At 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 20, Daraja’s Form 4s sat for their business exam, the final of twenty exams. Two and a half hours later, Daraja’s teachers and administration convened outside Exam Room 5, and entered the room just as test administrators finished collecting the papers. “You’re done,” said the administrator, and a loud
Writing sponsor letters has been an important Daraja tradition for the last four years. At the end of each term, once the girls have finished their exams, they gather to prepare letters to send to their (mostly) U.S. sponsors. These letters usually include a piece of artwork created by each girl, and two photos with
Girls at Daraja were understandably nervous before their first KCSE exam on October 26, because a student’s KCSE score determines whether she will be eligible to attend university or college, and whether or not she receives government sponsorship (i.e. loan eligibility). Without at least a B+, students are not likely to receive monetary support from
“This test defines the life of a person after school in Kenya. That is unfortunately how the system here is designed. You can be exceptionally smart, but if you cannot perform on [the KCSE], it means nothing.” - Charles Mbuto, Dean of Academics What are the KCSEs, and why are they so important? KCSE stands for
400 people gathered at Daraja Saturday to give Form 4s encouragement for their remaining 18 KCSE exams. All Daraja girls woke early and were preparing for the day by 8:00 a.m., chopping vegetables and meat, washing dishes, mopping floors, sweeping dirt paths, and setting up chairs. Guests began arriving at 9:00, and girls waited by the gate
“What is it about a fourteen-year-old educated girl that is so scary to a man with a gun?” asked Daraja Academy cofounder Jason Doherty Monday night when Daraja girls gathered to learn about and show their support for Malala Yousafzai. On October 9th, the Taliban attempted to assassinate fourteen-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala for promoting girls’
At 4 p.m. on October 11th, all 104 Daraja students met in the patio for a special forum in honor of International Day of the Girl. One student from each wrote a speech about a specific topic: Zaituna (F1) : Why are girls important? “Girls have a big role in their community,” she said. “The
Girls enjoy free time, Campus says goodbye to Andy Harley, and Students head home for break Students enjoy a few days without class: With the end of final exams, students had the opportunity to have some fun around campus. Art and dance classes, hair braiding, and WISH were some of the fun activities the girls did.
Family Trees Provide Comfort and Learning Opportunities When a new Daraja girl arrives on reporting day, it is a big change in her life. It is one of happiest days of her life, but also an overwhelming one. Thankfully, the first person to welcome her to campus is her new big sister. Each new student
Students compete in music and sports competitions, Form 2s host Health Day, University of San Diego works with teachers. Students Compete in Music and Sports Competitions 42 Daraja students competed in sports and music competitions over the past weekend with great success. 30 students traveled to Narok in Southwestern Kenya to compete at the District
Daraja girls learn how to use iPods in the classroom Tuesday was an exciting day at Daraja as the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences presented the teachers with iPads and Form 1 students with iPods. The goal of the new technology is to provide students and teachers with an environment
Daraja and Marin Academy students work together to facilitate campus-wide water audit, W.I.S.H. classes In their 3rd consecutive annual summer visit to campus led by Daraja board member Mark (and wife, Johanna) Stefanski, the Marin Academy of California arrived last week to facilitate W.I.S.H. classes, collaborate on a water audit project, co-instruct computer classes, and
