School celebrations and presentations

It's been a huge week for our Class Eight students, but now their KCPE exams are over and they can relax for a while - and today, they can put all those Saturdays of revision behind them and enjoy Auntie Velma's wedding day.

Janet with Mama, Papa & Uncle Billy

The youngsters have embraced the exams with enthusiasm and optimism.

On Tuesday, after their first full day they returned to Happy House for Kidz Club when all their "brothers" and "sisters" cheered and clapped for them.

There was a special treat of juice and biscuits and the exam candidates were keen to share the news of their day with Mama.

Every day since they have come home as bright and eager as when they left in the morning.

Well done, kids, we wish you every success.

 Thank you Holy Family

Auntie Libby was reunited with our Masai warrior Musyoka when she called into Holy

Family RC Primary School, Blackpool, yesterday.

Musyoka has been acting as a mascot for their fundraising for Happy House and now they have raised £150  the school council has returned him along with a very big cheque!

Libby was delighted to go into school to accept the cheque and to say thank you from all our family and to let the know the money will be used to make desks for our secondary school.

Thank you to everyone who helped, and a special mention to Charlotte Barber, who has now moved on to high school, and to her sister Natalie for introducing Happy House to the school council.

If there are any other schools in Blackpool or on the Fylde Coast that would like to raise money for Happy House and would like our Musyoka to be their mascot please get into with Libby - elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net 

Wedding chimes for Auntie Velma

All good wishes from friends all around the world to our lovely bride to be Auntie Velma.

Velma will marry her sweetheart, Cleophas, at the Happy House tomorrow  morning with an entourage of kids as her attendants.

Auntie Velma has a very special place in our family which is why Mama offered the Happy House as a venue for her wedding - it is Velma's second home and all the children love her.

We hope you have a wonderful day Velma and send you and Cleophas lots of love for happiness together always.

We are looking forward to seeing the pictures and video and sharing in your big day.

Bingo night

It's eyes down at 7.30pm tonight at Letcombe Regis Village Hall, Oxfordshire, when Brenda Groves and family host a Happy House prize bingo to raise money for our Happy House Building a Bright Future Appeal to finish, furnish, equip and resource our secondary school by January. http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/childrenofwatamu/brightfuture

Good luck everyone.

Italian event

 Some of our wonderful friends in Italy , StaFFFeste, are holding a fundraising night tomorrow, in collaboration with the Alpine Group of Lierna & Cortenova , to raise moeny for the Happy House and two other children's organisations, one Watamu and another Majengo,

The Day of Solidarity will comprise of entertainment and food and music from 5pm at Bindo Cortenova.

We wish you a very happy and successful event.

Busy time for Auntie Libby

Some members of Cabus WI

It's been a busy time for our ambassador in the UK, Elizabeth Gomm.
Elizabeth, Auntie Libby to our family, has been out and about giving talks about our family.

Auntie Libby in St Annes

Last week, after a very successful event at Spire Hospital with Jo and Peter Reid, early in the week she was at Cabus, near Garstang, and in St Annes on Sea the following evening.
Her hosts at Cabus were the ladies of the Women's Institure who made a donation of £30 to the Happy House.
At St Annes, the St Margaret's Church Evening Ladies Guild were a lovely audience.

St Margaret's Guild

Libby had stood in at the last minute when their planned speaker was unable to attend, and they were all so appreciative.
She received a £30 club donation plus £35 in individual donations. The money from both talks has been added to our Building a Bright Future Appeal.
This week she again stepped in at the last minute, this time for St Annes Inner Wheel International Night.
Their planned speaker was unable to be there, so Libby was asked to talk about Happy House - and she never misses an opportunity to do that.
Members of Inner Wheel were joined by husbands and friends who are members of local Rotary Club for  a dinner and talk at the Bedford Hotel.

Libby  showed them a video and  gave them an insight to Happy House life, highlight the high standards set by Mama Sue who believes that only the best is good enough for a child, regardless of background.
They were impressed and inspired by Happy House and the way that every penny raised goes directly where it is intended.
Libby was introduced by and thanked by club international chairman, Denise Jones.
She is pictured with District chair, Karen Henshaw, Denise Jones and club chair, Carol Wildon.
The evening raised £234 toward our Building a Bright Future Appeal to finish, furnish and open our secondary school.

BIngo Night

Brenda Groves, who is in Charity's sponsor family, and family are holding a findraising bingo night for our Building a Bright Future Appeal tomorrow (Friday)  evening at Letcombe Regis Village Hall, Oxfordshire.
 Eyes down at 7.30pm.
 Brenda, who lives in Wantage,  says that lots of lovely prizes have been donated by local businesses and friends.
 Please go along if you are in the area.

Cleveleys Coffee Time

Members of our sponsor family are joining forces to hold a coffee afternoon at 43A, Cleveleys Avenue, Cleveleys, Lancashire, on Friday, November 27 from 2pm-4pm.
Have a  Brew for Watamu is being held at the home of Sue and David Mitchell, who are in our little Neema's sponsor family, and is being hosted jointly with Pauline Royle, who is a member of Jane's sponsor family.
Donations for the bring and buy, book and cake stalls are welcomed.
Tickets are £2.50 (including coffee, cake and raffle ticket) in advance from Pauline on 0776 219 7992 or pay on the door.

School Report: Primary class awards

School is out this week, for all except out KCPE exam candidates, so everyone is having a week of activities at home - and preparing for Auntie Velma's wedding at Happy House on Saturday.

But we still have a school report from Teacher Neema, who tells us that after the mid-term exam Class Two was the Best Class in lower primary, with Class Four taking the award for upper primary.

In Playgroup,  youngsters are encouraged to enjoy free play when they also learn to share, develop their language and strengthen their fine motor skills by making things from constriction toys.

There's been a noisy time in KG 1 who have been hitting the high notes with tambourines, drums and other percussion instruments.

It's lots of fun being at Happy House School.

Our school, their bright future

We are nearing the final straight of fundraising to raise £25,000 to finish, furnish and open our Happy House Secondary School in January.
We have to raise £5,320 to take us to our target and to secure the education of those young people in Class Eight who are taking their KCPE exams this week.
You can help by holding an event, maybe a coffee morning or afternoon with a few friends, taking up a sponsored challenge or by simply making a donation.
Every penny will help get us there.  This school will educate children for many, many, years to come. Education is their only road out of poverty, please help us to keep them on that road.
You can make a donation online at http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/childrenofwatamu/brightfuture or if you prefer to send a cheque (payable to Happy House) it should be posted to Elizabeth Gomm, 6 Burwood Drive, Blackpool, FY3 8NS

Exciting times for Happy House says Mama (video)

Today is E-day for our class eight students.
And as they sit the most important examination of their young lives, the KCPE,  they do so knowing that our Happy House Secondary School, their next step, is almost finished.
That we have got so far with the building is thanks to every one of you who has taken our £25,000 Building a Bright Future Appeal, launched in August,  to it current total of £19, 680.
As Mama says in her video update, recorded yesterday, we are so, so, grateful to all those who have, and are, helping to ensure the future education  not only of these young people,

but of many, many more over many years to come.
Our school must open in January when the new academic year begins. To make this happen we need to raise the additional funds for furniture and fittings, lab equipment, text books and other educational resources and, importantly, to pay teachers for the first year.
We have so many friends, around the world, who are inspired by our wonderful Mama Sue and our amazing children.
At this time of year, when Christmas is in all our minds, please, please, help take us us to our target and give our children the greatest gift, the gift that no-one can ever take way, an education.
To donate please go to: http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/childrenofwatamu/brightfuture

Benvenuti amici

 Visitors are always welcome at the Happy House ... our kids leave them in no doubt of that!

They find their hearts warmed by the love and friendship of our family.

On Saturday, we were very pleased to  welcome  Italian visitors Miriam Valente, Alessandra Rinaldi, Enrico Giannone and Manuela Laurenei.

They brought with them clothes and boxes of biscuits for  children.

Thank you to all of them for taking time out of their holiday to say Hello, and for the gifts they brought. 

Learning from each other, by Maria

Today' s blogger is Happy House kid, Maria.

We are all fine and well.

 Each one of the scholarship learners come to school daily they have not missed even a single day. 

 The scholarship learners are so helpful to us and they are  teach us new things.

They help the aunties to wash the utensils and sweeping the dining hall and we  all combined so we can make the work easier and soften day for all.

Class Eight will be taking the KCPE soon and then they will be out of the gate and preparing for form one of secondary school.