Our Ministry
Happy Home presently cares for 40 boys and girls aged from 3 to 16 years, who have lost one or both parents. In Kenyan society, care for orphans is traditionally provided by their extended family and local community. However, with a high level of young adult mortality, local population dependency on a rural economy and for other practical reasons, it is not always possible for such care to be provided on a continual basis.
Unlike the institutional approach taken by orphanages in the UK; Happy Home seeks to create a balance of care between the family, community and the orphanage. Where possible, children may spend term time at the orphanage but return to their local community during school vacations.
Mirroring Kenyan social structure, older children and adults share responsibility for looking after younger children. In this way each child becomes part of a new ‘family unit’ which includes parental figures, brothers, sisters and friends. As would be expected, the orphanage has all the typical responsibilities of a family unit where each child’s emotional, physical, spiritual; and educational needs are catered for.
All of this is set against an ethos of helping the children reach self-sufficiency and independence, led by practical example from the Trustees and staff of Happy Home. The aim is to support the children within a caring Christian environment where they are nurtured to young adulthood free from the dangers and insecurities which might otherwise threaten their development.
