Daraja Academy provides full scholarships to every girl we admit. Instead of paying money, each student commits to volunteer 30 hours of community service every year they spend at Daraja. We believe that by teaching girls that they’re responsible for giving back and solving problems in their communities, they’ll start to see themselves as leaders in their communities (and they’re not the only ones who will start to see them as leaders!)

Over the years, Daraja girls have been involved in many different community service projects. They’ve tutored struggling students, volunteered in hospitals and clinics, and participated in environmental clean-up initiatives. They’ve taught their own lessons from W.I.S.H. classes on themes such as human rights and women’s empowerment, to groups of girls in their own communities. They’ve held workshops in community centers, churches, and mosques on topics as diverse as H.I.V. prevention and sustainable farming techniques.

To date, the largest group taught by a Daraja girl had 140 participants at a seminar on HIV/AIDS Education in the small city of Kitale in Western Kenya. Another student gathered garbage in her town center by herself, only to have her entire community – from children to elders – turn up to help clean up their neighborhood.

Daraja girls “pay back” the school by giving back and becoming leaders in their communities. We think it’s a fair price.