Issue 16, August 2010

1. Issue 16, August 2010 Happy Home Newsletter Happy Home Orphanage is a non-profit organization created in June 2006 by citizens of Kenya, Canada and Belgium. Happy Home is located in Southwestern Kenya about 400 kilometers from Nairobi, in the district of Rongo near the town of Migori. The first 12 children arrived in November 2006 . Today, Happy Home accommodates 32 children with room for more. The project is funded by people and organizations from Kenya, Belgium, USA and Canada. Happy Home, as drawn by the kids Our aim is to help orphans and vulnerable children by providing them a nurturing family atmosphere in which to grow. Each child receives access to safe shelter, good nutrition, basic health services and education. We believe it is important for the children to grow up in their own culture within their own community and to maintain contact with their extended families. To that end, we recruit staff from the area, send the children to a local school and encourage them to go on family visits for 1-2 weeks twice yearly during school holidays. Contents www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

2. Page 2 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 Happy Home Newsletters : a new format A new face of the Happy Home News Dear friends of Happy Home. We changed the face of the newsletters to make them more personal and to allow you to get to know the children better !!!! I’m sure you’ll love it. NEW: The volunteers’ stories NEW: The kids’ stories Ongoing Projects and activitiesin Happy Home Fundraising News We started asking the children to write compositions about their life. The compositions are a good exercise for their English !!! You’ll therefore find in this news quite a lot of nice stories about the kids. We hope that we’ll be able to have motivated volunteers to continue sending us such stories in the future. Volunteers spend a minimum of three months in Happy Home with the children. The play, laugh, dance with them and therefore learn to know the kids very well. In some newsletters we’ll therefore give them space to tell you about their time with the kids. (You’ll find the first story in the next newsletter). Similarly, we’ll keep our usual section on fundraising news, whenever we have something interesting to tell you. As always, we’ll continue to keep you informed about the evolution of projects in Happy Home or of special activities which took place. www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

3. Page 3 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 1) The children’s story about the musicians (July 2009) Globe note musicians The kids’ story … A group of 10 French musicians, called Globe Note, who were on a music world tour (www.globenote.org) came to Happy Home in July 2009. They played music with the children of Happy Home and organised several music workshops in several primary schools in the region. We asked the children to write a small composition about their experience with the Globe Note group. Please keep in mind that English is the kids’ 3rd language. Since they went to the new school, their English is improving fast but is still weak. Enjoy !!! Stanley Ondiek:“It was on a bright Monday when I was still sleeping. When I woke up I dressed myself and went to school. When I came back from school, I find some visitors at home. We welcomed them.” Bentar Awino: “I came from school. I was very happy to see visitors. If you greet them, they are asking you your name. Then I told them my name. Then I told them like this: “even you tell me yours [your name]. But that time [then] they asked us: “you want us to sing for you?” Then I said “yes” Then we saw many instruments. It was the first day [the first time] I saw instruments like this”. www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

4. Page 4 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 Stanley Ondiek: “When they stayed at home for three days, they showed us some instruments which they were having. They sang for us some songs. There were coming from France and when they were still at home we could play with them.” Bentar Awino: “They told us we will meet on Saturday. Then that morning, they told us to sit down. We want to listen to the instruments. We were happy. Then we were jumping on our bed because that day people were happy to see the way we are enjoying our instruments, and the way we are singing beautifully.” www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

5. Page 5 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 Levis Moreka: “Every day, they were going in the schools. They start with Mukuyu [school] and then Barry [school]. After Barry [school] they came in our school [Highlight academy].” Stanley Ondiek: “Monday they came at our school and pupils were happy to see them. They sang at our school and taught us other [new] songs.” When I heard they started beating their instruments with us, we started dancing with them.” Duncan Odongo: “Edward was playing tuba. Quentin was playing big tuba. Mathew was playing clarinet. Antoine was playing trumpet. Manu and Nico were playing trombone. Remy was playing saxophone. Another Remy was playing drumset and Thibault was playing big drum.” www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

6. Page 6 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 Susan Awino: “They play with us. We enjoy the instruments. The pupil they are so happy with the instrument. The French men they came to our school, they put people in a group. I was in group of a big drum.” Ronald Ojwaya: “That morning, that visitor [one of the French boys], when I beat the drumset, I beat the drumset very loudly. When I beat he [the visitor] jumps [dances].” Ronald Ojwaya: “They like us. When we play our drums, we [they] help us to play.” The end … www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

7. Page 7 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 2) The children’s stories to Aunty Giulliana (July 2010) Our school Our latest volunteer, Giulliana, arrived in Happy Home in late June. She plans to stay with the children till the end of October 2010. She helps the manager with computer work when the children are in school and when they come back she plays with them, makes crafts with them or helps them with homework. She asked the children to write a story and make drawings about their school. Here is a story written by Ronald Ojwaya and a drawing of Jackeline Afandi. Ronald Ojwaya: “I learn at Highlight Baptist school. It is [a] stone building. In my school we have ten classes. In every class we have twenty pupils. I am in standard five, in that class we are twenty pupils. Ten are girls and ten are boys. In our school we have six subjects, but I like maths and English very much. I [am] not good in drawing. Every Friday we mop [clean] our classes. In our school pupils go to assembly at eight A.M. [to start classes]. The children in our school are performing well. It is fenced with the flowers and it looks very beautiful.” Jackline Afandi www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

8. Page 8 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 Football Our boys love love love football. They dream to be famous football players and participate to football contests with school. Amriodo and Moses present to you their story and drawing about Messi. Edwin Veve shows you how good he is. Jotham Amriodo: “Messi [a famous Argentinian football player] was born in 1989 and he did not join the school. He started his tallent when was 9 year old. He could not play well in the field. He was a short man like a hammer in the field. When he took the ball you could see her [the ball] in the field bit you could hear his name mentioning “Messi ! Messi ! Messi the young boy with the ball”. And that is how Messi became a footaller and he was taken at Barcelona club. He was happy when he heard that his team was going to start a match on that day. When they were in the field, Messi took position. Six people started complaining that the boy is too young and cannot run [through] the field, but when the ball started the boy took the ball on the right and on the left, on the chest and on the head, back to the ground, through his thigh. People wondered with the boy [were amazed]. Wow wow the boy is too young but he knows how to play.” Moses Edwin Veve www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

9. Page 9 Happy Home News Issue 16, August 2010 Ongoing projects in Happy Home Firewood efficient stove Biogas The firewood efficient stove is finally installed. We provided the materials and our friends from GTZ constructed the stove for free. The stove keeps the heat concentrated under the cooking pot and blocks the wind. The manager calculated that this stove allows us to save already 25% of firewood. The construction of the biogas project has started. The first stage was to dig two very deep and huge holes in which large gas tanks will be constructed. The manager also booked two dairy cows from the animal farm (good cows are not always available). We’ll keep you updated on the progress. After Before Field The manager identified a piece of land for rent close to the orphanage. The children, the staffs and volunteers will plant the land together to produce maize, beans and soybeans for Happy Home. This will not only reduce our food expenses but also be a training ground for the future farmers among the kids. We’ll prepare (plough) the land in August and plant the field around mid-September when the rainy season starts. www.HappyHomeKenya.org — info@HappyHomeKenya.org

10. I want to help !!! Happy Home Contacts • Names: …………...………………………………………………………………………. • Email:……………………………………………………………………………………... • Contact address: ………………………………………………………………………… • I register as a godfather/mother of Happy Home and agree to give* monthly / quarterly / yearly donations of …………….* KSh / € / US$ / Ca$ to Happy Home Orphanage bank account (in the country indicated below) starting from the date of .../.../ 20..... In case of termination of my sponsoring, I will contact Happy Home by email or post at least two months in advance. • I give a casual donations of ......* KSh / € / US$ / Ca$ to Happy Home Orphanage bank account (in the country indicated below) • I would like to help in the country office with ............... (specify) or organise a Fund-raising activity.................... (specify) in ................ (town) on ... / ... / 20.... The money will integrally be used to provide a safe and comfortable home to total orphans registered in the orphanage and to maintain their home. Done in ………………………………. on …………………… Signature, Bank Account (please thick your choice): • Kenya NBK (National Bank of Kenya), Awendo Branch (swift: NBKEKENXXXX) : Account: Happy Home Orphanage 012 464 552 5400 • Belgium / Europe "AMIE VZW " hosts our project: Account: 979-326 10 73-35 (IBAN: BE57 9793 2610 7335 - BIC: ARSPBE22). Please mention your name & email. (Tax deductible in Belgium > 30€ /year) • USA Checks payable to the "African Childrens Haven" and mark the memo line as "Happy Home Kenya". (US income tax deductible) • CanadaDESJARDINS account of “ÉSÉE Monde”: # Transit: 30219 # Institution: 815 # Account: 0823617 (Tax deductible > 30Ca$ / year). Mention « Happy Home Project », your name & email. PLEASE POST TO THE CONTACTS LEFT OR TO info@HappyHomeKenya.org www.HappyHomeKenya.org E-mail: info@HappyHomeKenya.org Donor contact BELGIUMChristian Vandeplas [Christian@HappyHomeKenya.org] Rue Fond Thirion 61, 1410-Waterloo +32.2.354.74.41 Roel Merckx [Roel.merckx@biw.kuleuven.be] Hilde Keunen [Hildekeunen@yahoo.com] Donor contact USA Ed Sulzberger [Edsulzberger@happyhomekenya.org] Linda Ercole-Musso [Lindaem@happyhomekenya.org] 4012 Pirates Beach, Galveston, Texas, 77554 1-409-737-1388 Donor contact CANADA François Dubé [Francois@HappyHomeKenya.org] Tel (514) 495-7927 Isabelle Vandeplas [Isabelle@HappyHomeKenya.org] Edouard Lelievre-Douyon [Edouard@HappyHomeKenya.org] Donor contact KENYAElke Vandamme [Elke@HappyHomeKenya.org] Government relations KenyaAlfred Mdeizi Sagwa[Alfred@HappyHomeKenya.org] VOLUNTEER contact Volunteer@HappyHomeKenya.org