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The Need for WATER at Daraja
Eunice and Mary P. returning from the Daraja Academy borehole.
I hate being away from campus when we have guests. Seeing the campus through their eyes is both thrilling and motivating. Unfortunately, due to extra costs associated with start-up, I was fund raising in the states when “Nancy and Sue” (her friend and fellow educator) visited Daraja Academy.
After returning to Daraja, I heard so many stories about “Sue-and-Nancy”, “Nancy-and-Sue” from the teachers and students that today I think back on their visit like I was here with them. The professional development work that they did with Daraja’s teachers was as valuable as the real friendships they made with the students.
Everything could have stopped their impact would have been great, but Daraja is contagious and Nancy Hanssen clearly caught the bug and has passed it on to at least two of her friends, Karen Collins and Fred Essig, who have yet to visit the school but are working to help it none the less. Several Rotary Clubs in the San Diego area understand need and have volunteered their help, members of Nancy’s husband Jack’s Naval Academy classmates in an afternoon contributed $500
Please read Nancy’s words below and know that nothing is exaggerated. Water is so important to the success of Daraja Academy’s. It affects every part of the school: the meals, the hygiene, the physical campus and the student’s health. A constant source of water would allow us to grow more of our own food – teaching the girls environmentally friendly techniques while GREATLY reducing our weekly food bills.
Once again, it isn’t nice to think of the devastating effect that drought has on a region like ours, but as I’ve said many times, our struggles a real and we a small window into what much of the world is experiencing. With your help we can make a difference.
The Need for Water at Daraja Academy
Nancy Hanssen
Prior to spending two weeks working with the teachers and young women of Daraja, I thought nothing of letting gallons of water spin down the drain while waiting for hot water for my shower. A thirst for water is easily quenched but not if it has to be pumped from a borehole and boiled.
I brought only a few bottles of water with me to Daraja and little did I know that I would use that water not only for drinking but to bathe. The water that flows into the pipes on campus is a trickle of dirty water for a shower. In my small hut I had a flushing toilet and with guilt, in the evenings, I saw the glow from flashlights as the girls made their way to the latrines that were dug to conserve water.
Daraja relies on water from the Ewaso Nanyuki River, rain and run-off. Daraja is a victim of drought, water siphoned off up-stream, and disease.
The need for an education is a dream for these girls. The need for water is a necessity to sustain their dreams.
The major determinate for the expansion of the Daraja Academy is having access to and availability of fresh water. A team of project managers and civil engineers are actively involved in and are donating their time and travel to the process of finding more water for Daraja. The team’s preliminary calculations estimate $25,000 to $30,000 is needed to find a sustainable source of fresh water for Daraja. Your donation will go to the direct costs of this project (permits, licenses, materials and local labor).
Please join our team.
There isn’t much more to say than that, except that Nancy’ team deserves your assistance! The great part is… anybody can get involved. People have helped Daraja in SO MANY WAYS: organizing a goods drive, a remarkable middle school girl in Northern California raised over $2,000 selling baked goods and informing about the cause, another group of driven students at Hogan High raised as much simply by leading a coin drive in the classrooms of the school. Offices have pooled funds to help the girls of Daraja, families have done the same and of course individual’s contributions are always appreciated.
If I have learned one thing since starting Daraja Academy it is that things like this CAN be accomplished. If enough people believe that these deserving young ladies deserve healthy, clean water, then it will happen.
Thank you for caring,
Jason Doherty
Tags: Carr Cavender, Nancy Hanssen, USD, Water
Filed under From the Founder, Uncategorized :
Comments (1) :
Jan 12th, 2010
The Need for WATER at Daraja
Making a connection with my Alma Mater, University of San Diego has been priceless for Daraja Academy’s development. USD’s School of Leadership and Educational Studies named Daraja Academy 2008 partner of the year, Dean Cordiero has directed several book drives which raised both funds and awareness for our cause. Our girls were fortunate to spend much of this summer learning about confidence, individuality and Drama skills from USD under grad Carr Cavender. Plans that will allow USD graduate students study abroad at the campus are currently worked out… and last summer, USD Professor of Education Nancy Hanssen visited us.
I hate being away from campus when we have guests. Seeing the campus through their eyes is both thrilling and motivating. Unfortunately, due to extra costs associated with start-up, I was fund raising in the states when “Nancy and Sue” (her friend and fellow educator) visited Daraja Academy.
After returning to Daraja, I heard so many stories about “Sue-and-Nancy”, “Nancy-and-Sue” from the teachers and students that today I think back on their visit like I was here with them. The professional development work that they did with Daraja’s teachers was as valuable as the real friendships they made with the students.
Everything could have stopped their impact would have been great, but Daraja is contagious and Nancy Hanssen clearly caught the bug and has passed it on to at least two of her friends, Karen Collins and Fred Essig, who have yet to visit the school but are working to help it none the less. Several Rotary Clubs in the San Diego area understand need and have volunteered their help, members of Nancy’s husband Jack’s Naval Academy classmates in an afternoon contributed $500
Please read Nancy’s words below and know that nothing is exaggerated. Water is so important to the success of Daraja Academy’s. It affects every part of the school: the meals, the hygiene, the physical campus and the student’s health. A constant source of water would allow us to grow more of our own food – teaching the girls environmentally friendly techniques while GREATLY reducing our weekly food bills.
Once again, it isn’t nice to think of the devastating effect that drought has on a region like ours, but as I’ve said many times, our struggles a real and we a small window into what much of the world is experiencing. With your help we can make a difference.
The Need for Water at Daraja Academy
Nancy Hanssen
Prior to spending two weeks working with the teachers and young women of Daraja, I thought nothing of letting gallons of water spin down the drain while waiting for hot water for my shower. A thirst for water is easily quenched but not if it has to be pumped from a borehole and boiled.
I brought only a few bottles of water with me to Daraja and little did I know that I would use that water not only for drinking but to bathe. The water that flows into the pipes on campus is a trickle of dirty water for a shower. In my small hut I had a flushing toilet and with guilt, in the evenings, I saw the glow from flashlights as the girls made their way to the latrines that were dug to conserve water.
Daraja relies on water from the Ewaso Nanyuki River, rain and run-off. Daraja is a victim of drought, water siphoned off up-stream, and disease.
The need for an education is a dream for these girls. The need for water is a necessity to sustain their dreams.
The major determinate for the expansion of the Daraja Academy is having access to and availability of fresh water. A team of project managers and civil engineers are actively involved in and are donating their time and travel to the process of finding more water for Daraja. The team’s preliminary calculations estimate $25,000 to $30,000 is needed to find a sustainable source of fresh water for Daraja. Your donation will go to the direct costs of this project (permits, licenses, materials and local labor).
Please join our team.
There isn’t much more to say than that, except that Nancy’ team deserves your assistance! The great part is… anybody can get involved. People have helped Daraja in SO MANY WAYS: organizing a goods drive, a remarkable middle school girl in Northern California raised over $2,000 selling baked goods and informing about the cause, another group of driven students at Hogan High raised as much simply by leading a coin drive in the classrooms of the school. Offices have pooled funds to help the girls of Daraja, families have done the same and of course individual’s contributions are always appreciated.
If I have learned one thing since starting Daraja Academy it is that things like this CAN be accomplished. If enough people believe that these deserving young ladies deserve healthy, clean water, then it will happen.
Thank you for caring,
Jason Doherty
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Jan 12th, 2010
A Volunteer’s Voice: Sarah Montgomery
Hello from Daraja…again! The past few days have been great! I finished the soccer (football) classes which were extremely successful. The girls were into every game and put in more effort than I see in the states. I have still not gotten used to the time difference and waking up at 2:30am or 4:30am is not the best for energy, but the sounds outside are unlike anywhere else. We have had some rain, but far form the amount we need. The river rose only a little after about 1 hour of heavy rain over three days. The food has only gotten better and Ruth, the cook, continues to shock me with the numerous ways she cooks maze, rice, beans, and vegetables. The children of the staff are so, so cute. They loved it when I kicked the soccer ball straight up into the air.
I could not have imagined the soccer classes going any better. The first day, the girls worked on passing, which after practice over the four days, the girls only used the inside of their foot, not their toe. The second day went just as well, except the second class was cut short by the rain (not a bad thing, great in fact!). Each day before I was on the field, the girls would already be juggling and trying to beat their record from the previous day – passion you cannot teach.
We have really practiced dribbling, only a few of the girls really knew how to dribble, a vital technique in soccer. However, once I showed them some moves and how to use all parts of their foot, they became naturals. I also taught them soccer tennis (tennis on a volleyball court, but with your feet). They absolutely loved it. When it was time to switch classes, they did not want to leave. The first times they tried were hard because you really have to communicate with your team about who is going to the ball and you also have to watch how hard you hit the ball, the two areas I though the girls needed the most help. But after some practice, they began calling for the ball and watching their weight of the pass and I noticed in the game that instead of playing kickball, which happened the first day, they settled the ball and passed on the ground.
The third day, we began with juggling, passing, and dribbling again, but I could already tell the girls had improved and really wanted to get better. We then worked on shooting. At first, the balls were too high or off to the side, but after practicing, the majority of the balls went into the net. The girls loved to play goalies against one another. On the last day, we just practiced all the previous drills, but we had a contest of which girl has the least number of goals scored against them and they absolutely loved it!
The culmination of the four days ended in a full-length, 90 min, 11 vs. 11 game. Prior to the classes, many of the teachers were commenting that one group had all the good soccer players and they would win. Although they did win 1-0 off a free kick in the last ten minutes, the game was much closer than I, or any of the staff thought. It was back and forth. The girls put in so much effort. They go to every ball. Fight until someone falls over or is completely exhausted.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the classes or the game turning out as well as they did!
As the girls were on mid-term break while I taught the soccer, they also had a lot of free time for other activities. One night we watched a taped game from the WUSA in 2001. It was the final between the Bay Area CyberRays and the Atlanta Beat. The girls never heard of either team or the league, but as soon as the game began, they chose a team to cheer for and were more excited than I was when I watched the game live in 2001. When the game went into penalty kicks, every time a goal was scored or saved, the girls jumped up and began screaming and cheering like I have never seen. Another night, we played improv games, which the girls loved, but had a very hard time with. It was a different manner of thinking for them. They were mostly concentration games. One in particular, you had to hold hands and pass a hand squeeze around the entire circle. Sounds easy to us, however, after numerous tries the girls struggled to pass it around the entire circle. This new manner of thinking, although difficult for the girls, will immensely help them in their way of thinking.
I have really gotten to know the girls and on Tuesday, they had their WISH class (Women of Integrity, Strength, and Hope). It was a truly amazing experience. I learned more about the personal lives of the girls and where they came from, who they are, and who they want to become. Most of the girls want to be doctors, however; only a handful will actually become one. Others wanted to be singers, lawyers, teachers, or accountants. The majority only want to have a few children because they want to work for most of their life, which is only practical with just a few children, unlike the families they are in, with as many as 9 other siblings. The girls also spoke about their primary schools. Most found it fun and enjoyable as there was less pressure than there currently is in secondary school. Many of the girls had to leave their home as early as 6am in order to walk miles to their school. The girls also shared when they began cooking for their families, many were around 5th or 6th grade, but a few began at 2nd grade, which is about 7 years old.
The girls also had to come up with 3 pieces of advice to give to a primary school student. Here are a few: “Never give up. Be disciplined. Work hard. Be self-confident. Believe you can do anything. Avoid bad company. Be attentive. Improve talents. Respect Elders. Be wise in your choices.” Many of these were repeated multiple times. Through WISH, I also learned that a few of the girls did not have either parent any more, whether though AIDS, a hit-and-run, or Meningitis. Until the WISH experience, I didn’t understand where the girls had come from and how different Daraja is for them.
The Daraja experience has been unbelievable. I wish I could stay all summer and I will definitely be back! The girls are amazing as are the staff and teachers. Although I don’t see the poverty and dire situations the girls have come from, I see the difficulty they have here and I can’t compare it to anything. The girls have lived off the land all their life, none of them have been out of Kenya or even their home village (except for Daraja).
This trip has been more than I wished for and I can’t believe it is almost over. I would recommend coming and getting to know the girls any day!
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (2) : Jun 19th, 2009
A Volunteer’s Voice: Claire Watson
A week has passed by since my arrival. The first day at Daraja felt a little fuzzy. I was tired, sick of plane and car rides and frankly nervous as twenty six girls stared at me as we entered the dining hall. The next day, Jenni took us into Nanyuki (the local town). We visited a local bakery called La Boulangerie (Sp?) and drank mango juice (yum!). I thought the name was pretty funny. Afterwards, we visited two grocery markets, both catered to foreigners. The first grocery market was a mixture of a 99cents store and a supermarket. They sold everything from bedding to chips. After exiting the store, we were approached by two little boys begging for money. Later, I learned that they snort glue or even garbage to make the begging a little easier.
The fun part of the trip was watching Jenni. She walked confidently through Nanyuki and everyone seemed to know her especially a group of guys selling pirated movies!
Over the last four days, Sarah (Montgomery) and I taught soccer and art classes. The girls were divided into two groups: the “A’s” and the “B’s” groupings, and we both shared an hour with each group.
CLAIRE’S DARAJA ACADEMY ART CAMP!: I started off with drawing exercises that focused on looking… For the first class, I set up a still life. I don’t think many of the girls liked it, so for the second class, I asked different girls to model for the class. They seemed to enjoy it a little bit more. After that class, I changed the curriculum around based on their skill level and what I thought they liked. On the third day, I took the girls up to Jenni’s house which has a panoramic view of the whole campus. We worked on landscape drawing and watercolor. That was the first day I started to spot their creativity.
Every painting had bright and cheerful colors; one of the girls actually put a hippo into their painting! In the afternoon, during the second class, it rained, so we moved inside to Jenni’s living room. I think that was the first class I felt comfortable. They tried to teach me a Kikuyu song (the same song we danced to the night before) and laughed at my pronunciation. In return, I tried to teach them the only Chinese song I know. We didn’t get passed the first line, but it was still fun. I think what also helped was the music, after Beyonce was turned on, everyone was singing “to the left to the left”, even Andy.
On the third day, I focused on perspective drawing and mark-making. I think only about half of the students really got the idea of perspective, but it went better than I thought it would. For the mark-making part, I passed out animal books and ask them to pick an animal and draw it. After that, I asked them to outline the animal and encouraged them to make different marks on their animal. The animal drawings are AMAZING! I got really excited by the results, so I decided to challenge them more by doing self portraitures. I think it was a little too hard.
Overall, I think the girls improved; I definitely can spot some talent. Most of the girls were not exposed to art, so they struggled with it for the first few days.
They are also developing a sketch book habit. I was so excited when I walked into class one day, and they were voluntarily drawing in their sketch book. Also, the girls began to open up to me which was great because I definitely enjoyed the classes more. In the first day of class, everyone was so silent, but thankfully, by the end of the last class, they were talking, singing, and picking songs from my iPod. Personally, I struggled with the communication. Some of the concepts like perspective were really hard for me to put into words. Also, being a relatively shy person, it was nerve racking to stand up and teach.
At night, Sarah and I truly built a bridge with Daraja and the girls. Saturday night, we started off with a name game (which I failed miserably and got out in the first round), and afterwards they taught us a Kikuyu dance. On top of that, they performed a Massai dance and a skit. We also did an improv night, but I think Sarah is going to talk about it more in her BLOG.
The food here is amazing. I think that is one of the things I am going to miss most about Daraja Academy. I have gotten used to eating Uji for breakfast, and last night I had this amazing pancake like dish (sorry I forgot the name). Trust me it was delicious!!! YUMMY!
I definitely thought this trip was way too short. Just when I started to get the hang of campus, I realized we were leaving in a few days!!
It is even worse when students come up to Sarah and I and tell us that they thought we were staying longer, and to watch them shake their heads as we tell them that we are only staying for a few more days. It’s weird. I know we are in Africa, but when I am at Daraja, it doesn’t feel like Africa. Only when we step outside of campus do I feel like we are in Africa. I think part of the reason is because Jenni and Jason built a family called Daraja, and when I am inside that family, it feels like home. Daraja is an experience I will never forget, and I thank the Daraja family (the students, faculty, administrators, cooks, guards, and children) for making it memorable.
Thank You!
[STRAIGHT FROM THE SOUL OF THE FOUNDER OF DARAJA - CLAIRE, THANK YOU! I TYPE WITH TEARS IN MY EYES. YOU HAVE MADE DARAJA BETER BECAUSE YOUR HEART HAS BEEN ON CAMPUS AND BECAUSE YOU ARE, YOU!]
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Jun 17th, 2009
Daraja in Unison
Hello from the Daraja Academy campus. It’s Friday morning and the campus is buzzing, preparing for the end of the first term. Incredibly Term 1 will wrap up with 4 days of intensive examinations—starting Monday morning, the girls of Daraja Academy will sit through 9 two-hour assessments in Physics, English, Algebra, Business Studies, Swahili, Biology, History, Chemistry, and Music.
Based on what I have seen in the classroom, I would be very surprised if the students didn’t shine on their exams. Our small class sizes, coupled with weekly tutoring sessions with the MS Kenya/Global Platform volunteers gives them an academic advantage they’ve never had before.
The girls have also requested to have a going away party/talent show on the last night of the term. The idea started a few weeks ago when the Daraja students were invited to the Global Platform (the fancy name for the 2 dorms and 3 rondavels on the southwest corner of Daraja’s campus where the MS Kenya volunteers from Denmark stay) to watch and learn traditional Maasai songs and dances. Our students LOVED IT! The girls were up and dancing regardless of tribe. In fact, thus far I believe Daraja’s strength is the eagerness of our girls to learn, and teach, about Kenya’s diverse tribes.
Catherine's solo during traditional Maasai song.
The day after the dancers visited, I heard a quiet, but beautiful tune coming from the girls’ dorm. Looking into the lounge, a few girls were completing a science project while 2 others lay across two of the couches reading. The sound was coming form the direction of the students’ rooms.
Between 6:30 and 7pm, before the generator has been turned on, the dorm is very oddly lit. The rooms on the eastern side of the building are almost totally dark. While those catching the last rays of the suns’ descent on the western side glows like liquid gold… and that is where the music was coming from.
The only sunlit room large enough to hold 10+ students is the communal bathroom. Betty, one of the students, decided to teach a group of students a traditional Meru song and dance that looked similar to a very complicated congo line. The girls wound in, out, and around the sinks and showers calling out and responding like old pros to a song they’d only just learned.
I was so impressed that at the end, I clapped and bellowed “All Right!”, which sent the students screaming, shocked and embarrassed, into a dozen different directions. However once calm returned, they were abuzz:
“Mr. D, Mr. D, we want to do a show!”
“Mr. D, Marylene, Emily, and I want to write a play!”
“Mr. D, Mr. D, Mr. D…”
So as it stands—Daraja Academy’s first talent night will happen one week from today after 26 girls, who only 3 months ago never thought they would be in secondary school, complete their finals. Girls will sing ancient songs using words they only recently learned. Students from historically hostile tribes will move their feet together in unison. And in unison they will smile, and I will cry, and the world will be right.
Thank you for supporting Daraja Academy.
Jason Doherty
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (1) : Mar 27th, 2009
A Very Daraja Moment
After breakfast and lunch, on their way back to the classroom blocks, the girls walk past a huge island of vegetation. Orange, purple and coral colored bougainvilleas adorn an enormous section of cacti. Whether it is one or 20 is hard to know since they have been growing together for years. About 15 feet above the ground beautiful white flowers about the size of a child’s hand begin to dot the stovepipe-shaped cactus stalks.
After ringing the bell that releases the students from 6th period, I met up with several of the teachers to discuss the morning’s lessons. Usually our students rush to the dining hall in an attempt to commandeer one of the front spots in the lunch line. One student was not in a rush.
Benedictor is a young lady who grew up in the Nairobi slum of Kibera. She has a quick sense of humor and innate leadership skills. On this day, she had rooted herself right in the middle of our route to the dining hall. Timing is everything and Benedictor timed her question well, waiting just a little longer than most of the semi-nervous students would have, staring up at the cactus, she asked her query.
“Where did the flowers go? They were there this morning, but now they have gone. Why?” She contorted her face into a questioning knot after releasing that last ‘why.’
Teachers often speak of turning the students into life long learners, which is basically “education speak” for curious. Growing up in the clutch of humanity that is the slum of Kibera, Benny hadn’t had the opportunity to be curious about surrounding plants or animals. But now, she was curious.
Our resident biology teacher and plant expert, Mr. Charles nearly broke into a run to cover the remaining five feet between him and our student. “What a wonderful question!”
He proceeded to explain to Benedictor that in the early part of the day, the flowers open allowing insects the chance to eat and thusly pollinate the cactus and surrounding cacti. However, in very dry areas as the day grows hotter, the flowers close so that they do not lose extra moisture.
The answer sunk in and seemed to make sense to the budding naturalist, who then turned to me, smiled and said, “Mr. D, your shoe is not tied.”
Though classes have only been going for a week, there are some girls at Daraja who are WELL on their way to being life long learners.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (3) : Mar 11th, 2009
A Brand New Baby School
Congratulations family and loved ones!
It is with an extremely proud heart and a deep sense of gratitude, that I can announce that a brand new baby school has joined the world. On the 2nd of March 2009 at 8:00am 26 girls began their first day of secondary school at the Daraja Academy 20 kms Northwest of Nanyuki, Kenya. Under the loving tutelage of Mrs. Mwangi: math, business studies and geography, Ms. Catherine: English, Swahili and music, Mr. Charles: biology, chemistry and physics, headmaster of Mr. D (Doherty doesn’t exactly roll off the African tongue) teaching history and government, Ms. Mary: Christian religious studies, Ms. Amena: Islamic religious studies and Andy Harley teaching PE and organizing the library… we have a living, breathing, laughing school!!!
Without the tireless and frankly courageous support of our incredible board, family and supporters there is no way this dream could have taken shape. So after ignoring cynics, three years of HARD work, tens of thousands of miles of travel and the support of countless friends and family, there is a Daraja Academy, it is on the map and it is open!
On February 26th the young ladies who had been picked to become Daraja Academy’s inaugural class began trickling into Nanyuki town from locations across Kenya. Girls traveled from the arid town of Makindu near the coast. They journeyed across the Great Rift Valley from the region of Pokot in the far western highlands. Three of them woke at 4 am with one of their mothers in the slum of Kibera and walking an hour in the dark to Nairobi’s enormous bus depot to get here. They were all excited, a little bit nervous and all of them are totally amazing.
By 3pm last Thursday all had arrived. They were assigned roommates, dorm rooms, uniforms and given a few hours to get settled. The girls are arranged three or four girls to a room. At Daraja we view Kenya’s tribal diversity as a positive and make every effort to celebrate it rather than ignore it. The students are arranged so that no two girls sharing the same tribal mother tongue are roomed together. So in any room you might find a Kamba, Luhya, Kuria and Boran boarding together. We thought that this might take some adjusting, but were very wrong. Girls from opposite sides of the country were literally holding hands walking to the dining hall the first night. After all of the bad press Kenya received last years concerning violent tribal clashes seeing these young women bond so quickly was a dream come true.
During the first few days before classes started, the girls played soccer and netball, they sang songs and had a Daraja Dance party (including a few heated rounds of musical chairs to the tunes of the Black Eyed Peas), they checked out books from the growing school library that had been donated by so many Daraja supporters, had two movie nights where they watched Beauty and the Beast and Step Up respectively and basically got to know each other and the campus.
Now that our laptop has been vaccinated and cured of its nasty virus (cross your fingers) blogs will appear much more regularly. Thank you for believing in us as well as your understanding. Please check out our next few blogs about the beginning of classes and Marin artist Brenda Shernbum’s time with the students.
Thanks for your support.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (2) : Mar 4th, 2009
