Monday 23 March 2015

Daniella and Happy go home to family

Daniella
Every child who comes to Happy House is wrapped in the warm embrace of our family.
And they are are loved.
That we will act in the best interests of each individual goes without saying. That has been the sole focus of Mama and her team from the outset.
We place a great importance on maintaining contact with relatives, where it is safe to do so, and to arrange visits when possible.
We are also required, by law, to have an exit plan for every child in our care even though this may not be possible, or practical, in some cases  
If circumstances change and it becomes possible for a child to grow up with relatives who will love and care for them,  Mama and our dedicated social worker, Uncle Billy, will ensure that is what happens and two of our girls have now moved back to be with family.
Daniella, who came to us temporarily in 2011, has gone to her homeland, near Nairobi, to be with an aunt and cousins.
She is overjoyed to be with them. Uncle Billy worked with his counterparts in the children's office here and in local area to ensure that her repatriation went smoothly, and she was accompanied on her journey by a female social worker.
It was sad for Mama, Papa,  and all the family to see her move on, but we are happy for her and will keep in touch with her progress.
Happy was in a sad state when she joined our family, but there has been a huge turnaround in her family circumstances since then, and her mum and brothers have visited her regularly and she has been on home visits, 
Her family has benefited from being a part a national health programme aimed at reducing jiggers infestations which means they now also have much better health prospects,
Her home situation is safe and stable and  Mama, Uncle Billy and children's services have agreed that it is her best interests to return home to live with her family.
Happy will continue to attend school at the Happy House where we will provide her with free education, transport, uniform, meals, books etc  and we will continue to look after her healthcare needs, which can be another big expense to parents.
By continuing to come to Happy House for school,  we will see her every day and can monitor her situation very carefully to ensure it is working for Happy.
 We  truly believe it is in the best interests of Happy and Daniella to be with family they love and they go with our blessing and our love, each knowing they will remain, always, a Happy House kid!