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UK Registered Charity #1098731
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Happy House Children’s Home | Watamu, Kenya

Family First.
Smiles Forever.

Since 2010, Happy House Children’s Home in Watamu, Kenya has been more than just a home. It is a family.

Here, children grow up surrounded by love, care, and opportunity, giving them the foundation to become confident and happy young adults.

You can visit us in Watamu to see our work first-hand, or support us from anywhere in the world. We receive no government funding, and 100% of donations go directly to supporting the children, meaning every contribution makes a real difference.

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Happy House Children’s Home | Watamu, Kenya​

Family First. Smiles Forever.​

Since 2010, Happy House Children’s Home in Watamu, Kenya has been more than just a home. It is a family. Here, children grow up surrounded by love, care, and opportunity, giving them the foundation to become confident and happy young adults. You can visit us in Watamu to see our work first-hand, or support us from anywhere in the world. We receive no government funding, and 100% of donations go directly to supporting the children, meaning every contribution makes a real difference.

We are a UK Registered Charity Number 1098731.

UK Registered Charity Number 1098731

Registered in the Republic of Kenya with the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Development as a Charitable Children’s Institution . CS No. 000573

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children live at Happy House today, growing up in a safe and loving family environment.

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children have been part of the Happy House family. Once a Happy House child, always part of our family.

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children attend our school, receiving quality education and opportunities for a brighter future.

Learn About Our Family

About Happy House

Happy House Children’s Home was opened in 2010 by Sue Hayward, who, together with her husband Dave, moved from the UK to Watamu, Kenya to create a safe and loving home for vulnerable children.

Known affectionately as Mama Sue and Papa Dave, they built more than a home. They created a family.

Today, Happy House continues to grow, supported by Papa Dave, a dedicated team in Kenya, and volunteer trustees in the UK. Every child is nurtured, valued, and given the education and opportunities they need to build a brighter future.

Read more of our story

Our Foundation

Our Aim, Mission and Values

To provide a safe and supportive home that meets each child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs, while preparing them for independent and successful futures.

To care for children aged 0 – 18 who have been orphaned or abandoned, providing a stable, nurturing environment where they can grow into confident and fulfilled adults.

We believe in respect, compassion, opportunity, and integrity. We nurture every child with love while building resilience, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging.

Stories from Happy House - 365 days a year!

Discover Life at Happy House

Our blog shares real stories from life at Happy House, from everyday moments to major milestones. See how your support changes lives and follow the journeys of the children who call Happy House their home.

Read More of Our Stories

Join our happy house family

Sponsor a Child. Change a Life.

When you sponsor a child at Happy House, you become part of their story.

Your support helps provide education, healthcare, daily care, and a safe, loving home. It gives every child the opportunity to grow, dream and build a brighter future.

For as little as the cost of a weekly coffee, you can make a lasting difference.

Learn how to sponsor a child
A girl with a small child at the Happy House children's home smiling
A group of small children at the happy house school wearing their red uniform sat in groups at their table working

Happy House School

A School of Opportunity

Our kindergarten, primary and junior school provides quality education to over 300 children in Watamu, Kenya.

Affordable fees from local families help sustain the school, while giving children the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

Learn more about Happy House school

Moments in Time

Follow us on Instagram @childrenofwatamu

Charity is in her final year of high school and getting ready for her exams this October. With her sights set on college, she wants to pursue a career in hair and beauty, something she truly enjoys. Today, we caught her styling Samira’s hair into a lovely plait, showcasing her talent and passion.

It’s encouraging to see our children like Charity thinking about their futures and the paths they want to take. With the support from sponsors and the community, we aim to help her make a smooth transition into further education and eventually into the workforce. Good luck with your exams, Charity. We’re excited to see where your skills take you next.

#Charity #Education #HairAndBeauty #HappyHouse #CommunitySupport #FutureCareer #Watamu

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Charity is in her final year of high school and getting ready for her exams this October. With her sights set on college, she wants to pursue a career in hair and beauty, something she truly enjoys. Today, we caught her styling Samira’s hair into a lovely plait, showcasing her talent and passion. It’s encouraging to see our children like Charity thinking about their futures and the paths they want to take. With the support from sponsors and the community, we aim to help her make a smooth transition into further education and eventually into the workforce. Good luck with your exams, Charity. We’re excited to see where your skills take you next. #Charity #Education #HairAndBeauty #HappyHouse #CommunitySupport #FutureCareer #Watamu

While showing some visitors around the Happy House recently, we came across Erick enjoying some quiet time painting in the garden.

Erick and his two younger brothers, Lucky and Thomas, joined our Happy House family in 2014. Over the years, we have watched Erick grow into a polite and thoughtful young man. He can be quiet, but one thing he certainly enjoys is being creative, particularly when it comes to art.

So it was no surprise to find him with his paints out in the garden concentrating on his latest picture. We stopped to see what he was creating and, as you can see from the finished piece, he has done a fantastic job!

But Erick’s creativity didn’t stop with the paintbrush.

Later, he made use of some free time on the Happy House laptops to experiment with AI, using his finished artwork to create a short animated video and bring his painting to life in a completely different way.

We love seeing our children explore their interests and then combine the skills and opportunities available to them in new ways. From a quiet afternoon painting in the garden to experimenting with new technology, Erick turned one piece of artwork into something even more creative.

Well done, Erick. We think both the painting and the finished video look fantastic!

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While showing some visitors around the Happy House recently, we came across Erick enjoying some quiet time painting in the garden. Erick and his two younger brothers, Lucky and Thomas, joined our Happy House family in 2014. Over the years, we have watched Erick grow into a polite and thoughtful young man. He can be quiet, but one thing he certainly enjoys is being creative, particularly when it comes to art. So it was no surprise to find him with his paints out in the garden concentrating on his latest picture. We stopped to see what he was creating and, as you can see from the finished piece, he has done a fantastic job! But Erick’s creativity didn’t stop with the paintbrush. Later, he made use of some free time on the Happy House laptops to experiment with AI, using his finished artwork to create a short animated video and bring his painting to life in a completely different way. We love seeing our children explore their interests and then combine the skills and opportunities available to them in new ways. From a quiet afternoon painting in the garden to experimenting with new technology, Erick turned one piece of artwork into something even more creative. Well done, Erick. We think both the painting and the finished video look fantastic!

Erick was in the garden at Happy House, fully immersed in painting a new piece of art. Since joining our family in 2014 with his younger brothers, Lucky and Thomas, he has grown into a thoughtful young man who loves being creative. It was great to see him so focused and proud of his work.

After finishing his painting, Erick took some time to explore the Happy House laptops. He transformed his artwork into a short animated video, showcasing his creativity in a whole new way. It’s wonderful to see our children combine their interests and the opportunities they have here. Support from our sponsors makes this all possible for Erick and our other children.

#Creativity #Art #HappyHouse #Watamu #Children #Support

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Open post by childrenofwatamu with ID 17989118400068488
Erick was in the garden at Happy House, fully immersed in painting a new piece of art. Since joining our family in 2014 with his younger brothers, Lucky and Thomas, he has grown into a thoughtful young man who loves being creative. It was great to see him so focused and proud of his work. After finishing his painting, Erick took some time to explore the Happy House laptops. He transformed his artwork into a short animated video, showcasing his creativity in a whole new way. It’s wonderful to see our children combine their interests and the opportunities they have here. Support from our sponsors makes this all possible for Erick and our other children. #Creativity #Art #HappyHouse #Watamu #Children #Support

Thomas just wrapped up his midterm exams at Happy House. With the end of term only four weeks away, these exams are a crucial checkpoint for our children. They give us insight into how everyone is progressing and highlight areas where they might need to focus more.

Thomas shared that some exams felt easy, while others were a bit tougher. He’s determined to improve and is already considering how to tackle the subjects he found challenging. With time to revise and practice, we’ll be supporting him and all our children as they prepare for the final stretch before their end-of-term holidays.

This ongoing support from our sponsors makes all the difference in their education.

#HappyHouse #Watamu #Education #Midterms #Support #Community

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Thomas just wrapped up his midterm exams at Happy House. With the end of term only four weeks away, these exams are a crucial checkpoint for our children. They give us insight into how everyone is progressing and highlight areas where they might need to focus more. Thomas shared that some exams felt easy, while others were a bit tougher. He’s determined to improve and is already considering how to tackle the subjects he found challenging. With time to revise and practice, we’ll be supporting him and all our children as they prepare for the final stretch before their end-of-term holidays. This ongoing support from our sponsors makes all the difference in their education. #HappyHouse #Watamu #Education #Midterms #Support #Community

Over the past month, we’ve invited you inside Happy House.

You’ve met our family, seen our home, discovered where your support goes, stepped inside our school, celebrated achievements, shared ordinary days with us and seen how we support our young people as they take their first steps towards independence.

Now there’s just one invitation left.

Become part of the Happy House family. 💛

Sponsor a child.
Visit us when you’re in Watamu.
Make a donation.
Fundraise for us.
Share our story.
Or simply keep following along and cheering our children on.

However you choose to be involved, you’re helping our Happy House family continue to grow, learn and look towards the future.

And if you’re already part of our family - asante sana. Thank you for everything you make possible.

👉 Ready to get involved? Tap the link in our bio and find the way that’s right for you. 💛

#ChildSponsorship #ChildrensCharity #Watamu #KenyaCharity #HappyHouseKenya

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Open post by childrenofwatamu with ID 17946375273068661
Over the past month, we’ve invited you inside Happy House. You’ve met our family, seen our home, discovered where your support goes, stepped inside our school, celebrated achievements, shared ordinary days with us and seen how we support our young people as they take their first steps towards independence. Now there’s just one invitation left. Become part of the Happy House family. 💛 Sponsor a child. Visit us when you’re in Watamu. Make a donation. Fundraise for us. Share our story. Or simply keep following along and cheering our children on. However you choose to be involved, you’re helping our Happy House family continue to grow, learn and look towards the future. And if you’re already part of our family - asante sana. Thank you for everything you make possible. 👉 Ready to get involved? Tap the link in our bio and find the way that’s right for you. 💛 #ChildSponsorship #ChildrensCharity #Watamu #KenyaCharity #HappyHouseKenya

There’s always room for one more in the Happy House family. 💛

For £25 a month, you can sponsor a child at Happy House and become part of their journey as they grow.

Your sponsorship joins the support of our wider Happy House family, helping us provide the everyday things our children need , a loving home, nutritious food, education, healthcare, clothing and opportunities to learn and grow.

But sponsorship is about more than money.

It’s about showing a child that there are people, sometimes thousands of miles away, who care about how they’re doing, celebrate their achievements and want to see them succeed.

And as you’ve seen throughout our story, our support doesn’t simply stop at 18. We’re here to help our young people build the skills, education and confidence they need for independent adult lives.

To everyone who already sponsors a Happy House child: thank you for being part of their story. 💛

And if you’ve been thinking about joining us, we’d love to welcome you to the family.

👉 Find out more about sponsoring a Happy House child through the link in our bio.

#ChildSponsorship #SponsorAChild #ChildrensCharity #KenyaCharity #HappyHouseKenya

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Open post by childrenofwatamu with ID 17950722153299369
There’s always room for one more in the Happy House family. 💛 For £25 a month, you can sponsor a child at Happy House and become part of their journey as they grow. Your sponsorship joins the support of our wider Happy House family, helping us provide the everyday things our children need , a loving home, nutritious food, education, healthcare, clothing and opportunities to learn and grow. But sponsorship is about more than money. It’s about showing a child that there are people, sometimes thousands of miles away, who care about how they’re doing, celebrate their achievements and want to see them succeed. And as you’ve seen throughout our story, our support doesn’t simply stop at 18. We’re here to help our young people build the skills, education and confidence they need for independent adult lives. To everyone who already sponsors a Happy House child: thank you for being part of their story. 💛 And if you’ve been thinking about joining us, we’d love to welcome you to the family. 👉 Find out more about sponsoring a Happy House child through the link in our bio. #ChildSponsorship #SponsorAChild #ChildrensCharity #KenyaCharity #HappyHouseKenya
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Stay Connected

Be Part of the Happy House Family

Follow our journey on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to see the impact of your support.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at:

 happyhouse@childrenofwatamu.org

Your support helps create a brighter future for children who need it most.