House of Happiness

Comments

Women Empowering Women is developing the House of Happiness Foundation in order to take children out of child labour and educate them in "Happy Houses". Due to Jan's religious upbringing, she and her husband decided to not have children of their own. While Jan was in Ecuador as a missionary for four years, one of the highlights was spending time with the children. As most women her age had several children, children were quickly expected to be responsible and work around the house and in the fields to support the family. They loved the hugs and the attention that Jan gave them and they were the ones that weren't too shy to correct her Spanish!

One summer Jan and her husband collected about 400 pounds of clothing from friends in Vancouver and arranged to send some of it with friends to Honduras and then they personally took about 250 pounds to distribute amongst the families in the small village where they lived. The squeals of delight as these children carried out several articles of clothing was one of the highlights of Jan's time in Ecuador. Most of these children had never had clothing that hadn't been passed down from an older sibling. To have more then one sweater, or one dress was a luxury and Jan never forgot those children.

In October of 2001 while being interviewed at a training seminar Jan said these words, "I don't have children and I don't plan on having children but I do want to leave behind a legacy for children that will last forever." She still laughs when she repeats that sentence because if it wasn't on video, she would never have believed it. Jan maintains that those words came out of her mouth but she didn't say them. About 5 months later, while speaking with one of her closest friends, she commented that Women Empowering Women should build schools for girls in third world countries.

Again, this was without prior planning, it just blurted out! Her friend thought it was a brilliant idea and Jan had to agree but how do you even start on such a project. Then in May of 2002, while having drinks with a businessman from Toronto at the end of a business meeting that hadn't produced the desired business deal, Jeff told Jan about a school that he had in India to help children out of child labour situations. This is the moment when Jan really sat up and took this whole idea seriously. Jeff carried the pictures with him of the children that had been helped in the three years the school had operated. He pays the parents what the children earned per month and paid for their schooling, books, food and clothing. He called it the House of Joy.

A couple of months later in a phone conversation with Jeff, Jan asked him if he would mentor her in creating a school for girls in India. The idea mushroomed and now Jan envisioned empowering schools all over the world for children. The board has been put together for The House of Happiness Foundation and 4 other amazing women are volunteering their time, energy and talent to create "Happy Houses" for children in poverty situations. Jan's vision is a curriculum that combines empowerment through teaching self-love, belief in oneself, utilization of one's talents, gifts and passions with the encouragement of entrepreneurial skills. Her vision is that the schools become self-supporting within 10 years.

This will occur through the creation of business opportunities in the community and through the support of the children that successfully complete their education and want to help other children in their hometown have the same opportunity. There are estimates that in India alone, over 100 million children are involved in child labor. These children have worked hard most of their lives in horrific conditions that many of us would rather not imagine exist today.

The goal of The House of Happiness Foundation is not to dwell on what we cannot change but to focus on what we can change. Jan believes that we can change the lives of millions of children in the next decade through her vision of Happy Houses around the world that empower and inspire the next generation. To create the first Happy House, we need about $35,000 to buy a house and equip it for a school with teachers. The cost per child is $300 per year.

The goal is to have the first Happy House operational by the end of 2003. Once we have accomplished that goal, we will have a blueprint which we can duplicate over and over again. There is no limit to what we can do. Jan always says when speaking about the House of Happiness Foundation that this project is way beyond her capabilities. She is merely the vehicle to get the work done and the right people and the way will be made clear. So far, she seems to be right!

Contact Us

Email Addresses:

info@womenempoweringwomen.biz

Mailing Address:

Women Empowering Women Inc.
#200 - 4170 Still Creek Drive,
Burnaby, B.C.,
Canada
V5C 6C6

Fax / Voice Messages Number:

Phone: 604-473-7773