School Report: Working toward end of term goal

Teacher Naomi brings us the latest news from Happy House school.
 With the mid-term exams over and marked our pupils are now working hard towards doing well in the end of term examinations.

These results are important as they decide on whether a student should be promoted to the next class.

Our candidates for the national Kenya Certificate of Primary Education are focussed on doing well, they are revising all subjects with the help and guidance of their teachers,

In sport we had netball competition between boys and girls, the boys won 7-6.

We are privileged to have a volunteer Eva Huguenin Elie, from Switzerland, who is assisting in teaching French language.

Pupils are really enjoying lesson with her.
A secondary school is vital to the future of all the children at Happy House now, and to those who will come into our care in the future.
Our build is progressing well, but we still need to raise money to finish, furnish, resource and to staff it in time for opening in January.
You are all being so kind. Please if you can make a donation, even a pound or two will go a long way, we would be so grateful.
And please tell your friends about the life changing work we are doing with young people who, without us, would have had no chance in life.
Donations can be made online at http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/childrenofwatamu/brightfuture or cheques, made payable to Happy House, can be sent to Elizabeth Gomm, UK voluntary organiser and trustee, Children of Watamu, 6 Burwood drive, Blackpool, FY3 8NS.  
Thank you.

In the saddle and Santa helper contest

 It's a easy a riding a bike ... 
But not until you have learnt to cycle and it takes time and patience.
Teacher Mr Mdachi has been showing some of our children how it's done and once they have found their balance and confidence they are off.
Thank you to Kezia and Hassan for taking the pictures.

Get switched on with Santa

The search is on for one  lucky young lady or gent to stand with Santa  and switch on the festive lights at Marsh Mill Shopping Village Christmas Market, Thornton, Lancashire, on Sunday, November 29.
Children are being asked to paint, colour or fabric a picture and tell in more than 50 words (with help from a grown up if needed) why they would want to switch on the Christmas lights.
Entries are £1 each  with all proceeds coming to our Happy House to help finish, furnish and open our secondary school.
They can be dropped off or posted, clearly named and with a contact number, to Grace & Favour, 17 Marsh Mill Shopping Village, off Fleetwood Road, Thornton Cleveleys, FY5 4JZ.  A winner will be drawn on Saturday November 14.

Bag yourself a bag for life

From this week, shoppers in UK stores will (in most cases) be charged 5p for a carrier bag.
 So maybe now is the time to treat yourself, or a friend, to a Happy House recycled cotton bag for life.
They are £5 (plus £1 p&p within UK) with all proceeds going directly to  Happy House - contents NOT included!!!
 Contact: elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net

Happy feet

 Mr Bata could do with a bigger measure!
When our kids need new footwear the shoe shop man comes to us, it's so much easier than transporting the kids to his shop, and he brings his measure so that everyone will be sized properly.
Franco, one of our scholarship students, is fast on the way to outgrowing the measure with his more than man-sized feet!
Ten scholarship students are in need of sports shoes, whilst 23 of our own little ones need black rubber PE pumps on this latest order.
Kids do have a habit of growing (and fast), and shoes which are outgrown but still wearable will be handed down, with only items that are beyond repair being thrown away.

News from our family by Francis and Musyoka

A blog about the leaving of our friend 

It was on Tuesday evening when we all Happy House kids had to say goodbye to our loving friend Aunty Libby she had come to Kenya only for four weeks.
We all Happy House kids decided to make her a cake and also we gave her a trophy for her to remember us.
Itwas hard for us to let go just like that because she has just been like our mother and she has done a lot to make this family. 
She is also our Mama's best friend, she has been with her in happy days and in sad days. She as been the true friend, she has never done anything that will harm mama and she has been the kindest person I have seen in Kenya.

And we will miss her so much. We all hope that she will come back soon

Lots of love from Musyoka, 12.

The football matches 

It was on a cool Friday morning when the sun raised again in grace.

Everyone was overjoyed. We had all waited for the day to come. When it reached at 2.30pm, we all went at the Happy House where we learned before we moved to our new school

Without a wastage of time, the visiting school came inside the gate.

They were all welcomed and went straight to the stadium.

The match started and the girls played.

The number of the girls were 11.

The game continued and at last, the Happy House girls scored one goal.

The game ended and the boys got in to play.

The Happy House boys scored four goals.

The game was very interesting.

Thank you from Francis, 10.

A thought for today

If you are feeling generous this weekend £20 would pay for a desk for our  secondary school. £15 would buy a chair, £5 would help towards a text book. 

These items will help us to change the lives of young people for whom, without us, there would be no education at all. 

To donate please go to http://campaign.justgiving.com/…/childrenofwat…/brightfuture 
The young people pictured will be among the first to go into our secondary school from primary school. They are young men who had been denied schooling because of poverty. Now they have a real possibility of achieving their career ambitions to be doctors, engineers, lawyers etc.

A lesson in blogging and birthday kids

Anyone who reads the blog regularly will know that Sunday is the day our kids take over, writes Auntie Libby.
 So while i was at the Happy House working alongside Mama Sue and her team, I was delighted to be asked to run a workshop on blogging for some of our aspiring young writers.
It was a lovely session when we talked about the essentials for making a blog interesting - if you aren't interested in your subject, don't expect anyone else to be!

With Victoria and Francis

We talked about how to write a story, the essential requirements, and much more.
I was also able to tell them a bit about what it is like to be a reporter and , I hope, may have sparked an interest in finding out more about journalism as a career.
They were a great bunch of kids and teachers Mr Omoi and Madam Nellie were enthusiastic too,
I now look forward to receiving the kids blogs and sharing them with you,
Taking part were: Victoria, Francis, Selina, Musyoka, Rose Chai, Rukia,  Brian Isiaho, David Karisa and Derrick

Birthdays of the week

There were two birthdays to celebrate at Kidz Club this week, when everyone joined in congratulations and celebrations.

Teachers were asked to present gifts to Saumu Safari (left) and Neema Kanze,

Happy birthday kids!

Happy talk

 There was a very warm welcome for Elizabeth Gomm when she went to give a talk about our wonderful Mama Sue, Papa Dave and the Happy House family yesterday.
The ladies fellowship at Cleveleys Park Methodist Church, Cleveleys, were both enthralled and inspired by the story that led Sue to the Happy House.
They were delighted to see how many young lives are being changed for the better and to hear about of plans to open the secondary school in January.
They said a special prayer for Mama, Papa and all the family when they closed the meeting.
The afternoon also raised donations of £48.59 which will be going to out Building a Bright Future Appeal to finish, furnish, resource and staff the secondary school - taking it to over £12,000.
Many thanks to all the ladies for being so kind, for their prayers,  and for their interest in our family, and a special mention for Michael for his help in setting up.
If you can help by supporting our school build, a donation of £20 would pay for a desk, £15  would buy materials to make a chair. Desks and chairs will all be made, from locally sourced materials, at the Happy House by our joiner Charo.
Charo's  sample desk (right)  passed Uncle Billy's test with flying colours.
To donate please go to http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/childrenofwatamu/brightfuture

Bats and bugs

With buildings as big as our Happy House and schools  keeping up with general maintenance is an uphill task.

But sometimes nature throws and extra spanner in the works.

We have to spray all the timbers regularly with insecticide to keep burrowing bugs at bay.

And now at school we encountered an extra problem when bats decided to move in and roost in the roof above class six.The fruit bats have now been encouraged to go elsewhere and our "Mr Makuti", the roofer, has put in nets to act as a deterrent and to make sure they don't return!

Our school, their bright future

Please can you make a donation or organise a fundraising event to help us to finish building our secondary school and to  put, and keep, more children from backgrounds of poverty and despair a bright future? To make a donation go to http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/childrenofwatamu/brightfuture