Hatch House opening

Hatch House, the first phase our Happy House Halfway House, was officially opened when our wonderful administrator, Auntie Rose, cut the ribbon! ,Much to the delight of the children, Papa Dave led a guided tour of the bungalow that is now home to three of our young people, John, Gift and Tumaini. ,The boys who are aged 18 or above can no longer live in the care of a children’s home as that is a stipulation of registration. Indeed, John has been living in temporary accommodation thanks to Auntie Rose since he reached the cut-off figure. ,He now has his own room in the bungalow while twins, Tumaini and Gift are sharing a room. The three boys will share the kitchen, living room and bathroom all of which are furnished and equipped for comfortable living. ,They will look after themselves but with support from Happy House whenever it is needed, until they are able to support themselves. ,John is on a plumbing course while he twins are still in school. ,Hatch House is on an enclosed site, purchased especially, and has been built to our specifications. ,It’s taken three years to raise enough money and we are eternally grateful to our friend Betty Hatch, for the donation she made to kickstart our build and to her son, Paul, who was a trustee of our charity. ,Both Betty and Paul died this year and we decided to honour them in the name of our first bungalow. ,Other donations came from people who went the extra mile with sponsored events and to those who just gave what they could afford to help. ,Every penny counts and we thank you so much. ,We are now challenged with raising the money for the next phase of the build to ensure we have space for young people who when they reach 18 have no familial support for accommodation whilst they are in further education or establishing themselves in the workplace. ,There is one young person who may need supported living for the rest of his life and we must make that happen. ,Now you can see what we have in mind, how we are acting as a family should by looking after its own. ,If you can stage a fundraiser or make a donation please go to Justgiving https://www.justgiving.com/childrenofwatamu/Donate or contact elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net