What’s it like to be a student at Daraja Academy? Sophomore student Maureen, pictured above, provides a glimpse into her life:

Monday, November 22nd

6:00 am: Wake Up!

6:00 am – 7:00 am: Dress in school uniform and do my duties like cleaning my dorm room, which I share with three other students.

7:00 am – 7:30 am:  Have breakfast: Uji (traditional Kenyan breakfast porridge), an egg and a banana.

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Assembly. We raise the Kenyan flag and sing the national anthem.

8:00 am – 8:45 am: A lesson for English. We have review because final exams begin Thursday.

8:45 am – 9:30 am: A lesson for Geography where we review lessons about the Earth and the land forming processes.

9:30 am – 10:15 am:  A lesson for history where we learn about the consitution of Kenya and democracy. More review.

10:15 am – 10:30 am: Have a short break.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm: A biology lesson where we review past lessons about animals and nature.

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm: Music lesson. We have the first part of our final today. We have to sing a song for the teacher and keep the right keys.

12:45 pm – 1:45 pm: Have lunch that is rice with bean stew.

1:45 pm – 2:30 pm: A chemistry lesson where we review salts, chemicals, and gases.

2:30 pm – 2:13 pm: A Swahili lesson where we read Shayaris (poetry). We read a Shayari about HIV/AIDs and answered questions. Then we review for the final.

3:15 pm – 4:00 pm: A math lesson where we review for the final.

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Listen to speaker Darcy Ogada teach us about vultures (Darcy is a researcher at the nearby Mpala Research Centre and Wildlife Foundation)

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Free time.

6:00 pm – 7: 00 pm: Have dinner of ugali and cabbage.

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Study hall. This is where we do homework.

9:30 pm – 10:00 pm: Prepare for bed and lights go off.