Volunteerism: A Personal Experience

Having been blessed with people to call family, it has been an eye-opening experience taking  care of abandoned children at Happy Life Children’s Home in Roysambu. It is quite bewildering that beautiful innocent infants experience harsh realities of abandonment and separation at such a juvenile age. 

Having no power to empathise with parents who have abandoned their children, it is important to consider that the costs of maintaining a child in present economy are at a bizarre high. To cater for one more mouth can be a shocking experience to many men and women who were not prepared to have a child. The cost of life is no joke. However, we can do it if we try. Get functional and stable. With that being said, things happen.

Happy Life Children’s Home is a haven for abandoned children. With two campuses in Nairobi and Kiambu counties, Roysambu and Juja Farm, Happy Life maintains a safe abode for young children. The Roysambu home shelters infants ranging from the tender age of a few weeks to two-and-a-half years old. It currently holds 60 children, with one-month-old Matteo as the youngest member. Juja Farm campus is a three-bedroomed house with a family set-up. It is the home to school-going children from the age of three and above. Juja Farm is  also the locale of Happy Life Christian School. 

The children of Happy Life and the local Juja farm community enjoy access to holistic primary school education at the school. The vision of Happy Life Christian School is to raise a Godly generation through holistic education. Founded on Christian values, the school’s mission is to develop people of influence in the society through holistic education. What a noble social development program!

Happy Life is a centre that has accomplished noble goals to promote the wellness of the children they take care of. The home is committed to connect the children with individuals and families for a lasting family relationship through legal adoption. One of the agencies that facilitate adoption services to Happy Life is Buckner Kenya Adoption Services. Buckner Kenya is a registered adoption society in Kenya with the objective to facilitate local adoption processes. They help children who have lost contact with their parents find familial care.

Founded in 2002, Happy Life’s main purpose is to rescue and care for abandoned babies in Kenya. Starting with just three infants, Reverend Peter & Faith Ndung’u, the Kenyan proprietors, bore the idea with Reverend Jim & Sharon Powell and Reverend Steve Kamau from the USA. Since then, Happy Life has developed in huge strides with the vision to give a home and a hope for adoption to the abandoned children under their custody. Happy Life solely relies on well-wishers for support. Having rescued over 361 children from hospitals, bushes, bus terminals, pit latrines, vacant houses and even churches, it is no doubt that Happy Life runs a virtuous organization.

Volunteering at Happy Life has given me great insight on community development. The development of a community is not one man’s burden; it is the combined effort of enthusiastic men, women and youth of the society. Volunteerism is just one way to see the impact of communal team-work. From the management, to the mothers cleaning and feeding the children, Happy Life can is the symbol of a well-oiled rig.

This was evident when Cynthia Ndung’u, the community service supervisor at Happy Life, cheerfully welcomed the volunteers. With clear guidelines on how to behave at the home, Cynthia informed us that the Kenyan boy child is currently prone to abandonment. This was shocking to hear, having known for years that the Kenyan girl child is still to a large extent still underprivileged.

Having maintained a detailed daily diary while volunteering at Happy Life, I have observed a specific pattern. It is a pattern that proves kindness and warmth offered by the Happy Life staff. With particular interest in taking care of the infants domestic work, I centralised my energy at the infant quarters. 

DAY ONE:

'Cleanliness is next to godliness’ is the rule at the babies' quarters. My first duty at Happy Life was dressing the infants after their morning bath. At first, I thought I would break their brittle delicate bones! Babies are soft and gentle. They are breakable and nee. The mothers at Happy Life are prudent and alert.

Whether it rains or shines, the mums will guarantee that the infants are at an optimum level of sanitary wealth and nutritional nourishment. At first, I thought it was harsh to wake a baby from deep unrequited slumber through the break of called air into a warm basin of water. The mums taught me that however harsh it may seem, cleanliness is a priority. Clean babies are happy babies.

The mums have really impacted my way of thought. Phoebe, Wanjiku, Wambui and Mama Christabel are inspiring women. They work selflessly to cater for the needs of the infants at Happy Life. If a baby breaks into a cry, one of the mums knows exactly what they need. 

It is entrancing to meet people that show unabridged love to a those that need it the most. It also warms my heart to know that the mums like my work ethic. Having shared complimentary comments over the last nine weeks, the mums have encouraged me to continue working hard and give my time and energy to purposeful causes. They are extra-ordinary caretakers who inspire me to pursue volunteerism in the hospitality trade.

Happy Life is an influential establishment. Just like any other non-profit organization in the republic, Happy Life has its internal strengths, weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. Happy life is a home for abandoned children. That alone is a substantial feat exerted by the administration and the staff. Taking care of 60 infants is not an easy task. 

Happy Life takes on the responsibility to mother innocent children who lack that necessary mother’s attention. That is Happy Life’s tremendous strength. Another notable strength of Happy Life is the kind and hard-working staff. Not only do they commit their time and energy to maintain a comfortable environment for the children, but they are cordial with the volunteers. It is rare to  interact with kind people in an engaging domain such as Happy Life. 

Phoebe, one of the longest-serving mothers, told me that working at Happy Life is a selfless job. She also mentioned that throughout her career at Happy Life, she has experienced God’s blessings in generous measures. Her children are outstanding scholars of business. Phoebe’s testimonial proved to me that altruistic jobs done with an earnest heart have numerous rewards. 

Having volunteered at Happy Life for just two weeks, it is quite difficult and ill-advised to analyse the weaknesses at the home. However, having had to point out an internal weakness, the volunteer turnover may prove to be a challenge.

Through the community service program, volunteers establish a respectable mutual relationship with Happy Life. The turnover of volunteers from the university who go back to the home is minute. It is the hope of the administration at Happy Life that student volunteers take it upon themselves to give their time and energy to the home, even after completing the course.

After a short-term observation at Happy Life, it is my opinion that the administrators of Happy Life are utilising the opportunities afforded to them. Happy Life is part of the five homes that the US-based organization Team Henson sponsors. On my thirteenth day of volunteering at Happy Life, I got the opportunity to meet one of the ladies from Faith Centre, Oregon. This is one of the churches that sponsors Happy Life’s children as well as their material upkeep. There is a good connect between the sponsors and the Happy Life administration. This is very remarkable and inspiring.

The public has the opportunity to be a part of the Happy Life community. Sarah, the administrator at Happy Life, is very warm and kind. She makes it possible for willing volunteers to give their time and energy at the home. Sarah also guarantees that the volunteers are faring on well as they work. The work done at Happy Life is abundant. I encourage the public to take the opportunity to step forward and volunteer their time and energy at Happy Life.

Another amazing endeavour of Happy Life is that they are in the process of building a dispensary. This dispensary in progress will cater to the medicare of the children at Happy Life and the locale. This is a great opportunity for the public (both business and private individuals) to advance the realisation of the dispensary. This is a great opportunity for well-wishers to bestow upon Happy Life monetary contributions to further the progress of building  and stocking the dispensary.

After pondering on the external threats faced at Happy Life, I got to a conclusion that the amount of labour required to maintain the children is multifarious. For children to be healthy and happy, they must coexist in a clean and hygienic habitat. Volunteering at Happy Life has taught me that work is not miserable; work is fulfilling. Work is not diabolical; it is godly. However, many millennials may feel threatened by copious amounts of work. If working is not your strong suit, I recommend you to volunteer at Happy Life for three months. Taking care of babies requires a high level of attention to detail. Dusting, mopping, laundering, folding - these are some of the threats at Happy Life. However, a standard work ethic will help you through what may seem a cautionary time. 

Having just experienced the working life at Happy Life, I attest to a noble organization. So far, I have been treated with respect and utter warmth. I thank the administration, staff and volunteers at Happy Life for a good experience. Community service is teaching me that being a valuable member of society is measured by actions done. Philanthropy and volunteerism are not statements that should be thrown about. The work done behind these gigantic words hold a lot of meaning, and harbour a lot of sweat. Since starting my journey as a volunteer at Happy Life, I have enjoyed a happy life. Below are two of my favorite diary entries from my time at Happy Life: