Stories from Previous Volunteers

Liesbet Perdieus (1988), Belgian

First stay in Happy Home: March-June 2007, Second stay: August-September 2007

Liesbet was our first volunteer at Happy Home, she stayed initially for 3 months and since came back for another 1,5 months. She's currently saving money to go back during her next holidays

Here is what she wrote about her experience:

During my stay in Happy Home I tried to work as an extra caretaker. Because of all the help I got from other caretakers, it only took me a little while to get to know how to help.

These were some of my daily tasks:
- preparing children for school, bringing them
  and picking them up after school,
- washing clothes and fetching water with the children,
- preparing and serving meals or snacks at 4pm,
- tucking in the children in their beds
- helping in medical needs for sick children
- follow up of materials needed for school



Staying in Happy Home was a very fascinating and instructive experience. From the very first moment I arrived, people made me feel comfortable and at home. The caretakers tried their best to teach me how to make chapati or to speak some Kiswahili. For that I am very grateful to them.

What I enjoyed the most of all was playing and singing with the children. The creativity of these children kept on surprising me and their happiness was part of the wonderful ambience the compound was filled with.

This place couldn’t have gotten a better name than “Happy Home”.