Festive fair in Doncaster

There's a Christmas bonus for the Happy House family thanks to Entry Level Childcare students at Doncaster College, Yorkshire.
They held a festive fair for staff and fellow-students at the college and raised  115 pounds to help our children.
The students are in the sponsor family of our beautiful ittle boy, David, and their tutor, Lesley Pidcock and her family sponsor Janet and Natasha.
Lesley, her husband Alan and their daughter Kathryn visited the Happy house while they were on holiday in Watamu in 2010 and have since become good friends and great ambassadors for our charity

Thank you Lesley, her students and to all who supported their latest venture.
Happy Christmas to you all from all our family.

A different kind of Christmas ..

Sisters Jane and Zawadi

Our Happy House children have joined our family for very many reasons. 
Some do have family members, beyond the Happy House and , when it is in achild's interests, contact with relatives is maintained and encouraged.
It is important that they know who they are, where they have come from, and that they are loved by grandparents, aunties, and in some cases a parent.

A wave from Karembo, John and Sifa 

Because a relative cannot provide for the daily needs of a child, 365 days a year, it doesn't mean that they don't care. They are victims of circumstance in a country where abject poverty is commonplace.
If there is no breadwinner in a family, there is no bread to eat. 
Uncle Billy, our very caring and highly skilled social worker,  keeps in touch with relatives and , in school holidays, arranges ''home'' visits.
He checks out all the details to ensure that each child will be well cared for and that there will be enough for them to eat.
The Happy House is home to our kids, but they still want and look forward to going to stay with relatives, albeit in a world that is very different from the one they are now used to.

A gift from Margaret

For the first time a number of our children have gone to visit relatives for Christmas, after asking Mama Sue if they could. Of course, she agreed, knowing and trusting Uncle Billy's assessment of each individual case.
Uncle Billy takes up the story:  ''The kids were requesting to spend Christmas in their various homes and to come back on new year's day. This was brought up at the meeting we always do prior to home visits and I thought they have a point.
They were all so excited after Mama's nod on Skype since they went straight 
to wash their bags which were nice and packed by the next morning! 
Christmas is a special time in the villages where lots of family 
get-togethers are planned with people having enough to eat and  to make 
merry.
I feel it is a  good for us to allow them to spend Christmas with their 
folks at home having had three distinct Christmas parties in the Happy 
House with us all.  I am sure they will  have loads to share about Santa  and his 
goody bags not forgetting the elves!
The home-visits have been emphasized in the children's  services meetings whereby 
those who can't be signed out by blood relations can be taken home by 
willing and able staff members since they play a great custodial role as 
immediate family members

This gives those children an opportunity to see functional smaller/ nuclear families with the varying roles of each party.
In the meantime,those who can't leave as yet are well prepared psychologically since they have appreciated the fact that life doesn't always turn out the same to each of us at the same time. 
Moreover they know that we love and care and are a real family in spite of the odds.''

There was great excitement when relatives arrived to collect the children  who, as Uncle Billy said, were all packed and ready to go.

As you can see they were dressed in their best clothes and so were the relatives who came to collect them.

With only 31 children left at the Happy House it's much quieter, but Uncle Billy and the family team will make sure that they have a fun time and that spirits are kept running high until everyone is back safe and sound with stories to tell..

Maria's Fab Friends

Everyone at the Happy House knows that we have some really fabulous friends.
But our Maria has more than most, the Fab Friends Network,  a  personal development community of business women,  are members of her sponsor family.
They recently raised  145 pounds with a meal at an Indian restaurant in High Wycombe, organised by member Charlotte Sharman (pictured right)..
Charlotte said the evnt was attended by 12 members who had a happy time raising money for Maria and her Happy House brothers and sisters.
Thank you to Charlotte and all those who attended for thinking of us.
We think you are absolutely fabulous!

Class act at St Aidan's

Just look how many friends our Linus has at St Aidan's School, Preesall, Lancashire!

Mrs Joanne Rossall's form K7 are members of his sponsor family and they take a great interest in everything he and his Happy House brothers and sisters get up to.

So it was very exciting for them to meet his Mama Sue when she and Elizabeth went along to a form assembly yesterday when K7 were joined by students from other forms who were interested in knowing more.

Mrs Rossall and her class have been holding events throughout the year to raise money for us and on Thursday, a non-uniform day, will have a cake sale for Happy House funds.

It's a good thing Linus, three, isn't around ... he loves cake and there wouldn't be much left to sell.

Thank you to St Aidan's for inviting us along and for all you do.

*Mrs Rossall, Mama Sue and Elizabeth are pictured with some of the students, and (right) some of the students who are helping to to raise awareness of what we do.

Team Papa!

Anyone who knows our Papa Dave  will know that within five minutes of meeting him he'll be talking football.
As he drives through Watamu, local lads will shout results at him, and to them he is Mr Leeds United!
Football is a universal language and it breaks down many barriers, Papa loves his sport and uses it to make friends and to encourage our own Happy House girls and boys to achieve their own goals in life, on or off the pitch.
Papa has been supporting Leeds all his life, so he was thrilled to bits when Vicky Simpson and Shaun Windram sent Leeds Utd kits for their sponsor kids,identical twins Peter (right) and Paul this Christmas.
And he was proud to pose for a picture with his own junior Leeds Supporters' Club.
Thank you Vicky and Shaun for your kindness to your special little boys and also for making our Papa a very happy man!

Helping the aunties

Lucinda, who is 16 this week, takes over the blog today. 

As you will find out she is a very helpful girl to have around.

Lucinda writes: '' It is  now our  chool holidays. 

This morning I was helping aunts to  wash the clothes.

I am good at washing.

Then I helped to put the cloths out to dry.

I  was  helping also to  carry  the  babies to  the banda for Aunt Rehema.''

Cheerful new look

Just look how our housemums and aunties look in their new uniforms.

Mama chose the material while she was back home after seeing how worn and tired the old uniforms were after two years of constant wear.

Now every member of staff has two sets of new uniform. 

The house mums and aunties request trousers instead of skirts which are much more practical and the material is so smart and cheerful, and the kids just love the animal print.

The new uniforms were made by local man Sifa who also makes all our school uniforms.

Coming up: Don't forget tomorrow is the day the kids take over the blog and this week we have a story for you by Lucinda.
She is a very kind  ''big sister' to the younger children.