How Happy House changes lives

Rukia came to Happy House in 2010 when we were only just open. She had been used to living in extreme poverty being raised by her grandmother who struggle to bring in enough money to provide for her most basic needs. At Happy House Rukia has a lovely home with regular meals, a shared bedroom with her own bed, nice clothes and a wonderful education - first at our own primary school and now at the secondary school she attends. She has her sights set on being a journalist and is hopeful of achieving her ambition one day.

Busy keeping busy

Our children at Happy House had a busy half term. They spent their days both consolidating their learning plus having lots of fun activities. Here Jacinta is overseeing a schoolwork session which they all enjoyed,

Tomato growers

Two brothers are great little gardeners. Erick and Lucy have their own little plot in the Happy House grounds and their most recent crop is tomatoes. The boys have grown their plants from seed and now they are approaching the most exciting time, harvesting their crop. The fruits will go to the kitchen where they will be used in meals for our children. Well done Erick and Lucky.

Captains at the helm

Edward introduces the captains of two Happy House teams about to compete in a friendly football match.

Morphin leads one side whilst Saidi is the captain of the other.

Both boys have their sights on a win and do their best to fire up their players before the game gets underway

Keeping Happy House spruced up

In this video, Uncle Ibrahim is with Musyoka, Oscar and Brian re-painting the gate. The Happy House continues as Mama would have wished having overseen and inspired all the hard work, determination and love to make it a beautiful home for a wonderful family. So things have to be maintained and kept looking nice. This is only made possible with the support that we get from our lovely friends. Your help makes possible what seemed impossible.

Just swinging along

Kids at Happy House love the tyre swings we have on the adventure play area. So much so that over time the swings wear out and need replacing. That's what has happened now and as Harry tells us they are about to make new swings from old tyres.

A love of gardening

Happy house kid Oscar was one of the first children to join our family when we opened our children's home in 2010. 

By the time he was four years old he had already discovered an interest in gardening and, over the years, his interest has grown.

He likes to help out where he can and in this video he is in one of our mesh growing tunnels where Uncle Julius is rearing a crop of spinach for our kitchen to use.

Musyoka's "silent corner"

One of a family of 60 youngsters at Happy House, Musyoka has found a quiet corner where he can read and study. He retreats there after a long day at school just to carry on with his schoolwork or to read a story. Musyoka knows what it is like to live in poverty and is following the advice Mama Sue always gave her Happy House kids when she told them to work hard because education is the only route out of poverty.

Birthday treats

Meet the kids having apples, ice cream and juice treat. it was Charity’s birthday, so Brenda Groves, loved by our children as Auntyie Brenda sent a lovely donation and asked the kids to have a treat. Charity(pictured) chose what they will have and everybody was happy. It was also Morphin’s birthday ,so it was a party to the kids. Our visitors who came the day before heard about the birthdays and they promised to make cakes for both Morphin and Charity. Thank you friends for what you do, it really means a lot in the lives of these kids who once had no hope in life but of course with your support, the Happy House puts hope into their hearts.

Calling in at Happy House

Visitors taking a short holiday in Watamu from Mombasa were thrilled to meet our family at the Happy House. They booked for their stay at a villa on the same small complex that happens to be where Papa Dave lives. They had been talking to Papa who told them about the Happy House and promised call in. They very kindly made a donation that will go towards the food bill and we are so thankful for that.

Kidz Council

Mama Sue was always determined that children living in care should be able to have their say, and that their voices should be listened to. As a way of ensuring this happens she set up a Kidz Council which meets once a week to discuss any issues the children which to raise and to solve any problems. If the council is unable to take action or unsure of what course to take they could go to Mama and her team for advice.
Now, Mama is, sadly, no longer with us, they know that they will get good advice from Auntie Rose, Auntie Velma and Evans and Papa, of course!

Settling into secondary school

Moving on to secondary school is a big step in any young person's life. In the last video he made Oscar was telling us how he was looking forward to making the step into the next stage of his education. Now he has been there for a few weeks he is settling in well and wanted to update all our Happy House friends on his progress. He is grateful to his sponsors and all those who support our Happy House and for the opportunities it provides.

Welcoming our guests

Since the start of the pandemic, visitors to Happy House have been few and far between.

We love seeing old friends and making new ones, so we have missed them. 

They are always so generous too, making donations, bringing food and other essentials and clothing for our children, so it has added significantly to our costs.

 Papa and the children were delighted to welcome to some lovely guests who wanted to meet the family and look around the Happy House,  

Just a few few weeks before Mama Sue's death, Teresa and Mary from Watamu Women's Bank had been to see Mama Suet and having seen the good work that the Happy House does for the children said they would return.

It was a shock to them just like everybody else when they heard the news of Mama's passing, and they promised to visit the Happy House and bring something for the kids.  They were very pleased to see the kids happy and doing well. 

They brought with them four bales of flour,  a sack of rice and cooking oil.

Evans says " We are always happy to see new faces around and people are so kind to our family. it is nice to be nice and we really appreciate what people do for our big family. The kids sang for them a welcoming song and they were very pleased to meet the family."

A new member of our family

Today, we introduce you to the latest member of our Happy House family,  Peter.

Peter is 18 months old and was placed in the care of our loving family by the Children's Services Department who have deemed him to be in need of care and protection and as you know, Mama promised "there's always room for another."

Peter is a lovely little boy who had experienced hunger and neglect but, with the love of our caring children and staff, he's  now thriving and enjoying life as his one of his o big "sisters", Jacinta, tells us.

It costs £20 a month to sponsor a Happy House child and to help us to change a life forever. To find out more please email: elizabethgomm@childrenfwatamu.net

Being a room captain

Every bedroom at Happy House is shared by a group of children, with one as room captain. It's a role which comes with some responsibility and it's important that the captain has the respect of the youngsters he or she shares with. Here Tumaini tells us about the role of room captain and his own room captain Brian.

Missing international visitors

​

Since the pandemic began in March 2021, the Happy House family has be missing all the visitors they receive from the UK, Europe and other parts of the world.

As Watamu is a sought-after holiday destination, we would often get friends who sponsor children or support our charity visiting and we would get lots of visitors who heard about us whilst staying locally. 

As Erick tells us they miss seeing visitors and look forward to the time when Covid stops making international travel so difficult and fried can visit once again.

Looking after Papa

T​he Happy House family has wrapped a comfort blanket of love around their very special Papa Dave. 

Since the loss of his beloved Sue, Papa has found strength from being at Happy House with the family they established. 

Mama always knew that should anything happen to either of them, the other would be looked after by the family, staff and children. 

At the weekend, Steve and a team of boys valeted Papa's car ensuring it looked absolutely perfect. 

"We like Papa to ride in a clean car," said Steve.

Making space for the new

Harry and his Happy House friends have been busy inthe garden clearing their pumpkin patch. Now they have harvested the pumpkins, which will be used to make delicious soup, they need to clear and hoe the ground ready to plant a new crop of vegetables for the garden

Helping each other

Jacinta works hard at school and tries to be a role model for her younger brothers and sisters at Happy House. After spending time with them encouraging and motivating them with their school work, Jacinta was out on the playingfield with them when they sang a song especially for you.

Academic clinic

Following recent exams, Happy House teachers held an academic clinic where they could talk to youngsters about their results. Involving students fully , collectively and individually, is the pattern established by our founder Mama Sue and one that will continue following her recent and sudden death. She was a wonderful mentor to staff and students, and our teachers have seen how talking to youngsters about their strengths and identifying any problem areas that need working on, can really improve results and morale.

Computer suite with Mr Chris

Our Happy House computer whizz is Mr Christone. In this video he tells us how his journey into the world of information technology began when he was just a schoolboy and how it was all due to our late Mama Sue.

Looking after Mama's garden

Looking after Mama Sue's memorial garden is a labour of love for our children. They take great pleasure in gardening and also know how their much-loved Mama like everything at Happy House to be kept neat and tidy. Here Edward, Erick and Brian are tending her garden.

Will puts his feet first to raise £1461

​

Our loyal friend and supporter, Will Gordon, put himself to the test to raise money for Happy House.

Will chose to meet the challenge of a half-marathon, running 13.1 miles, raising £1461 in sponsorship from friends and family.

He travelled from his home in Yorkshire to the capital to join thousands of runners in the recent London Landmarks Half Marathon.

The course took in the sights of London, not that there was time, to take them in!

Will who, with his family, has visited Happy House a couple of times, has raised thousands of pounds over the years by taking on running challenges.

This time he exceeded his target by more than £400, thanks to all the people who sponsored his effort.

Will is saddened by the recent death of our founder Mama Sue who he said was "one of the most inspiring ladies I have ever met."

Will, we are so grateful to you. Your effort has given us all a lift and we would like to thank every one of  those people who supported you for their generosity.

Special thanks to you for putting your feet first for our family.

Oscar in the kitchen

​

The older Happy House kids love to help cook lunch at the weekends.

They organise themselves into a team and work well together in preparation and cooking.

Here Oscar is with the team preparing lunch last Saturday.

Exam time

Examinations always come at the start of every term at Happy House School. They give students and teachers a chance to assess strengths and identify any weaknesses that need extra working on. Here Mr Paul is with Class Eight, this academic year's Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam candidates as they sit their "wake-up" exam. The students are working hard determined to reach the final exams at the year end well prepared so they can do themselves proud and honour the memory of their always-encouraging Mama Sue.

Lucky is feeling happy

Happy House kid Lucky was feeling very happy on Saturday. And the reason for his smiles was the return of the Premier League. He and all the children were looking forward to being able to watch their favourite players and teams back in action on the pitch. And for Lucky, that Manchester City. Lucky is on the video with his friends who sing a song for you.

Kidz Club by Mama's Garden

Mama Sue loved her weekly Kidz Club at Happy House and so on Saturday they were joined by Papa as they met by Mama's Garden.

 The garden, beneath her office window, is where her ashes have been interred and it has been planted out with her name which should look lovely when in flower. 

It also has picture of Mama placed at its head. Papa says it is where Mama wanted her resting place to be, where she could see the children go out to school in the morning and where she could hear their laughter when they arrived home. 

The garden is bringing some comfort to Papa and the children as they come to terms with the loss of one they loved so dearly.

*If any of our friends would like to make a donation to Happy House in memory of our wonderful and inspiring Mama Sue they can do so through JustGiving on https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e

Welcome back Premier League

The kids at Happy House are delighted at the return of Premier League games this weekend. As Morphin says he understands that the players need a holiday and the kids would busy themselves with activities at school and home while they look forward to the Premiership games returning to their screen.

Another team, another kit!

With Happy House power clinching the final of the football tournament, Papa Dave was on hand to congratulate the rival teams.

He also had the pleasure of making sure they went home with a football strip for their team with their captains making the choice from those on offer.

It's nice to ensure that we can help kids living locally and entertain them to events like this. 

We couldn't do that without your love and support.

Mama Sue Memorial Fund

We have launched a memorial fund to honour our inspirational Mama Sue, founder of Children of Watamu and Happy House.

Since her sudden, and heartbreaking, passing we have received hundreds of wonderful and affectionate tributes to Sue.

They mean so much to her beloved husband, our Papa Dave, and to all the Happy House family.

Quite a number of people have asked about a memorial fund and we have, with Papa's blessing, decided to launch one.

The last year and half has been a struggle with fundraising pretty much at a standstill because of the pandemic so every penny donated will be a huge help.

We hope you may want to make a donation and that, maybe, some of the organisations that have fundraised for us in the past may want to hold a fundraising event in support of Happy House in memory of Mama Sue.

Whatever, every penny will make a difference to the lives of children.

* Some friends have already made donations and we are truly grateful to you.

You can make a donation either via our bank account (regular donors will have the details), or through Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ChildrenofWatamu or Justgiving

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e
Please mark your donation: Mama Sue Memorial Fund.

A prize for all

In Mama's true spirit of being caring and sharing our Happy House made sure that all the kids from the local community who took part in our football tournament went home with a prize. And that prize was a football strip so that in future games they will be able to turn out dressed as a team. We had enough kits in our store, all generously donated by our friends, to ensure that these youngsters could make their game better by turning out in their own strip. 

As Papa Dave says the kids seem to grow in stature when they put on a football strip and their performance is given a lift too.

MAMA SUE MEMORIAL FUND

We have launched a memorial fund to honour our inspirational Mama Sue, founder of Children of Watamu and Happy House.

Since her sudden, and heartbreaking, passing we have received hundreds of wonderful and affectionate tributes to Sue.

They mean so much to her beloved husband, our Papa Dave, and to all the Happy House family.

Quite a number of people have asked about a memorial fund and we have, with Papa's blessing, decided to launch one.

The last year and half has been a struggle with fundraising pretty much at a standstill because of the pandemic so every penny donated will be a huge help.

We hope you may want to make a donation and that, maybe, some of the organisations that have fundraised for us in the past may want to hold a fundraising event in support of Happy House in memory of Mama Sue.

Whatever, every penny will make a difference to the lives of children.

* Some friends have already made donations and we are truly grateful to you.

You can make a donation either via our bank account (regular donors will have the details), or through Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ChildrenofWatamu or Justgiving

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e
Please mark your donation: Mama Sue Memorial Fund.

Ready for the final

Happy House team went into the final of the football tournament with more goals than their rivals already in the bag. 

Here Evans is with our team as they get ready to exercise Happy House power!

​

​MAMA SUE MEMORIAL FUND

We have launched a memorial fund to honour our inspirational Mama Sue, founder of Children of Watamu and Happy House.

Since her sudden, and heartbreaking, passing two weeks ago we have received hundreds of wonderful and affectionate tributes to Sue.

They mean so much to her beloved husband, our Papa Dave, and to all the Happy House family.

Quite a number of people have asked about a memorial fund and we have, with Papa's blessing, decided to launch one.

The last year and half has been a struggle with fundraising pretty much at a standstill because of the pandemic so every penny donated will be a huge help.

We hope you may want to make a donation and that, maybe, some of the organisations that have fundraised for us in the past may want to hold a fundraising event in support of Happy House in memory of Mama Sue.

Whatever, every penny will make a difference to the lives of children.

* Some friends have already made donations and we are truly grateful to you.

You can make a donation either via our bank account (regular donors will have the details), or through Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ChildrenofWatamu or Justgiving

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e
Please mark your donation: Mama Sue Memorial Fund.

A prize for everyone

Our Happy House football tournament was a huge success and brought great joy to the youngsters taking part. 

None of the community teams taking part went home empty handed as our kids had sorted out a gift for each. This video features our Mwende

​

MAMA SUE MEMORIAL FUND

We have launched a memorial fund to honour our inspirational Mama Sue, founder of Children of Watamu and Happy House.

Since her sudden, and heartbreaking, passing two weeks ago we have received hundreds of wonderful and affectionate tributes to Sue.

They mean so much to her beloved husband, our Papa Dave, and to all the Happy House family.

Quite a number of people have asked about a memorial fund and we have, with Papa's blessing, decided to launch one.

The last year and half has been a struggle with fundraising pretty much at a standstill because of the pandemic so every penny donated will be a huge help.

We hope you may want to make a donation and that, maybe, some of the organisations that have fundraised for us in the past may want to hold a fundraising event in support of Happy House in memory of Mama Sue.

Whatever, every penny will make a difference to the lives of children.

* Some friends have already made donations and we are truly grateful to you.

You can make a donation either via our bank account (regular donors will have the details), or through Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ChildrenofWatamu or Justgiving

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e
Please mark your donation: Mama Sue Memorial Fund.

Happy House tournament

There was great excitement at the weekend when Happy House invited youngsters from local community football teams to play in a friendly tournament. Here Musyoka is at our sports stadium with our children waiting for their guests to arrive.

MAMA SUE MEMORIAL FUND

We have launched a memorial fund to honour our inspirational Mama Sue, founder of Children of Watamu and Happy House.

Since her sudden, and heartbreaking, passing two weeks ago we have received hundreds of wonderful and affectionate tributes to Sue.

They mean so much to her beloved husband, our Papa Dave, and to all the Happy House family.

Quite a number of people have asked about a memorial fund and we have, with Papa's blessing, decided to launch one.

The last year and half has been a struggle with fundraising pretty much at a standstill because of the pandemic so every penny donated will be a huge help.

We hope you may want to make a donation and that, maybe, some of the organisations that have fundraised for us in the past may want to hold a fundraising event in support of Happy House in memory of Mama Sue.

Whatever, every penny will make a difference to the lives of children.

* Some friends have already made donations and we are truly grateful to you.

You can make a donation either via our bank account (regular donors will have the details), or through Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ChildrenofWatamu or Justgiving

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e
Please mark your donation: Mama Sue Memorial Fund.

Starting a new school

Musyoka returned to Happy House recently because he was struggling at the school he was attending up in the north of Kenya where he had returned to live with his grandad. Mama Sue understood his problem and welcomed him back so that he would have a better chance of succeeding. Musyoka misses his Mama Sue who he says was a good mama to them all.

MAMA SUE MEMORIAL FUND

 We have launched a memorial fund to honour our inspirational Mama Sue, founder of Children of Watamu and Happy House.

Since her sudden, and heartbreaking, passing two weeks ago we have received hundreds of wonderful and affectionate tributes to Sue.

They mean so much to her beloved husband, our Papa Dave, and to all the Happy House family.

Quite a number of people have asked about a memorial fund and we have, with Papa's blessing, decided to launch one.

The last year and half has been a struggle with fundraising pretty much at a standstill because of the pandemic so every penny donated will be a huge help.

We hope you may want to make a donation and that, maybe, some of the organisations that have fundraised for us in the past may want to hold a fundraising event in support of Happy House in memory of Mama Sue.

Whatever, every penny will make a difference to the lives of children.

* Some friends have already made donations and we are truly grateful to you.

You can make a donation either via our bank account (regular donors will have the details), or through Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ChildrenofWatamu or Justgiving

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mamasuememorialfund?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=campaign&utm_content=mamasuememorialfund&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=03eed9a077c444819db66b6ee7bba25e
Please mark your donation: Mama Sue Memorial Fund.