Let’s get it started…Daraja Clubs 2010!

It’s that time of the year, family! As schools begin to re-open in the US and abroad, we would love your help in launching Daraja Clubs 2010…

Through Daraja’s short time operating, we’ve learned that passionate students abroad are the best advocates for the passionate students at Daraja. Student advocates around the world helped fund many of our start-up costs. Without them, Daraja simply wouldn’t be here today.

If you are an interested student, teacher, parent or active community member, let’s get your school connected to the Daraja cause. And if you have a friend that is a teacher, student, parent or active community member, then please pass on this message and let’s get them involved! The more people we have spreading the word about the school, the stronger this organization gets. And the stronger Daraja gets, the more girls we can educate.

Our hope is to get youth ranging from elementary school to college levels involved. Students from all ages and all walks of life can make a tremendous impact on Daraja through their work.  Not only does it educate kids about another way of living in the world, it shows students at a young age that they have the power to truly make a difference.

If you’ve got that fire in you to do something, then get started! Ways to help…

Start a Daraja Club: Daraja clubs have shined as students from around the world have learned about the struggle for girls education and worked actively to fundraise for this academy. Clubs have raised money by throwing a benefit, selling products or partnering with local businesses. This year, get a Daraja club started at a school (or schools)!

“Dimes for Daraja”: Spare change can make a huge difference and this is a fantastic way for our younger advocates to get involved. After learning about the Daraja girls, kids can begin a coin drive where they get their parents, neighbors and friends involved.

Throw an event: Get together with peers to organize an event to raise awareness or to fundraise for a certain Daraja need. Past events include presenting personal Daraja volunteer experiences or fundraising for a certain need (student’s school fees for a year, water tanks, laptops, teacher’s salary…)

The possibilities are truly endless and we encourage students to think of creative ways to help. If you’ve thought of an exciting way to help, GO FOR IT! And let us know so that we can post it on the blog and encourage others to follow your lead. If you would like more information including a “How to Start a Daraja Club” brochure, fundraising material, or to submit questions/ideas, please e-mail paria@daraja-academy.org.

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Filed under Donations, News, Students, daraja : Comments (0) : Aug 31st, 2010

“The Earth & Me” Seminar: Huge Success!

“The Earth & Me”

Over their break, the Daraja students were invited for an optional two-day seminar called “The Earth & Me” held on August 21st-23rd. The goal of the seminar was to help facilitate conversation and thought concerning the very important and at times tenuous relationship that people share with the land around them.

We held our breath, as this was the first optional seminar Daraja Academy has hosted over break. We weren’t sure if anyone would show up!

The result: half the school arrived and the enthusiasm and dedication of the girls was awe-inspiring. Their questions and answers showed that they were absorbing the lessons and that they were thinking about what they were learning.

The “Earth & Me” schedule included learning the importance of compost, debating new environmental policies proposed in the freshly approved constitution, listening to presentations by researchers from the nearby Mpala Research Center, planting over twenty trees in the nearby community, just to name a few.

The girls arrived as students but they left as conservationists. The relationship between people and the environment became clearer, as did the personal and communal responsibilities humans have to protect the environment. It was a very, very powerful weekend.

To see a full timeline of events with pictures and stories, check out our “Earth & Me” photo gallery…

To get a glimpse of the dialogue that occurred throughout the weekend, read below…

The New Constitution and the Environment: 10% Tree Cover

The purpose of this portion of the program was to investigate the relationship in the new Kenyan constitution between the country, people and environment. Article 69.1 (b) of the new constitution asserts that as a country Kenya will work toward at least 10% tree cover in five years.

Article 69.1 (b)

“…work to achieve and maintain a tree cover of at least ten per cent of the land area in Kenya…”

Students were asked whether this was feasible, and if so, what each student would do “as a parliament leader, community leader and individual” to ensure the success of this ambitious proposal. Below are some of the answers that the girls presented. In true Daraja girl fashion, the students had lots of opinions and ideas…

As a Parliament leader…

-       Introduce alternate sources of energy like BioGas

-       Plant trees in government-owned, public places.

-       National Carbon Footprint: Government should monitor the trees cut due to agriculture and industries in Kenya, they should         then buy land and pay people to plant trees on that land to make up for the trees cut.

-       Design regulations and penalties on cutting down trees such as:

  • If you cut one tree, you must plant at least two trees and take care of those trees.
  • If you own land, you must have trees planted on 10% of the land.
  • If someone continually cuts trees, then their penalty will be to plant and take care of many trees. That way, the person that once cut trees will eventually build a relationship with the environment through planting and eventually understand the importance of trees.

-       Government should reclaim land and start planting:

  • The students cited the Mau Forest: The Mau Forest is 675,000 acres and it the largest water catchment in the area. Numerous rivers receive their water from this area. Seeing the destruction and potential water crisis that would arise if the forest continued to be depleted, the Kenyan government launched a multimillion dollar plan to focus on the rehabilitation of the forest.
  • Reclaiming the land and rehabilitating the forest also meant that many Kenyans would be evicted from their homes. While the students encourage further reclaiming of land for environmental purposes, they explained that the government should provide a loan for those being evicted so the residents could buy new land.

-       Provide seedlings to the people

-       Inform & educate communities, explain the importance of trees

As a community leader…

-       Educate people of the community

-       Talk to the chief to call a meeting and hold seminars

-       Talk about the future of the children and how tree planting will benefit them.

-       Create a tree nursery with community land and then sell those trees to other communities

-       Plant trees that create food for the community

-       Create local laws and community accountability

As an individual…

-       Plant a tree once per month or at least once per year

-       Plant a tree on special occasions (ie birthday)

-       Lead an educational seminar

-       Plant trees in public areas

Overall, it was a powerful weekend seminar and it was magical to see the girls truly embrace the curriculum, voice their thoughtful ideas and learn practices that would be beneficial to their own communities. Check out the “Earth & Me” gallery for a full recap of the various activities!

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Filed under Events, News, Students, Uncategorized, daraja : Comments (1) : Aug 24th, 2010

Reflections of Daraja Advocate Nancy Hanssen

Volunteer Nancy Hanssen has been to the campus twice. She is already scheduling a date for her third visit. She has been a huge proponent of this project and has worked tirelessly, in collaboration with University of San Diego, to help the academy grow.

The piece written below by Nancy documents her emotions during her very first visit last year. It was the visit that, lucky for us, solidified her bond with Daraja.

Voices of Daraja

My First Visit

By Nancy Adelle Hanssen

A flicker of lights dotted the darkness as the plane began its descent.  Nodding in and out of weariness after thirty hours of travel, a sense of serene slithered into my consciousness.  I pressed my forehead against the small, cool window and squinted trying to capture a glimpse of the countryside.  Too dark at three o’clock in the morning but in my mind I saw the rolling hills of the valleys and the umbrella tops of the acacia trees.  In my heart I heard the voices of the young women of the Daraja Academy whispering their dreams.

I am Monicah

I am from Nanyuki

I am from a land of peace and harmony

I am from dreams of adventure and listening to happily ending stories

I am she who likes music

I am from Daraja

I am Monicah

Landing jolted me back to now.  Would the Kanatco cab office still be open at this hour?  Surely, someone from the Macushla House in Karen where I was staying would notify the drivers.  The plane rolled to a stop.  Gathering my belongings, I felt myself filling with trepidation and anticipation.

As I nervously climbed into the back seat of the cab, the driver chatted with others in Swahili.  Soon the car rolled out past the Nairobi airport and I sat enveloped in darkness and quiet.  A small crack of hello in English opened a conversation about the beauty of Kenya and why I had come.

I am Benedictor

I am from Nairobi

I am from a peaceful, glad and loving family

I am from wanting to fulfill my dreams

I am from Daraja

I am Benny

The car sped but slowed over bumps in the road.  With smiles and laughter, the driver and I shared our fondness for early morning drives with no traffic.    I watched as the slums of the city made way to looming lawns and towering walls.  I thought about the power of humor to make a friend.  A wrong turn and a stop to ask a young herder walking his cow along the road, we made a u-turn. Guards in green uniforms emerged in front of the beam from headlights and pushed open the gates.  Welcomed with a smile from Helen, a cup of tea and clean bed, I fell quickly to sleep hearing words that would soon be written.

I am Everlyne

I am from a place that never stumbles

I am from the land above

I am from a village of ten clans

I am from a quiet, kind and peaceful community

I am from a dream and a wish to be

I am from Daraja

I am Everlyne

I awoke to the sound of monkeys dancing on the rooftops and the aroma of strong pressed coffee.  I also awoke with a sense of purpose.  My trip to Kenya was a gift to myself.  I dreamed of Africa at an early age and shared self-said safari stories with my father.  Now I am here. I never met and never heard Jenni and Jason Doherty speak about Daraja during their visit to the University of San Diego.  But I did hear the voices of the girls.

I am Carolyne

I am from a beautiful country Kenya

Where you can hear birds singing their sweet, melodious song

I am from poetry

I am from dreams of adventures without ending

I am from Daraja

I am Carolyne

Meeting Jenni made my heart sing.  Eternally positive, exhaustingly driven.  In her presence I felt like a tree clinging to the side of Mount Kilimanjaro.  The drive through Nairobi was nail-biting and exciting. Dear Andy, a wonderful young man you meet and immediately love, read the maps and guided the SUV dubbed Black Beautiful like a satellite.  He selected the music as we dodged and bobbed over the streets and around the matatus.  Outside of the city, the road to Nanyuki stretched long, and dusty, made comfortable by the immediate warmth and curious conversation inside.  I watched in wonder the colorful Maasai stroll along the road with their herds and watch back with wonder at me.  I closed my eyes and wished my father was here for me to tell him but I know that he could hear these same words.

I am Marylene

I am from a forest of flowers in Nyeri

I am from where rain is our daily bread

I am from hard work and a will to succeed in life

I am from love and laughter

I am from a heart that hopes for the best

I am from the beautiful world that I have made

I am from grace and I am unique

I am from Daraja

I am Marylene

A large painted white rock marks the turn in the road to Daraja.  As Black Beauty made her way to the school and the sky turned orange, I heard the faint sound of soft singing waft through the air. The gate swung open wide as did my heart that afternoon to welcome twenty six amazing young women whose voices will remain.

I am Florence

I am from Makueni

I am first born

I am from a wonderful and hard working family

I am from honesty, faith and hope

I am from fulfilling my goals

I am from music and dance

I am from loving you

Will you love me?

I am from Daraja

I am Florence

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Filed under Students, daraja : Comments (0) : Aug 10th, 2010

“Girls of Daraja” wins the Jury Prize at the Lights. Camera. Help. Film Festival!

Out of The Blue Films, Inc. debuted the “Girls of Daraja” short documentary at the Lights. Camera. Help. Nonprofit Film Festival on July 29th in Austin, TX. The result?  The film was awarded the Jury Prize and, along with raising awareness, the award grants proceeds from the event to Daraja Academy.

The event is an annual film festival focused on nonprofit and cause-driven films. The short documentary was filmed in February when director/producer Barbara Rick, cinematographer Jim Anderson, and executive producer Deborah Santana came to visit the campus.

The short version of the film has been posted on the blog before, but this extended 14 minute film includes additional animation, music and footage. You can watch the award-winning film here!

We can’t thank Out of The Blue Films, Inc. enough for making all this possible.

Filed under Events, News, Students, daraja : Comments (0) : Aug 5th, 2010

Meet Volunteer Kate Vander Ploeg: A Teacher to the Teachers

Name: Kate Vander Ploeg

Age: 24

Occupation: Teacher

Educational Background:

BA in Psychology, Stanford University ’08

Credential & Masters in Education, Stanford University ‘09

Duration of Stay at Daraja: July 13th- August 6th

How did you hear about Daraja Academy?

My dad is a friend of board member Bob Bessin. I met with Bob to talk about Daraja and he invited me to the Fund-a-Need Benefit at the end of March. I learned more about the school at the event and, by May, I was speaking to Suzanne Montgomery, the volunteer director, and we figured out a plan on what I could do while I was at Daraja. I booked my ticket for July that month.  Everything happened really fast.

What has been your role since you arrived?

I’ve been working with the teachers on how to support students with learning differences and special needs at Daraja. That includes daily lunchtime workshops where I talk about different learning modalities and types of learning ie spatial ordering versus sequential ordering, expressive language versus receptive language. As a teacher, it is a lot easier to help a student succeed once you find out the breaking point.

I have also been working with four students that the teachers have selected for me. I work with them on tutoring and I create learning profiles and management plans on the selected students for the teachers to use.

Did you arrive with any materials for your volunteer role?

Each teacher got a binder that I compiled before I came here. (See picture at the bottom of the blog post). It is a collection of resources and tools that I’ve gathered over the years.

The lunch workshops have been a place for me to go more in depth with the material I brought. My hope is to plant the seeds for the teachers during the workshops so that they are able to use these materials after I’m gone.

Has the volunteer experience been what you expected?

Yes and no. I expected Daraja to be very different from what I was used to back home and it is. I expected it to be very rewarding and it has been. But I also didn’t expect to have it to be so fulfilling and mutually beneficial working with the teachers. I’ve learned so much from them. Since this isn’t a role I normally play in the States, it’s been a nice change of pace.

What is it like working with the Daraja staff?

I think in the States, you might find some teachers who would grumble about giving up their lunch or may only see the downsides and complications with these learning strategies. The teachers here, however, are so dedicated and so motivated. They are just so excited about learning anything that could help them support their students. And when I offer suggestions, they are always eager to use them.

Have you had a chance to interact with the students?

Yes- Apart from working with the specific students assigned to me by the teachers, I help others with studying during study hall. I play sports with them, share meals with them. It’s hard not to interact with the students here. They are so excited about getting to know you and sharing who they are with you.

The Fun Stuff:

Favorite movie: Oh jeeze…. let’s come back to this one..(few minutes later) The Adventures of Milo and Otis. It’s phenomenal!

Favorite book: East of Eden by John Steinback

What was your favorite musical group when you were in junior high? *N Sync

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Thailand because I hear the culture, food and festivals are amazing.

You’re about to make your way down the green mile, what do you have as your last meal? Thanksgiving dinner with extra stuffing.

Who is the person you respect the most and why? My mom and dad. They have always encouraged me to follow my own path and they have shown me what it means to have a spirit of generosity.

What do you think is the secret to a good life? Loving and respecting others. There are so many ways to go about living in this world and the sooner that you realize that and appreciate that, the more satisfied you will be with your own life.

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Filed under News, daraja : Comments (0) : Aug 4th, 2010

August 4th: Kenyans to vote “Yes” or “No” to proposed constitution

On August 4th, a referendum will be held in Kenya to approve or disapprove of the new proposed constitution. The draft was passed in parliament in April but Kenyan citizens will decide whether to formerly adopt this new legislation on Wednesday.

“Yes” and “No” campaigns have been going strong for the past few months and tomorrow citizens will solidify their voice. Current polls have “Yes” campaigns leading by more than half.

Copies of the proposed constitution are available at the Daraja Academy library and the academy hopes to hold a school-wide debate this Wednesday in light of the vote.  A follow-up blog post will include report on the debate and student perspectives on this exciting time in Kenyan history.

Facts about the proposed constitution:

  • The proposed constitution will significantly reduce powers of the Kenyan president and create greater balance among the different branches of government
  • Voters will have the ability to recall MPs if they are not performing their job adequately.
  • A land commission would be created and any land illegally acquired could be repossessed. Land owned by foreigners will have leases limited to 99 years.
  • Key members of the “Yes” campaign: Current President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga
  • Key members of the “No” campaign: Minister for Higher Education William Ruto, former president Daniel arap Moi, most Church leaders and numerous parliament members
  • Controversial issues include:
    • Abortion clause: Current legality of abortion does not change but opponents argue that the abortion clause in the constitution provides a loophole for the future.
    • Inclusion of Kadhi family courts: The Muslim courts have been in place since independence. The constitution would continue to recognize the Kadhi courts despite a recent court case that ruled the courts discriminatory, in a case brought by Christian churches.
    • The Land clause: Any type of land policies has a tendency to ignite ethnic rivalries over land disputes.

United States Involvement:

  • According to a report by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States has spent an estimated $23 million toward the referendum
  • US Vice President Joe Biden visited Kenya in June specifically to urge Kenyans to vote and to emphasize the power of economic change this new legislation could bring:
    • “Putting in place a new constitution, strengthening democracy and the rule of law will further open up doors for more American programs which will bring about more investments.”
    • Because the constitution would greatly limit those currently in power, the authenticity of support from top government officials has been questioned. But according to sources in one of Biden’s State House meetings, the US would use it’s technology to find out the truth. An article in Kenya’s Daily Naiton reports, “The information, sources said, would be used to blacklist such leaders as anti-reformists who the US would not work with even if they succeed to take over the leadership of the country in future.”

Safety:

  • The government has sent out special force of 10,000 officers to the Rift Valley, a potentially tumultuous area, in an attempt to prevent any violence.
  • Two MPs and an assistant minister have been arrested for hate speech in the “No” campaign after violence occurred in Nairobi last month. The severe consequences have been a testament to the tough stance the government is taking to prevent a repeat of violence that occurred during the last elections.  (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10316297)
  • Youth gathered in Mombasa for a peace rally (http://tinyurl.com/39w7yz4)
  • Overall, the country’s sentiment is that peace will prevail during this Wednesday’s voting.

To learn more, we urge you to check out the links below. The last link includes a PDF version of the proposed constitution:


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Filed under Events, News : Comments (0) : Aug 2nd, 2010

Big News- Water Project: Completed!

The Water Project, also know as Project Kibuki Maji, has officially been completed! Thanks to our dedicated donors, the project has provided campus with:

-       Two new water tanks that hold a combined amount of over 340,000 liters (89,000 gallons) of water

-       Brand new piping system for the existing water tanks

-       Water pumps

The academy hired George, a local contractor, to complete the job and his workers managed to finish in just a few months. The speed of the progress was astounding!  You can follow the project’s evolution and see the finished product in the photo album here.

Huge thank you to all those that donated in support of this project! The stabilization of water provides security that we will have enough water to sustain the expanding student body and that, despite any drought, the academy can continue running. Both essential ingredients to the school’s expansion and longevity.

Big, big thank you to our Daraja family for supporting this growing school!

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Filed under Donations, daraja : Comments (0) : Aug 1st, 2010

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