Monday 22 September 2014

Safely home, two sisters join our family

With grandmum, Jacinta and Florence.
 Two little girls are finding love and care as they settle in to our family.
And they came home to a warm and loving welcome from all the family who gathered on the steps to greet them.
Our two new daughters, Jacinta, seven,  and Florence, six, are the two youngest children of a single mum of three - their older brother Derrick is in our school as one of our Dr Danwata Scholarship students
 Their family  was happily living upcountry until the onset of the ethnic clashes that destabilized the country in 2007/08.
The aftermath saw them separated and after an agonizing period of uncertainties, the children were reunited with their mother in one of the Internally Displaced Persons camps.
 Sadly, their father who was their sole breadwinner wasn't there and has never been in contact.
.Since their house and belongings had been burned to the ground, their mum sought to bring the kids back to the coast where she hails from.
Florence (left) and Jacinta
Her own mother, the children's grandmother, had no choice but  shoulder the responsibility  for the group despite the many odds stacked against her.
She lives in a mud and wattle house with six grandchildren of diverse ages
A home visit, identified the two little girls as being vulnerable and in need of care and protection and they have joined our family.
Derrick, who came to our school through the help of a community volunteer and was enrolled in the Dr Danwata Scholarship scheme early this year, went to Uncle Billy's office to ask him to thank Mama for making his sisters a part of our family.
"Knowing the girls would be safe was also huge relief to their grandmother who cried tears of relief. It was an emotional parting but with the consolation of the close distance of the the Happy House," said Uncle Billy.
The two little sisters have their school uniforms and start their first full week in class today.
It costs £20 a month to sponsor a Happy House child. If you would like sponsor Jacinta or Florence please email elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net