By Chelsea Kincheloe and Paul Chelule As I sit down to write this most recent blog, the sweet sounds of rain greet my ears. Finally. Kenya usually experiences what is called bimodal rain falls, meaning there are two rainy seasons: the short season usually lasts from November to December, and the long
By Sue Whitmore, Campus Volunteer Sue Whitmore, 74, spent two weeks on campus teaching the girls poetry and how to play the recorder. This is her second year volunteering at Daraja. By the end of her visit, she had compiled a book of the girl’s poetry. In the following blog, she writes about
The poems below were written by three students of Daraja Academy during a class taught by campus volunteer, Sue Whitmore. By Lavender Akinyi, Form 4 Lovely sisters, I stand with pride Showing the world the beautiful Young woman I have become Questions arise from corner to corner Mummers
By Chelsea Kincheloe Last Sunday, 14 teams ran to support the Daraja girls in Bay to Breakers, a race in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the Daraja girls ran to support their own education on campus in Kenya. This is what happened: “Today, we ran for our education, may it mean something
By Chelsea Kincheloe On Friday May 5th, 2017, Daraja held it’s 5th graduation ceremony. The girls have worked tirelessly over the past four years to complete their coursework and exams, as well as our unique Transition Program - which includes an internship in each girl’s chosen career path. As the graduates readied themselves
By Chelsea Kincheloe Hello everybody! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read our blog. For those of you new to Daraja Academy, Karibu! (welcome in Swahili). I encourage all newcomers to explore our beautiful new website to learn more about who we are, and how we
Last Sunday, Deborah Santana and Carl Lumbly hosted a beautiful fundraiser for Daraja Academy at Futures Without Violence in the Presidio. The evening included an incredible musical performance by Salvador Santana, and a presentation by Founders Jason and Jenni Doherty on Daraja's growth and plans for the future. A highlight of the evening was the
By Chelsea Kincheloe A haiku is a Japanese style of poem consisting of 17 syllables. Each poem is composed of three lines. You cannot go over the designated syllables in each line. The first line consists of 5 syllables, the second line 7, and the third reverts back to 5. I’ve written
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Dorm Matron, Consolata. Conso gave so freely of herself to Daraja, and worked tirelessly for girls' education until her last breath. She had the kind of mother-daughter relationship with the Daraja girls that we wish all parents could have. She was generous
By Chelsea Kincheloe Here at Daraja, the girls love to perform! Here, Edith Achieng (Form 4) performs Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson. This same poem is painted on the walls of the Daraja campus, and can be recited by almost every single Daraja girl. I saw Edith perform this poem at
One of the things that makes Daraja Academy unique is the WISH (Women of Integrity, Strength, and Hope) curriculum. This is a series of classes devoted to improving the girls’ self-esteem, self-reliance, and leadership skills. The Daraja girls take the classes for all four years of secondary school. Campus volunteer Gloria Diamond recounts her
Every day on campus, a Daraja girl hits her desk at 6AM. Aside from meals, sports, and the occasional club meeting, she stays anchored to that desk until 10PM - and that’s only because we close the classrooms down! The Daraja girls are putting everything they have into their studies, but our
