Studies at Daraja go well beyond the required curriculum for Kenyan secondary schools. This week, the girls got started on their extracurricular clubs and pushed a little further into their WISH classes (Women of Integrity, Strength and Hope). New clubs – Special clubs started up for Term 3 this week. The girls had a choice
The Kenyan parliament passed a bill this month to end female genital mutilation in the country. Carol, a Form 1 student at Daraja, wrote about why this bill is important to Kenyan girls and women. “Weep not child,” Kenya consoles its treasure Carol I think this is a great step by the Kenyan
"I want to fight for the rights of women and get into politics.” This comes from 17-year-old Daraja student, Grace. Last week, she and fellow student, Leila, traveled from Daraja to the city of Nakuru, about four hours away from campus. They attended a conference on women’s opportunities in politics under Kenya’s new constitution put on
Daraja is in the swing of third term already! This week, the girls hit the field for friendly football matches, played games with some new friends and wished two of their classmates a safe journey as they traveled to represent Daraja at a conference. GROOTS – Leila and Grace were selected to attend
Daraja is a little village – with students, teachers, staff and volunteers calling campus home. There are also as many as 25 young children – the sons and daughters of teachers and staff – living on the property. Some are here year-round, others just for school breaks. They give an incredible young energy to campus
When the Daraja girls are home for term break they are required to commit between five and ten hours to their communities. The girls get to choose where they do their community service: some work in local hospitals – mopping floors, directing visitors to patients, or fetching water – others volunteer in churches or dispensaries.
Welcome back girls! – After a month off school, all of the girls were reunited on campus safe and sound last weekend. They spent the weekend together catching up on what they did over their holidays and getting ready for the start of the new term. We’re thrilled to have everyone back together and working
To keep the quality of education at Daraja in top shape, our teachers are often going through professional development exercises – either with other Kenyan teachers, or with volunteers that visit campus. Volunteer Sue August worked with the teachers early this year to help them identify their learning styles. She provided questionnaires which the teachers
When the Daraja girls are asked who their role models are, you can be sure that Nurse/Counselor Jacinta’s name will come up. She’s a woman who has risen to all of life’s challenges and chased down her dreams. But most importantly, she’s a woman who understands the situations that some Kenyan girls are put in.
Bridge building – Jason’s dad, Jack Doherty, along with volunteer Alex Rodondi and head of maintenance Peter Rutere, have been hard at work down at the river. They’ve built a bridge to connect the Daraja neighborhood with the nearest village, Naibor. Naibor hosts an important Saturday market but has been connected to the Daraja side
Volunteer Maggie Gaughran gave six Daraja girls the opportunity to learn skills that can lead to immediate employment – training to become CPR instructors. The group was chosen based on their submission of a one-paragraph application explaining why the wanted to take the course. Here’s an excerpt from Alice N. and Teddy’s applications. “When I
When Marin Academy visited campus in June, they helped the Daraja girls produce an all-student newsletter – Your News, My Views. A team of student photographers, writers, editors and layout designers worked together with the help of Steve and Jono Disenhof, Megan Kallstrom and media club leader Maria Kelly. It was a great opportunity for
