Donations of goods ease burden of bills

Many, many thanks to Chris O'Hare, Gabriella Gratrix and to friends who sent all these much needed goods out to the Happy House with them.
With tour operators putting holidays on hold, there are very few tourists coming to Watamu and the community faces a real economic crisis putting so many into hardship.
We have to find a way of making up for the wonderful things visitors bring to us in donations, child sponsorships, gifts of clothing and essentials and groceries. 
These are hard times, so the many items brought by Chris, Gabriella, and Chris' son Jacob, are so very appreciated.
Sadly our three volunteers couldn't settle because of worries about terrorism risks and decided to return home early.
Uncle Billy said: " Our happy children are seen with many things brought - clothes and footwear, pens,pencils, rulers,toothpaste and brushes etc.
These are  a major boost reducing our shopping bill and for Christmas as we always  like to plan ahead of time.

We are sorry our new volunteers left prematurely due to their feeling worried for security reasons.

Please rest assured that  all is well and our family is safe and sound."

Chris, Gabriella and Jacob had worked so hard to fundraise for us and were so looking forward to volunteering we hope that they will come back to see us one day.

School report: Such a friendly place to be

School manager, Madam Rose, brings us this week's report from our school.

We were very happy to have another school visiting us for an exchange programme.

This time round it was for the nursery and lower primary section.

We organised  different activities such as bowling game, hula hoop,  chair race and sack race.

Our competitors were our visitors from Amani Academy.

As they were unfamiliar with some of the activities we made a demonstration for the activities before the beginning of the competition. 

Kudos to our Happy House kids for their kindness and hospitality to the visitors.

Our children gained very good results. Ushindi won in hula hoop, Walter van de Peer won in bowling, Fortune Kendi won in relay and Hajir Kithole won in sack race.

Since we are coming towards the end of the term, the nursery kids have started the end of term two exams and we believe they will perform well as  their teachers have prepared them well.

The kids know that they will be meeting their Mama for a chat about the targets they set.

On the other hand l am very proud of the Nursery section with how things are running.

We get volunteers who bring in new ideas that when put in practice they bring a great difference in our kids.

 Children have a privilege to play in different learning corners i.e. construction blocks, modelling table and filling and emptying sand in containers.

Our class assistant Aunty Neema keeps the beds very clean and neat for children to take a rest  on in the afternoon after having their lunch. 

She is also potty training them and the result is that they are out of nappies at an early age.

Wow, Happy House is a really friendly learning place  for all children.

Look what Mama found!

Just look who  Mama found in her Happy House bag when she was packing for her trip to the UK.
Only, the  youngest member  of our family, Abdul Malik, intent on hitching a ride !
He must of known how much Mama and Papa hate being away from their home and kids, and how much they miss them,  and decided he was going along to keep them company.
Only problem is, he's such a chubby little chap he hardly fits in the bag.
All proceeds from the sales our recycled cotton bags, £5 each, go to supporting our family and these useful bags are great for everything from shopping to trips to the beach.
They are strong (not for carrying babies though!) and washable and make a great little present, spreading awareness of our work at the same time.
Right now we are running a Happy House Bags on Tour! summer fun photo competition on Facebook with a £20 Amazon voucher (donated by a friend) for the person who snaps their bag in the most novel location. Closing date September 1.
You can buy your bag online (£5 plus 75p postage) from http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/reusable-cotton-shopping-beach-bag-children-of-watamu-happy-house-124656481.htm
Postage outside the UK will cost more, but is possible.
If you live on the Fylde coast, bags are on sale at Aladdin-z, Clifton St, Lytham, and at Grace&Favour, Marsh Mill Village, Thornton.
Chaff tonic for Mama
There was a great boost for Mama and Papa last night when they joined Auntie Libby for an evening at the Best Little Network Chaff  event at Coast cafe, Blackpool, last night.
The vibrant networking group  of business women gave a warm welcome to our introduction to the Happy House family and were clearly inspired by our amazing Mama.
It was lovely to welcome several new sponsors to our family and to make many new friends for our family.
Thank you to Clare Rawling for inviting us and to everyone there for their interest.
We look forward to getting to know you all much better.

Kakoneni Girls' come to visit

 We were very happy to welcome visitors from Kakoneni Girls' School.

The school brought 50 CRE (Christian religious education) students in forms one and two for an afternoon on short notice, but we were glad to host them for an hour and a half.

They had a tour round with our children as their guides, Mercy is pictured (centre) showing around her two new friends.

Later on we all assembled for presentations.

Our little girls set the ball rolling with their poem about the importance of education.

Poems ,songs,story telling were exchanged and finally the kids enjoyed  a joint dancing moment.

The  Kikoneni students brought us a welcome gift of rice ,washing powder,cooking oil, bathing soap and a bale of maize meal. #This was a noble gesture and was= much appreciated by the entire Happy House family.

Janet and Evans gave their vote of thanks to a loud applause from everyone.

We hope you will remember us always and come back to see us again sometime, Kikoneni.

From Uncle Billy and the Happy House family.

Happy children - by Fikiri

Today, Fikiri takes over the junior blogspot and his subject is - A blog about Happy Children

I hope you are fine and me too. I just want to tell you that the Happy House

kids are very good at learning. 

All of us, we are very good.

The lower classes are very good ,even the upper classes are doing very well. The class seven scholarship kids they trying hard to talk good English like Nasri, Kelvin, Franco and Katana.

They say that they are  happy to be in school in Happy House which is a big building.

They were scared  when they saw it. It so big, they think that it will fall.

They say hat they love you Mama Sue and Papa Dave.

Good news for Mama and Papa

Today, a personal message from Mama:
Thank you to everyone who has made a very difficult time for Dave and I so much easier.
You have all been so very kind and generous in  many different ways.  The help was greatly needed and truly appreciated.
 We are now settled in a lovely apartment in Poulton le Fylde, with everything we need.

Auntie Libby worked so hard to coordinate everything even to the lovely sunny weather.

 I slipped in our kitchen, on some water, at home on eight weeks ago and fractured my leg in five places. I was operated on in Mombasa Hospital and told not to put any weight on it for at least eight weeks. 

Jo Reid a lovely friend of ours works with orthopaedic consultant, Mr Steve Mannion, who last year had the very difficult job of  replacing my hip, one that had also been operated on as a emergency Mombasa in 2010.

 Mr Mannion emailed and asked to see the x-rays, he immediately called me and said I must return to England asap. 

We arrived last Friday and I saw Mr Mannion on Wednesday. He did new x-rays and said the fractures do seem to be healing and that I could now walk with crutches on a toe touching basis. 

What a fantastic relief I was expecting yet another operation!

Although I am not yet out of the woods, Mr Mannion said if the plate that has been inserted in my leg fails in these early stages of weight bearing I am here for him to deal with the situation. 

If I was in Kenya and the plate failed  there would be nothing they could do, he said.

It has been an extremely worrying time for us, and has certainly taken its toll. My Dave is, as always, amazing, but even he thinks this is just a step too far..... even for me!!

That is why all the love help and support we feel around us has been, and is, so important.

It was so hard to leave our lovely family, but we explained that Mama and Papa needed to return to the UK to raise funds and for Mama to see a special Doctor to make her leg well again. The Kidz loved Mama in the wheelchair, taking it in turns to push  and spin me around.

I have been dizzy for weeks now!! 

Our very special David soon realised if he ran at the side Mama would scoop him up for a ride, and if Linus was on the pushing team  it would be at great speed!
I  would disappear into the atrium with Dave’s voice ringing in my ears , SLOW DOWN !!

It is a bad time for Kenya at present with the threat of terrorism everywhere.

With few tourists everyone is really struggling. Hotels have no guests so no work for the local people

Visitors, sponsors and volunteers, who would have been in touch asking what we needed for them to bring, are no longer asking as they are unable to travel. 

So where people would arrive with suitcases full of crocs, knickers, socks, leggings etc we are having to try and source everything ourselves. 

Christmas will soon be upon us and with 84 children waiting for Santa we need to plan and raise funds. Not forgetting the 84 birthdays every year. 

As people are unemployed, parents  will not be able to afford to send their children to our schools, where teachers still need to be paid 

I cannot deny I am worried, extremely worried.

It has been lovely to see and hear from so many friends. We are here if anyone wants to talk to us or visit, we will be delighted to see each and every one of you. 

Thank you again for truly caring about us and the Happy House Family xx

Skype makes it a small world

Kidz Club this week was a wonderful occasion which started with a Sykpe session with Mama and the aunties.
Mama meets with the aunties every week before Kidz Club, so this was a way of carrying on as normal by harnessing 21st century technology.
They were also so excited to see Mama and Papa and to be able to talk to them.
Later the KG children came in to see Mama  and sang her favourite songs, and then the older kids got in on the act to share their news with their Mama and Papa.
Birthday boy, Abuu  received his gift and greeting  and  Star of the Week was a awarded  to see and Esther for being successfully  potty  trained. .
It was fine gathering which  ended up on a  happy  note, as  always .

Celebrations and congratulations

Two family celebrations were marked at Kidz Club last week, before Mama and Papa,  embarked on their journey to the UK.

Firstly, it was Alex's birthday so Mama did the honours of presenting him with a birthday gift. 

Secondly, it was the turn baby Neema who was awarded Star of Week for taking her first solo steps. 

Auntie Rose presented her with a certificate to mark this important milestone, which will be kept safely in her Memory Box.

School report: All action week

Head teacher, Madam Joy brings us this week's school report:

Wehave wonderful updates from school this week.

Firstly, we  had an inning (exchange programme) with Sawa Sawa academy. There were a number of games scheduled - volleyball boys, netball girls, rounders boys and girls and tug of war. To hit the nail on the head, these activities started on time with the boys playing volleyball and girls netball. In no time ,everything came to a standstill.  Everybody turned to the netball, eager to shout "waooh"  at every score that Janet, our netball shooter made.  In a period of eight minutes she had made 10 scores simultaneously with the help of other players.  On the other hand boys were also shining in volleyball. After the stipulated time, these two games were over with the Happy House pupils emerging the winners with 16  scores in netball and two sets in volleyball while Sawa Sawa got 11 scores and 1 set respectively. Afterwards, we proceeded to rounders which everybody was eager to watch. We really cheered and enjoyed as the runners made different moves.  Finally, the game was over and the teams had a tie of four rounds each.  To crown it all we went to the climax of the day, the  tug of war whereby the teachers participated. The  Sawa Sawa teachers seemed to have stored an extra energy purposely for this activity.   They pulled us for the first round but for the finals we unveiled our hidden Happy House magic and pulled them further making us the winners. A few days later, our lower primary pupils visited Gedi ruins for an educational tour found in Gede, Watamu. As always, Happy House believes in pupils learning by seeing, doing and putting ideas in writing. The kids really enjoyed the visit and they visited the museum, butterfly house, and the snake park.  They filled in  questionnaires which were prepared in advance. They also enjoyed feeding the monkeys and discovering the lifecycle of the butterflies and many more.

Volunteers making friends

After months of fundraising for the Happy House, volunteers Chris O'Hare, his girlfriend, Gabriella Gratix, and Chris' son, Jacob,  are settling down to their first week volunteering with our family.

Chris, Gabriella, and Jacob, who live on the Fylde coast, spent their first day at the Happy House yesterday getting to know our family, making new friends and learning the way things are done.

After being shown round, they spent time assisting teachers in our kindergarten classes.

In the days and weeks ahead, we know that they will  have an amazing and life changing experience.

We wish them a very happy time.

Bags on sale and money bags from Milan!

Looking to take a Happy House bag on your travels for our Facebook contest Happy House Bags on Tour! they are now on sale in Lytham  thanks to Julie Essex at Aladdin'z Cave, 32 Clifton Street and also at Grace & Favour, Marsh Mill Village, Thornton, courtesy of the
lovely Caroline and her team.
If you live further afield you can get your bag online at  http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/reusable-cotton-shopping-beach-bag-children-of-watamu-happy-house-124656481.htm

And back at the Happy House, catching Mama before she left for the UK, Susan Gregorio found a great use for her bag, when she filled it with 50,0000 Ksh raised at Getfit,Via Vico, Milan, to deliver to Mama Sue.
Susanna said:  " We are happy to have collected some money to buy the household shopping in Happy House for two months.
" With so few visitors it is not easy at the moment.

But we feel positive ... and we can do it !"

Top left: Julia Essex at Aladdin'z Cave, Lytham, and her display, below left: Mama and Susanna, and, right, Emily Smith at Grace & Favour, Marsh Mill Village, Thornton.

Zawadi takes the junior blog spot

A weekly blog from one of our Happy House kids:

My name is Zawadi and my blog is about  about my best friend

My best friend is called Mercy Karisa

She lives at Happy House and her brother is called David.

My best friend, she always like to eat pilau .

I am  very happy to that my friend she had been position one in the zone of last exam and ,me also, I was number two

And me always like eating rice and beans because it is my best food

And always  have a lot of jokes with my best friend, Mercy

With yours faithfully.

Zawadi

Mama and Papa are all moved in

All moved in!
Mama and Papa are safe on UK soil and, after a long journey, looking forward to relaxing in their temporary home in Poulton.
Thanks to the kindness of others they have a lovely ground floor apartment, furnished and equipped, which will be their home while Mama undergoes treatment on her badly fractured leg.
She and Papa would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped in any way at all to bring together a home for them in the space of a week ... with a special mention for Steve Cushing (pictured, right, with helper Papa) who had his construction skills,  and his patience, tested in self-assembling a wardrobe!
Now she is here,  Mama can focus all her efforts on getting that leg better so  in no time, she will be back where she belongs, at the Happy House running around after her kids again.
* Mama and Papa are pictured with Jim MacKinnon , co-owner of Care Facility Management who provide cleaning and security at Freeport Fleetwood. 
Jim, along with Freeport manager John Magee and traders, pulled out all the stops to get furnish and equip Mama and Papa's flat. Jim was delighted to be there  delivering some donated goods when they arrived and presented then with an extra gift -  lovely basket of fruit.
Thank you Jim.

Sweet partings for Mama and Papa

Saying au revoir to their family before setting off for the UK was never going to be easy for Mama and Papa.But on a mission to get Mama's poorly leg fixed for good,  and to get her back on her feet as soon as possible, they need to leave their family for a while in the safe hands of Uncle Billy, Auntie Rose and their capable team.

And so to make it a happy parting, Mama made Kidz Club special  when were lollipops, biscuits and juice and lots of singing and smiles.

It is the smiles, which Mama and Papa will keep in their hearts, that will see them through this enforced separation until they are all back together once again.

 

Home run to Freeport and so many friends rally to help Mama and Papa

Libby with John Magee at Freeport

The big-hearted management and traders at Freeport Fleetwood Outlet Shopping Centre have rallied to the call to help equip a temporary UK home for our Mama Sue and Papa Dave.

Mama and Papa start their journey back from Kenya today, so that Mama can undergo urgent treatment on the leg she  fractured in five places at the end of May.

Finding, furnishing and equipping a home, in just over a week, has been a real challenge for Libby but, with enormous help from our friends, she's about there and ready for moving-in day tomorrow (Friday).

And the generous people at Freeport have come up with so many lovely new things to help make Sue and Dave comfortable  - from bedding to kitchen equipment, plus a few luxury extras like scented candle and toiletries.  Many of the items were donated by Pro Cook, Hallmark, Rectella and Room.

Centre manager John Magee, who is a friend of Libby's from her newspaper days, and who sponsors Danwata scholarship student Kennedy, pulled out all the stops when he heard about Mama and Papa's plight.

Traders on Freeport have donated items and Jim McKinnon, director of their cleaning and security contractor, Care Facilities Management, has also weighed in to help.

John said:"I am delighted that we could do something towards helping Sue and Dave feel at home during their stay here. It must be very difficult having to leave the amazing family they have created at the Happy House to come here for several months of medical treatment.

"They have made so many sacrifices  in the years leading up to, and since, opening the Happy House that I only wish I could do more for them.

"What they are giving to the children, who have come from desperate situations of poverty, neglect or abuse, is priceless. They are giving them hope. They have created a safe and loving home for 84 kids, now they, themselves, are uprooted. They deserve  a little comfort and a few new things around them."

Mama, Papa and Libby are so grateful to John and to the traders who have donated, and to Jim McKinnon for his help.

Special thanks also to the wonderful friend who helped to secure an apartment for Mama and Papa and to all those other friends who have helped furnish and equip it.

School report: Quiz, games and caterpillars!

This week's school report comes from Madam Naomi who writes:
 We have come to week ten of the term and everything is going on well as far as academic activities are concerned. 

We are involving our pupils in serious revision to prepare them for the end of term exam which is just around the corner.

We invited two of our neighbouring schools, Allegra and Silverstone, to come to Happy House for primary science quizzes from classes one to seven.

We were privileged to have Mama Sue join us and  to give a speech of congratulation to all the schools for their positive response to our invitation and also for participating. 

We felt proud of our pupils for taking part fully and enthusiastically and for managing to answer  difficult questions without any struggle.

In nursery our section, our KG1 pupils have been enjoying creative activities and have been making a caterpillar using recycled egg trays and paints with teacher, Madam Tanui and volunteer Aunty Coral.

This was inspired by the story the Very Hungry Caterpillar which they had read and enjoyed.

In sport, our pupils are doing very well as all the practice they have shows results. 

We had a volleyball match between teachers and pupils and this interaction  creates a really friendly school environment .

Pupils are also practicing playing the game of rugby with the help of teachers and their coach  Mr Steve and they are finding this game, which is new to them,  very enjoyable.

Packages bring love from Ireland

Earlier this year, we asked you not to send parcels because of the high cost of postage to you, and the import duty we are charged when they arrive.
It seemed more sensible to ask, instead, if you would donate for items needed instead and we would buy them locally unless, of course, it was something we couldn't get.
That was before the current crisis which has seen a huge drop in the number of people holidaying along the coast and which is having a huge impact on our local economy, which is entirely tourism dependent. 
We had been expecting so many visitors this summer, friends,some looking forward to meeting their sponsor children, volunteers and others who have found us  while researching the area.
All were planning to bring with them so many of the items we always need in the way of children's clothes, croc-type shoes, whiteboard markers, sanitary pads and teen bras for our girls, socks and so much more. 
It is difficult to know how we will manage without them and, of course, we are desperately sorry we will not be having their company too. We love having visitors.
Donna McNamara, her husband, Luke, and daughters,  were all set for a holiday at Turtle Bay, with some volunteering time at the Happy House, when an increased threat of terrorism, in some areas of Mombasa, led their tour operator, and others,  to stop flights and cancel holidays.
Donna and family, who are in the sponsor families of Stevie and Victoria, and had been so excited about meeting them and all the Happy House family whom they have grown to love.
Donna, who lives in Galway, had already brought so much to take for our kids, finding out first what was most needed, and very kindly packaged it up and posted it.
Her parcels arrived yesterday, on her birthday, and the contents will help replenish our storeroom which, with 84 children to dress, meets heavy demands and is beginning to look a bit depleted.
Donna sent some lovely things.
Uncle Billy says: "  Inside the parcels we found crocs, tops , leggings for girls as well as boys shorts and t shirts.

"Victoria and Steve will get something each, while we are glad to save the rest for Christmas. 

"We are truly thankful in these very hard financial times in our country and,more specifically, in the coastal strip."

Thank you Donna, we hope you had a perfect birthday and look forward to the time when we will get to meet you.

Our Happy House bags are on tour!

Have Happy House bag, will travel...

Our Happy House recycled cotton bags are just perfect for taking on trips, on your hols or to the beach.

So whether you are going on a day trip to Salford or an exotic holiday to a tropical paradise we'd like you to get a photograph of your bag (or you and your bag) in a fun or famous location and post it on our our Happy House Bags on Tour Facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/events/1512611962287809/.

If you are not going away, you can still enter by finding a fun place to snap your bag or maybe a famous, or favourite, person to snap it with!

The competition will close on September 1, 2014, when the picture judged to be the best will win a £20 Amazon voucher, which has been very kindly donated by a Happy House friend

To buy a bag £5 (plus 75p UK post and packaging) please go 

http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/reusable-cotton-shopping-beach-bag-children-of-watamu-happy-house-124656481.htm

Overseas orders can be taken but the postage costs are much higher.

On the Fylde Coast, bags are available from the lovely people at Grace&Favour, Marsh Mill, Thornton.

Many thanks to Susan Carr, the good fairy who is handling online orders, to Caroline Bramhall and all at Grace&Favour  and to everyone who has bought one and joined in already.

Special thanks to Steve Bridge who sparked the idea by sending us a picture of his bag taken in the shadow of Big Ben, taken on a business trip to London,

And remember every time you take your bag out with you are raising awareness of our wonderful family at the Happy House - these are bags for life that are helping to save young lives!

Look forward to seeing your pictures.

Being a Nigerian girl - by Margaret

Junior blogger today is Margaret who tells us about her part in the recent cultural show which was part of an inter-schools talent competition hosted by Happy House School. She writes:

 I hope you are fine and well. I just want to tell you about the talent show

I was in the cultural show and line dance. I was a Nigeria girl. I dressed and danced like a Nigeria girl. 

There was also line dance. I like line dance, we are very good in dancing and we wanted to show them that we can dance better. We also did hip and hop.

We are really enjoying doing line dance and cultural show. It is very fantastic. Also dancing were Giriama dance, Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, British, Swahili and  Nigeria. 

We  really had fun in doing them.

Margaret is pictured in her costume, ready to dance, with her little sister Neema watching from the wings!

                       

 

Lowden brings music to our ears

The dedicated and gifted people at George Lowden Guitars, who hand build beautiful and unique guitars, are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year -  and are making our Happy House a part of their special landmark.
They forming a partnership with the Happy House and as well as donating 50 per cent of profits from the sale of the anniversary t-shirts to our family, they will also meet all the costs of sponsorship for two of our Danwata Scholarship students.
The company, based in Northern Ireland, was founded by master luthier George Lowden who began building guitars in earnest in 1974 and its workshops have developed over the intervening years to the present team of 13 skilled craftsmen (including two of George's sons, Aaron and Daniel).
Lowden was introduced to the Happy House by world-renowned guitar player Jon Gomm, whose beloved guitar Wilma is a Lowden
 Jon's mum Elizabeth is our voluntary UK coordinator and Jon went out to visit the Happy House when she was there in February working alongside Mama Sue for a month.
Jon gave a guitar workshop to the kids and fired the enthusiasm of a group of youngsters with an introductory lesson.
We are thrilled to welcome Lowden to our family, and look forward to getting to know them all much better.
Thank you for your generosity in wanting to help take our work forward.
Heartfelt thanks
Mama, Papa and the family send their heartfelt thanks to everyone who has sent messages of  sympathy and love following the loss of five-week-old baby Patrick.
We are deeply touched by your kindness which means so much at this sad time.

Sadness as tragedy rocks our family

There are no words to describe the sorrow and shock our family is feeling as we bring you the tragic news of the death of the youngest member of our family, Patrick.
Patrick,  found abandoned in June, appeared to be doing so well after coming home from hospital two weeks ago and we had every reason to be optimistic about his future.
But life hangs by the most fragile of threads, and he died peacefully in his sleep. 
Patrick had been bathed, fed and settled in his cot to sleep between feeds.
On one of her regular checks, which are made throughout the evening and night, a duty auntie found him looking  just as though he was asleep, and perfect, but he had passed away.
For Mama, Papa, his 84 brothers and sisters and all our family, at the Happy House and beyond, this is a very sad time and  all the more tragic as it comes so soon after losing Athman.
We send  love to them all and special thoughts to Uncle Billy. Mama had named Patrick as a tribute to his late brother and  best "Buddy".
Baby Patrick, who was supported by us from the moment he was found  and throughout his time in hospital, and who has been loved by us all,  had been with us such a short time but will be deeply missed.
We have no idea where he came from, the circumstances of his birth, or the health of his mother. That he was found at all, abandoned in woodland,  was a miracle.
We thought we could work our Happy House magic to give him a lovely, happy, childhood. It is all we ever want to do for every child who comes to us.
In Kenya,  it is a stark fact of life that 93 babies die every single day.
To us, baby Patrick will never become statistic.
He will be loved, always, and his memory will be cherished.
God bless, baby boy.

Kidz Club celebrations

Birthday girls Rose Chai and Natasha Franco were the centre of attention when they stepped up to receive their birthday gifts at Kidz Club.

Mama presented Star of the Week award to Daniella for the most improved behaviour and to the Girls in Room One for tidiness and for presenting a poem on tidiness too!

Main picture: Top left: Natasha; top right: Daniella, bottom: Rose.  Right: Room One girls with Mama.