enough to come home to us and his finder, sadly,did not know where he had gone or what had happened to him, despite her best efforts to find out. Imagine her joy at seeing him now, happy, well fed, loved and thriving.

In 40 years in journalism this is the most moving story that I will be writing in full when I get back to the UK.

I feel so privileged to have met all those who saved this little mite's live and gave us Harry Hayward - truly a Happy House miracle.

New arrivals

Nurses Hayley Barber and Julia Durham, from Blackpool, started volunteering at the Happy House today and have met all our babies. They have just gone to Malindi with Uncle Billy to take Brian for his x-ray - when we got to the hospital yesterday the radiographer wasn't there so we had to return without getting it done.  There's no such thing as an appointment system here!

Another busy day

Every day is busy at the Happy House.  Sue  and Dave arrive at around 8.30 in the morning. By this time the older children are in school and the babies have had breakfast and are  playing in the baby banda.

Every time Dave drives through the gates  he peeps the horn and  takes a detour past the babies - the minute they see him those who can toddle or crawl head at top speed to the edge, shouting and clapping.

Dave goes "hoy" and they all shout back. Linus, the biggest and strongest of all storms up going "hoy" back to Dave.

Where else could you arrive at work to such a greeting?

It was a day of meetings yesterday, essential and important, but there was still time to spend with the kids. 

Baby Brian is still a bit wheezy but better than he was on Monday and today I am going with Billy to take him for a chest x-ray in Malindi. He's not going to like it!

Nurses Julia Durham and Hayley Barber have arrived from Blackpool. They spending two weeks volunteering. They had a long delay at Gatwick and then it took hours to get through immigration at Mombasa, so  Sue has advised them to take a day to rest before starting work tomorrow.

Scott and  Laura Webster, old friends of the charity , are back in Watamu and helping at the Happy House each day. Laura in the baby banda and Scott working in the gardens.

Extra pairs of hands are always welcome.  With so many babies to look after the mums and aunties are delighted to have Laura there with them - it gives them a chance to get on with other jobs knowing that she understands the routine that is so important  to little ones.

Even though they are tiny they have a real understanding of  what is coming next in their day.

 After lunch there is nap time. Mum Monica only has to say "Lala time" to the kids and they toddle or crawl over to the mat and snuggle down for a sleep. Only the odd one will need a little extra encouragement… and action man Linus is usually one of them!

Sue and Dave's  close friends from Southend,  Chris and Kenny Goddard, are also  visiting for the first time in several years.

 They  have been involved in the charity since the very start , giving help and encouragement, and although they had not seen the Happy House before they were not surprised. It's exactly as Sue had always told them it would be..

All is calm

A contented calm has returned to the Happy House after all the excitement of the first birthday party.

The kids were back at school yesterday, the little ones still a bit tired after their big day, but their regular afternoon nap put the spring back in their step.

By the time school finished they were firing on all cylinders and ready to play. I was working at my computer, set up on a table in the reception area, when little Mwende snuggled up beside me. Soon she was on my lap looking at pictures from the party, then came my Pendo, my lovely sponsor child (pictured with Lily), followed by Samson, Lily, Milly, Ushindi, Shakila , Hassan, Rose and more .... 

They were so excited to be seeing their pictures, and the magic of video, gave them a real treat. They could hardly believe they were seeing themselves on film!

The show over we all went out to play... everyone wanting to hold my hand. It is such a joy to be a part of this very special family and to know the kids love me as much as love them.

We were dancing and singing, hula-hooping and playing. By home time I was absolutely black with dust ... but so, so happy to be a Happy House "aunty"!

Baby Brian is again giving cause for concern, after the chest infection that put him in hospital we thought he had made a full recovery, but yesterday he went, in space of an hour,  from being fine  when I took this picture of him with Neema, to being a very wheezy baby.

I went with Uncle Billy to take him to the local clinic but Sue decided she wanted a second opinion and asked Billy to take him through to Malindi to see the paediatrician. She confirmed Sue's suspicions that  he is asthmatic and put him on a nebulizer to ease his breathing. She wants him back for more treatment every day this week and says he may have inherited the condition from a parent ... something we will never know because he was abandoned at birth.

What we can promise is that, whatever the cost, he will always get the very best of care.

Party parade

Party pictures