What excitement there was at Happy House when a delivery of 30 new computers arrived ready to be installed in computer suite now being constructed at our school. They are being stored securely until the building is completed and they can be put in place. We are hugely indebted to Amanda and Mark Barron for their belief in the work being done at Happy House by Mama Sue and Papa Dave and for their investment in the future of our children. We know that it will bring dividends when our computer- literate kids finish their education at Happy House are ready to go out into the world of further education or into the workplace. Ts
In today's video, Mama Sue appeals to you to make one of her children a part of your family. At Happy House children's home we have six youngsters who have no known family of their own. They are our Happy House Haywards, Harry, Brian, David, Esther, Elizabeth Anne and Emmanuel take Hayward as their surname as Mama Sue and Papa Dave are the only Mama and Papa they will ever know. So building families of sponsors for these children is so important. Every sponsor is special and adds something new and different to their lives - just as relatives do in every family. No two aunties, grandads, cousins etc are the same. So Mama is asking if, this Christmas, you will consider the gift of sponsorship to one of your friends or relative - and add a little Hayward to their lives. To find out more please email: elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net
Mama and Papa and the Happy House family were delighted to welcome four researchers from Italy and Poland. They are in Kenya doing research on socio-cultural issues affecting people and communities, They are attached to Pwani University in Kilifi and when they requested to visit a children’s home , they were referred to Happy House. They wanted to know about the history of Happy House, how we normally admit children, exit plans of the children, type of cases we have at the home, cultural practices of the people surrounding us that lead to their having children in an institution like ours. In short they wanted to know what we do here at home and for the entire community. Papa took them around the home and school and they were really impressed with our work. They gave our kids some toys and school materials and promised to send more when they get back to their home countries. Dr. Aleksandra Lukaszewicz (wearing striped dress) is main coordinator at Academy of Art in Szezeein/Poland and Professor Flavia Stara of University of Macerata/Italy were two of our guests.
It really was snakes alive when our kids went to visit the local snake farm. Bio-Ken Snake Farm in Watamu is a research centre, which deals with reptiles, especially snakes and snake-bites. It houses the largest collection of snakes in East Africa. Mama Sue and our children heard there are about 127 different snake species in Kenya most of which are non-venomous. Of the remainder, 18 have caused human fatalities and only another six could be fatal to humans; and 10 would cause severe pain. The snake farm also deals with identification and treatment of snake bites. It was a fascinating and educational trip for the kids who were given a guided tour and even got to handle some of the snakes.
Exciting times at Happy House School as our new computer suite continues to grow. Thatching tiles made of makuti, an important cottage industry providing income for many local families, are being bought for the roof which will be construct by skilled local craftsmen. This build is not only going to enhance the lives of our students and staff but is, right now, providing work for many people and, in turn, feeding their families and helping to ensure their children have an education. The Happy House ripple effect spreads to touch many more than those we help directly in our children's home and school.
Evans who introduces us to our laboratory at Happy House School was one of the first needy children to find a home at Happy House when it opened in 2010 He arrived with his older sister, Janet, and young brother, Oscar. The youngsters were in need of a home because, after the death of their father, their mother was struggling and unable to keep her family together. These three youngsters had been staying with an aunt who looked after them the best she could, but she too was struggling and they came into our safe care. They settled in straight away, loved school and worked hard. Evans now lives back with his aunt and cousins but is supported by Happy House - he is educated in our school, is a valued member of our family and, because of all the good work he has seen being done at Happy House, has his sights set on becoming a social worker. He loves school, values his education, and is very keen on science. Having a lab, as we do, thanks to Blackpool Soroptimist International, takes the subject to another level.
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Our wonderful new computer suite at Happy House School is growing by the day.In this video, filmed on site of the build, Mama Sue is with our builder Carlos and and electrician Jay. With the single-storey construction now at roof level, Jay is digging out channels for the conduit. The timber has been bought in for the windows and doors and the makuti for the roof is being made. It is so exciting to see the rapid progress of latest development on our Happy House School site - what a difference it will make to so many young lives.
There was dancing and singing on the streets of Watamu Happy House School celebrated a 100% pass in the recent Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examinations. Every one of our Year 8 students passed with flying colours - maintaining our 100% pass rate for the fourth year in succession. We are right up at the top of the sub-county league table and to broadcast or success Mama Sue, Papa Dave, students and staff took to the streets. Well done everyone. Hard work brings success!
Every school holidays at Happy House , our social worker Uncle Ronald does a health and weight check of all our children. With two able assistants, Janet and Rukia, Uncle Ronald soon managed to get all the kids weighed and measured/ Afterwards, all the information was added to the growth chart in his office, so that she can keep a track of how each child is developing.
Our new computer suite at Happy House School is growing apace. On Day 7 it is up to window level as Mama Sue reports from the site. Builders are working flat out to bring together the structure. The computer suite will be a huge asset for our students and staff and we are so grateful to Amanda and Mark Barron for making it possible.
Today Happy House kid, Rukia, introduces us to her best friend Emalyne. Rukia talk about the special qualities that make Emalyne such a good friend and about how, as friends should, they always try to help each other - through good times and bad.
There was a surprise for Stephano and his roomies at this week's Kidz Club. Mama Sue read through the results of the Room of the week Award, an initiative to encourage the children to keep their bedrooms nice and neat. Starting with the lowest marks first Mama went through each room and was delighted to announce that the prize would go to room captain Stephano's room There was much joy from the boys he shares with.
With a new computer suite under construction at Happy House School, Mama Sue, explains how our existing computer room is being re-purposed. It will become a staff room for our teachers where each teacher will have their own computer to work on enabling them to source and download information needed for lessons, to to store exam and results and so much more. The teachers are delighted to be getting a staff room and to have their own computers is beyond a dream. Working at Happy House School is being a part of a dynamic and forward thinking organisation that provides an excellent learning environment for its students and its staff.
Mama Sue reports on the progress of the build at Happy House School which will provide a state of the art computer suite for our students and staff.
The build is made possible by a donation from UK couple, Mark and Amanda Barron, who share in our belief that all children, regardless of background, have a right to to be educated to the highest standard. Not only is build looking ahead to a future when our children will go out into the world of work, equipped with computer skills to give them a headstart, it is helping the local community now. Building in Kenya is labour intensive and for each person working on the site it is a family with food on the table.
All things must come to an end, and it was with sadness that our Happy House family bid farewell to our friends Louise and Garry Webster and their daughters Grace and Alice, Their two weeks in Watamu seemed to fly by, and Mama, Papa and the family wanted to give them a rousing send-off as they headed back home to Yorkshire. Louise is a wonderful support as she send our profiles of children to their sponsors, a job she has been doing now right since the Happy House opened. Although we say goodbye, we know they will always return - we just hope we won't have to wait too long!
Mama Sue and our kids say a special thank you to Phoebe, nine, and Olivia, 13, Barron for giving their pocket money to help build a new computer suite for our children in Happy House School. Their mum and dad, Amanda and Mark, have made a generous donation to donation to finance the project and are appealing to their family and friends to help. Little did they know, their wonderful daughters would be first in line - turning their backs on treats to give our kids a better start in life.
A super new computer suite is under construction at Happy House School - thanks to the kindness of a generous British couple. Amanda and Mark Barron, who live with their two daughters, Phoebe and Olivia, in Buckinghamshire, have made a donation to build and equip the suite and Amanda has set up a JustGiving page in the hope that their friends and family will also donate to ensure Happy House has a computer suite that is second to none.. There will be a separate computer port for each student, complete with desk, chair and computer. They will have room to work and learn, using the latest technology. This will give our children a head start in the world of work where computer technology is key. Amanda, who has been sponsoring a child and supporting our charity since hearing about it from her friend, Louisa, some years ago, said: "I love being involved with a charity the size of Happy House because I know exactly how my money is being spent. " I know that large charities can bring in huge funds and have to spend a lot of that money on advertising and admin but the smaller charity like this one can put every penny towards a child who needs shelter, food, education and most importantly love and security. Sue has created a loving home for children who through no fault of their own have suffered from extreme poverty, neglect, or abandonment. "Thanks to the Happy House, these kids can break the cycle of poverty through education and give back to their villages for the next generation to thrive. As my friends and family know, I talk a lot about the work the Happy House is doing. I share posts and blogs written by or about the children there. " I’ve been talking to Sue about what is needed and how we could be more involved. We came to the decision that the children’s education would benefit immensely from an up to date computer suite. "We have just moved back to the UK from Silicon Valley in California where our own children were being taught in a very technology focused way. It opened their (and our) eyes to a future that is more and more being changed by innovators and engineers making self driving cars, innovative ways to deliver medicine, shipping and distribution software, bio farming ideas to reduce chemicals, and so much more. "It would be wrong if this same education was not delivered worldwide so each country can compete and thrive. The wealth divide is much too large and through education we can even the playing field. "I started the JustGiving page (http://www.justgiving.com/Happyhouseschoolextension) to hopefully get some of my friends and family to donate to this very worthwhile project . Amanda, Mark and Phoebe and Olivia are excited to be visiting Watamu next year :"We are so thrilled that we get to visit the Happy House next in summer. "I have been wanting to make the trip for many years to meet Sue, Dave, the children and others who are a part of the Happy House family. "By then our daughters will be 14 and 10 and perfect ages to really get a broader picture of the world and it will hopefully encourage their future careers or passions to be global in their thinking. "We are also trying to persuade some of our friends to join us on this exciting trip. Both to introduce them to the Happy house but also join us on safari and to see the beauty of Kenya. "It will be wonderful to see the computer suite completed when we visit. "I know the new computers will prove a very useful tool for the kids in all stages of their school career. I hope the children enjoy using them in their lessons and that it gives them a window to the rest of the world whenever they’d like it. Amanda was born in Calgary Canada but says she was never a great fan of being cold! "I have 2 brothers and my parents have always been very loving and supportive and never tried to stop me when I went travelling on my own to Australia for a year. "I then moved to England - where my dad is originally from - and after a few years of working in Human Resources, worked in HR at Taylor Wessing where I met Mark. We married in 2003,
"Mark was born in London and went to school throughout the UK as his dad was a C of E vicar that took him to posts in inner cities.
"Raised in a very loving home, Mark did well in school. He went to Manchester University and then travelled around the world for five years teaching English as a foreign language.
"He came back to the UK and went to law school. He has been practicing as a Corporate Technology lawyer at the same firm, Taylor Wessing, for the last 20 years.
"Olivia was born is August 2005 (in London) then in 2007 we moved to Bath. Phoebe was born in February 2009.
" I ran a small party business until we moved to California for a 4 year contract with Mark’s firm. We are now back in the UK - for good I think! "
We are so very grateful to Mark and Amanda Barron for making this computer suite possible and for their faith in and support for the work being done by Mama Sue and our charity in Watamu. They are investing the the future of our children and giving them the opportunity go on to help change their community and their country. Thank you.
Happy House kid Oscar introduces you to our library at Happy house School where our kids have books, dvds and much more to choose from. It's a vital resource and thanks to the donation of a computerised Junior Librarian System we know exactly who has what at any given time.
Dancing comes naturally to our kids who all seem to born with a natural sense of rhythm. And ever since Auntie DawnHeather introduced the art of belly dancing to our girls in 2015, successive youngsters have followed in their footsteps. The coin belts Auntie DawnHeather donated came our for our recent Happy House school closing day ceremony, when some of our girls delighted parens and guests with the creativity of their dance skills. This was one of several dancing display including kidogo dancers led by Happy House kid, John. Headteacher Mr Isaac was not left out and called on to do his own signature moves!
Auntie Rose is Mama's right hand woman. Rose, who was just a young girl when she started working with Mama, is now a very capable and organised administrator. She is now responsible for accounts at Happy House, as she and Mama explain. She is extremely efficient knowing just how things should be done. As we grow, the job becomes ever more demanding and Mama was keen to ensure that Rose had all the training and knowledge needed to be able to take on some of her workload.
There was a heartfelt thank you from Mama Sue to Louise Webster, who sends out profiles of our children to sponsors. Louise, her husband Garry, and daughters Alice and Grace are back in Watamu to visit Happy House and to have a holiday. The family, from Yorkshire, are great friends and it's always lovely to see them again. Louise started sponsoring while the Happy House was being built, as Mama explains, and as soon as the kids started arriving became sponsor to Oscar. Then a tot, he is now 11 and growing fast! Louise, Garry, Grace and Alice are enjoying catching up with the Oscar, his brother Evans and sister, Janet, and with all our kids and staff too. They were also interested to find out, as were the rest of the family, who would win the Room of the Week Award. This week it was room captain Natasha's room that got top marks. They were the first team to win when Mama introduced the competition incentive but the clock they won disappeared, just as Mama said it would, when the girls slipped right back. Now they have it back and intend to hang on to it this time!
A total of 130 desks and chairs are in production in our Happy House joinery workshop, ready for the start of the new school year. Our first intake of secondary pupils will be entering their final year in 2010 and that means we will be opening Class Four to accommodate them. It's essential that we have desks (referred to as lockers in our video) and chairs ready for them. We are also expecting an influx of new students to our primary section, Parents who can afford to pay school fees are making Happy House their first choice because of the all-round and exceptional education it provides. Our school provides a level playing field on which children, regardless of background, learn together and benefit from an education that is second to none. It is run on a totally not-for-profit basis. If you would like to make a donation to help towards the costs of the new furniture you can do by going to https://www.justgiving.com/childrenofwatamu/Donate
Louise and Garry Webster have been supporting Happy House ever since they first heard about it from Sue and Dave. Even though it was still being built, they started paying a monthly sponsorship to help finish and furnish the building, knowing they would be allocated a sponsor a child as soon as the kids started coming. And so when Oscar arrived in 2010, just weeks after the Happy House was completed, they were the first in his sponsor family sponsor family, and it just so happens he shares the same birth date as their own daughter, Alice. They have visited Watamu many times, and so it is a huge pleasure to welcome them back now. On Saturday, they were treated to a proper Happy House homecoming. Papa Dave drove Louise and Garry and daughters Grace and Alice from their hotel to the Happy House where Mama and the family were gathered to greet them. The kids put on a show which ended with apple bobbing and dancing and a lovely time was had by all. Our special thanks to Louise who, despite a full-time job and a family, works so hard to send out profiles to sponsors. She's a key member of our team and we love her. https://youtu.be/92-EwQpUPks
Students at Happy House School performed poems in both Swahili and English at the end of year Closing Day ceremony. Class 7 were first with verses in Swahili which paved the way for a poem in English Happy House My Love. Lastly there was a poem by Class 6 on the theme of education.
One of our older girls, Rukia, presents today's blog. The school year ended last week, and the kids are now on holiday until January which means they have loads of time to fill. The Government has outlawed tuition by teachers in the holidays, so our children will be having some fun based learning activities at home to help consolidate and build on some of what they have already been taught. The emphasis will be on fun and relaxation, but it's also important to build life skills in our children and the holidays are a chance to do that. Everyone enjoys themselves and the older kids act as mentors to the little ones.
We had one birthday to celebrate this week for a very important little boy. Emmanuel is turning two years old and Mama had much pleasure in presenting him with his birthday gift bag, They peeped inside and Mama pulled out a lovely red bus which we know will bring Emmanuel hours of fun. This week the best room was awarded to the girls room captained by Rukia.
Our young acrobats put on an enthralling show at the end of year Closing Day ceremony at Happy House School. Athletic, agile and super-confident, the well-rehearsed kids kept their audience on the edge of their seats as they performed some daring stunts with great skill.
The acrobats, from across the the age range, are an illustration of team work at its best.
Mama and Papa and the Happy House family were delighted to welcome four researchers from Italy and Poland.
They wanted to know about the history of Happy House, how we normally admit children, exit plans of the children, type of cases we have at the home, cultural practices of the people surrounding us that lead to their having children in an institution like ours.
Mama Sue and our kids say a special thank you to Phoebe, nine, and Olivia, 13, Barron for giving their pocket money to help build a new computer suite for our children in Happy House School.
" I know that large charities can bring in huge funds and have to spend a lot of that money on advertising and admin but the smaller charity like this one can put every penny towards a child who needs shelter, food, education and most importantly love and security. Sue has created a loving home for children who through no fault of their own have suffered from extreme poverty, neglect, or abandonment. 
"By then our daughters will be 14 and 10 and perfect ages to really get a broader picture of the world and it will hopefully encourage their future careers or passions to be global in their thinking. 
The family, from Yorkshire, are great friends and it's always lovely to see them again.
Louise, Garry, Grace and Alice are enjoying catching up with the Oscar, his brother Evans and sister, Janet, and with all our kids and staff too.
Even though it was still being built, they started paying a monthly sponsorship to help finish and furnish the building, knowing they would be allocated a sponsor a child as soon as the kids started coming.
On Saturday, they were treated to a proper Happy House homecoming. Papa Dave drove Louise and Garry and daughters Grace and Alice from their hotel to the Happy House where Mama and the family were gathered to greet them.
We had one birthday to celebrate this week for a very important little boy.
Emmanuel is turning two years old and Mama had much pleasure in presenting him with his birthday gift bag,
