Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As many of you know running is really not my thing.... particularly, I'm discovering, running 13.1 miles!  Training so far has been boring, tedious and slightly painful!  Not to mention the difficulty of fitting training in with the kids and a busy schedule. At this point I'm not sure if I just want it to hurry up and be over with or for March 3rd to take a LOOOONG time to arrive!

But there's a reason I'm fighting my way through these LONG miles!

Mark and I sponsor a little girl called Margaret at The Happy House in Watamu Kenya.  The Happy House was contacted by the Children’s Office in Malindi to ask if they could take a 9 year old little girl called Margaret, who was in a very sorry state. Her body was covered in burns from when she had been trying to cook porridge for her 2 year old sister, who is HIV positive. Her hair and clothes were very unkempt.  The Mum died of Aids in April that year. Since then Margaret and her sister had been trying to take care of each other and the 2 year old. The older sister has some sort of work, with enough to feed herself. The baby had been taken to a special care unit for HIV children.  Now Margaret is thriving at The Happy House and is achieving the most amazing results at school.  She is a happy and beautiful child.

All the 63 children at the Happy House have similar stories but are now being taken care of in a loving, safe environment.

Sue Hayward started this charity in February 2010.  “We desperately needed a place where children can live happily in safety, where they can grow and just be children. A place where they can go to sleep in a bed and wake up to a breakfast.  Ours is a real home for our children. If you stand outside you can hear laughter and singing, when you come inside you see happy healthy smiling faces.”

Watamu and the surrounding areas have a very high number of orphans, due to Aids, Malaria and many other diseases that these people have to contend with on a day to day basis. Numerous children are abandoned. Brothers and sisters try and care for each other. Some are not much older than the children they are caring for. Children have disappeared from the village. If a child anywhere in the world goes missing it is headline news. In Watamu a child goes missing,’ Well it was an orphan”.  Where have the kids gone? Where are these children? Are they still alive?

I believe so strongly that these children need to be given the love, education and safety that my own daughters Olivia and Phoebe have.  And I know not many of us can imagine the cost of raising 63 children – so please support me in my bid to raise much needed money for these innocent children being given a chance to achieve and live happy healthy lives.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. You can donate from anywhere in the world.  So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

I really appreciate any donation.  Better yet, please consider sponsoring a child from The Happy House, visit their website http://www.childrenofwatamu.net/ 

Thank you! 

Amanda xxxxx