Posts Tagged ‘Woodside Priory’
A Volunteers Voice: Sarah Montgomery
Hello from Kenya!
Soccer clinic tomorrow at Daraja!!!
My name is Sarah Montgomery and I am currently visiting the Daraja Academy along with my friend Claire Watson and my mother Suzanne. Claire and I just graduated from Woodside Priory School where Mark Lukach and Bob Bessin, two board members, teach. Claire and I planned this trip as our senior project. Tomorrow, we will begin teaching the girls art and soccer (football in Kenya). We arrived yesterday after traveling for 3 days from San Francisco through London, to Nairobi and driving to Daraja. We are a little jet lagged, but it is very relaxing here and there is plenty of down time. It took us 4 hours to get to the school from Nairobi (a route that normally takes 2.5 hours), however; we got a good taste of Nairobi and the surrounding areas. Driving is very different from the states. The traffic is unreal and people walk in between cars on the highway selling newspapers and other goods. Majority of people walk along the highway as transportation getting to and from work, looking for jobs or food. On the drive in, we saw a resettlement camp of refugees from the conflict from the 2007 elections. The people were moved by the government from Western Kenya to Central Kenya. They are resettled on very dry land with no trees surrounding them, but they were given the land to farm with.
We arrived on campus just in time for lunch, which was great as are all the meals. The girls were very welcoming and I can’t wait until we start teaching the football and art tomorrow. Thankfully all the supplies, in 3 suitcases, made it and in one piece. Today the girls got get a jersey, shorts, and socks for the football classes. They started screaming when they saw the supplies and the nets up. I unpacked the nets and they were put up. We also pumped up the balls. Claire unpacked the art supplies and set up kits for each of the girls to use. We are going to teach in 2 hour blocks, 13 girls in each group. We have four lessons planned and we will teach while the girls are on mid-term break for 4 days. I watched the girls play football during their PE period and they were having a lot of fun and I think they will like working on their technique starting tomorrow. It has been fun with the girls, especially at meal time. They are so funny and always have smiles on their faces.
We went on a walk today down to the river, which is extremely low and not moving. They estimating that unless it rains, the water will last only about another month. The generator has been running all day, more than the usual 3 hours a day, because the school has to pump the water from the river up the hill to the school. We drink rain water that has been boiled and the shower and sink water comes directly from the river. Today Jenni and Peter are working on bringing in more pipes and other systems to make sure the school has water.
So far, all has gone well. The weather is in the 80s, but there is a nice breeze. The food is great! The staff and girls are extremely welcoming! I can’t wait to see what the next 7 days have in store for us!
Tags: Bob Bessin, Claire Watson, Jenni, mark lukach, Peter Wathitu, Saraha Montgomery, Soccer, Suzanne Montgomery, Woodside Priory
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Jun 12th, 2009
Woodside Priory School Arrives at Daraja Academy
After several years of hard work helping the dream that WAS Daraja become the school that IS Daraja – Claire Watson and Sarah Montgomery have arrived at the campus with Sarah’s mom Suzanne.
It is so incredible that the desire to help improve this World resonated so deeply with these young women. Both of the girls their senior projects were endeavors that ultimately will have a positive, lasting effect on Daraja Academy and its students.
Claire has spent the last year creating an art program and collecting art materials that will lay the foundation for Daraja’s art appreciation class. She will spend hours teaching the girls about the history of art and teaching them techniques she has learned as an artist.
Sarah, an avid soccer player at Woodside Priory, chose to hold a soccer or football (that’s what the rest of the World calls it) clinic for the girls. She collected uniforms, brand new soccer balls, nets and equipment that current and future students will be able to enjoy for years to come.
It is EXTREMELY exciting when bridges are built, linking cultures together and new friendships are forged… when that occurs between our leaders of tomorrow valuable seeds of hope are planted. Great job Claire, Sarah and Suzanne!!!
We are adding a component to the Daraja Academy Blog. Volunteers and visitors will begin sharing their experiences with the World. Sarah Montgomery will be the first…
Tags: art, Claire, daraja, jason doherty, Sarah Montgomery, soccer clinic, Watson, Woodside Priory
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Jun 12th, 2009
