Ashley shows the Form 4s how to maintain Daraja's Facebook page

“Technology has revolutionized the way we communicate with one another,” Ashley, Daraja’s communication intern told the Form 4s. “The internet has forced us into technological evolution. Our interactions have changed. Our expectations of one another have changed. And the methods of telling the world about this amazing academy have proliferated.”

The final note, getting the word out about Daraja, was the most exciting to the students.

“We can speak to our supporters directly,” Leila said, as she volunteered to type the group’s first Facebook status update. “What should we say?” She turned around and looked at her peers.

Hadijah offered, “We should say thank you. We should tell them how much their support means to us.”

“And we love you!” Florence chimed in.

The Internet provides a more effective means to maintain relationships between the students on campus and the greater Daraja family around the world. “With regular mail, it can take sometimes weeks, months, sometimes longer for letters to come and go,” Marylene said. “But if we can learn how to use email, we can send mail instantly and not worry if it will get to the person.”

Said Teacher Wycliff, who set up the demonstration, “It is important that the Form 4s learn to how to use this technology. This is the way the world works, and before they graduate, they need to know how to communicate with people.”

Benny volunteers to type on behalf of Form 4 Blue

Separated by two oceans. United by a single cause.

The excitement for Bay to Breakers continues as Toorak College at Mount Eliza in Australia brings amazing news that around 50 girls have created a Race for Daraja team. The 9th graders are set to begin their 12k run at 4:30pm on May 19th, becoming the first team to start the race . Some girls will run a couple kilometers in teams, other will attempt the feat of completing the entire race in the hopes that their enthusiasm and perseverance will draw even more attention to this important cause.

Once the race in Australia has been completed, the girls are celebrating in style with a student-led disco-dance party, movies and a sleepover.

Equally impressive as the additional burst of momentum they’re bringing to this highly anticipated event, is the logo Team Toorak created. Great job, ladies, and welcome to the Daraja Family!

Jael, Form One:

When our teachers are giving instructions, I listen well. After the lessons are over, during my free time, I read again what we read in class, and I revise and revise until my work is perfect. When I come across things I do not understand, I ask teachers or the older students for help explaining, and then I make sure that I can say it back in my own words.

My advice for my peers who might find struggles with classes is to read and read until you understand the subject. Consider asking more questions in class, and she should use her free time to study and revise her work. If I know the answer, I will tell her. If not, we can ask a teacher together. I think when a student asks and learns from a student, it is easier to understand and easier to remember.

 

Lilian, Form 2

I was surprised and so happy that I placed at the top of my class. I did not expect it, but I do work very hard so I expected to be in the top 10. If I had a secret, it would be to work hard in class, and also outside of class. I study and review during study hall, break and free time, to make sure that I understand all of the information given to me.

 

Alice N., Form 3:

My favorite class is business studies. I am going to start a business one day. Don’t ask me what yet, but someday, I will. My favorite part about business studies is understanding that most people go to University to get a job in a big town, but if you start your own business, you can create your own job anywhere.

This is my second time getting the highest marks in my form. I work really hard to get the best grades that I can by doing the following things: I revise all my work, I participate in discussion questions, I ask the teachers anything I do not understand, and I concentrate in class.

My advice to other students is not to focus on being number one in the class, but being the best student that you can personally be.

 

Monicah, Form Four:

This was not the first time I have placed as number one. I have been at the top of my class three other times, but this time, I was surprised! Betty has been beating me this year!

I am not the kind of person who can read for 2 hours continuously and remember all the information, so I work hard at taking notes, asking questions to teachers, and reviewing my work again and again. If I had a secret, I would say that it would be talking to my teachers all the time. Sometimes you can find out what areas to focus on for tests if you ask the right questions.

It is very important to me to do well in school. Here in Kenya most classes that will prepare me for a career are in University. You need high marks to attend University, so I focus on working very hard.

Bay to Breakers is an exclusively important event in our lives. It has created an opportunity for us to participate in fundraising money that is of benefit to our wellbeing in general, and our education in particular. Many are the times that volunteers have worked hard to support us  –mind you they work even for extra hours just to see to it that we are faring on well in our education- but we have not at any given point made any contributions. Now, with the existence of Bay to Breakers, we are able to play a part in fundraising for Daraja. Apart from being able to take part in fundraising for our selves, Bay to Breakers has also been a strong source of funds for the sustainability of Daraja.

Last years event was full of fun; it had been anticipated by everyone ion campus. Some of us got an opportunity to realize their hidden talent, which is running. It was really surprising that some girls could run faster than we actually thought they would! Lisayo, who is currently a third year student in Daraja, emerged first!!! She is super fast, she was ahead of me (Teddy) by seventeen good laps. It is with no doubt that she is going to be first this year again. Though we do have other good runners. Last year, we had some motivating music which kept us going, and cheers from our teachers also motivated us a lot.

On behalf of the Daraja family, we sincerely appreciate the great effort our supporters are putting in for Daraja. It touches our hearts that some of you do not even know us that well yet you have the heart to make our futures bright by offering us an opportunity to get educated. We wish that there would be greater words than THANK YOU that would express how much we appreciate your kindness, love and care, then we would say that word to you.

To visit our very own Crowdrise page, click here!

Carol, Form 4

Teddy, Form 3

With lots of love,

Teddy Nyakado and Carol Nyangi.

(Bay to Breaker School Captains)

Reunited! Friends Moreen (F2) and Lilian (F3)

The campus is busy and bustling again, as the girls made the trek from their respective homes and villages all across Kenya back to Daraja. “Home is 3 matatu (bus) rides away,” Fatuma, Form 2 said. “I traveled for maybe 6 hours on matatus to get to Daraja. I am so happy to be back at school!”

School beautification

Monday morning after Flag, Forms 4 got right back to the books with exams and K.C.S.E. prep. Forms 1 through 3 spent the morning planting trees down by the MS platform. Said Zaituna, “Yes, we are digging holes and planting trees. But we are doing more than that. We are making our home a more beautiful place to live.”

Baaaaaay to Breakers!

The countdown to Bay to Breakers continues! The accumulation of excitement keeps building with cheer teams forming, a Bay to Breakers anthem in the works, and plans for a huge pep rally/bonfire are made for B2B Eve. A morning ritualistic chant has been started, where the entire school cheers, claps and stomps during the B2B countdown chant: “Baaaaay to Breakers! Baaaaay to Breakers! <stomp, stomp, clap! stomp, stomp, clap!> 10 days left!”

Comings & Goings

Guest motivational speaker Preist Cyril joined the girls on campus Tuesday. Said Charles, Dean of Curriculum, “He challenged them to work hard and to transform their lives. He helped them create goals and taught them ways to perseverance through challenges”

The Daraja intern team welcomes new member, Marybeth! “Coming from Chattanooga, Tennessee, I didn’t know about Bay to Breakers. But I sure do now, and the importance of this event to these girls is clear. This is an event that creates excitement and unity around a common cause: girls’ education.”

“There is nothing for me in all of Kenya… without an education.”

“When my sister and I get home for break, we talk about what her school is like, and we talk about what Daraja is like,” Yvonne said. Yvonne, Form 1 at the Academy, is from Majengo, the slum of Nanyuki. Yvonne’s parents died when she was eight years old, so her grandmother took Yvonne and her sister in. “The biggest difference I would say is that the teachers are not so friendly at other schools. But at Daraja, our teachers care about us. The students care for one other. At Daraja, we do not live like a school; we live like a family.”

When asked what life would have been like had she not been admitted to the Academy, Yvonne was quick to respond. “Without Daraja, I would have been a street child, probably employing myself in any kind of business like washing people’s clothes in order to continue with my life,” she said. She paused for a moment before continuing. “Without a vision or a goal,” she said, “I would have been a nobody. There is nothing for me in Nanyuki. There is nothing for me in all of Kenya in fact without an education.”

Staying busy during break

Classmates & Friends: Irene and Yvonne

Yvonne has an infectious enthusiasm toward school. The fact that she was home from school didn’t stop her from building upon leadership skill sets learned at Daraja during the break. Yvonne performed community service at Chief’s Camp in Nanyuki as a file clerk and bookkeeper. After putting in 14 hours, Yvonne sought out yet another volunteer opportunity to fill her free time before coming back to school, as a medical assistant at Nanyuki’s District Hospital. “I have learned to share pain with other people,” she said.  “I wanted to help. The doctors could do the work very fast with my help. Two hands are better than one, and four hands are better than two.”

Yvonne’s message to Race for Daraja teams!

“I missed school so much while I was gone,” Yvonne said with a smile. “The older girls told us, the Form 1s, all about Bay to Breakers, and I am so excited! I want the people running for us to know that Daraja is very important to me since it helps me know who I am in many ways. Daraja helps me to have dignity. And it helps me become part of my community. Thank you for running for my right to an education!”

Community Health Project: the Academy’s Form 2s Learn to Analyze Their Surroundings to Create Positive Change

In a partnership with the University of San Diego, Daraja has created a project-based learning program focusing on community health. The participants of this project are the current Form 2s. In an attempt to interlink English, Swahili, biology, geography and business studies, the Forms 2s have been tasked with the assignment of collecting health-related data about their communities. What diseases are prevalent? What are the symptoms of common illnesses? Are there preventative measures that can be taken to avoid these illnesses? Are there curative medications that can be administered in order to save the lives of the affected? These and other related questions will be analyzed in order to create a educational awareness program with tangible solutions to bring back to surrounding Daraja communities.

“We introduced a basic foundation of knowledge to the Form 2s before assigning this project,” Victoria, the Business Studies teacher said of the project. “The girls visited Mara Moja, a community local to Daraja, and observed important aspects of community health: proximity of houses, common diseases the women suffer from, water sources and hygiene habits. We took that information and brainstormed ways that Daraja can help to lesson the effects of ineffective practices observed.” During the break, the girls are to take that information, those ideas, and collect supplementary information from their own homes and villages.

A potential completion date for the community health project is June. The Form 2s are planning to host a town hall meeting with the women of Mara Moja and other local communities to teach the women more effective hygiene practices and spread awareness about prevention methods and ways to treat common diseases.

Community Inventory Project

The Form 4s, although home for a shorter period of time than the rest of the students, have a community inventory project to complete before their return this weekend.

“What is in your community?” Leah, program development associate at the Daraja Academy, asked the girls. “Are there financial institutions? Businesses? Hospitals? Clinics? Local NGOs? I want you to take a snapshot of your community so that we can better understand the communities you will be assimilating back into once you’re finished with your secondary school education here at the Academy.”

The Form 4s will return to Daraja with important data about their hometowns, as well as relevant experience for their personal development. If a financial institution is in operation in their communities, the students are to go in and find out how to open and maintain an account.

But…WE NEED YOUR HELP! We still need volunteers for the expo and are hoping you can help! Volunteers will be passing out race packets and t-shirts and providing general assistance to race organizers. There are three shifts of 50 volunteers each and we especially need volunteers for the two Friday shifts. We can also assist in transportation.

 The 3 shifts are:

Friday, May 18^th 9am-1pm

Friday, May 18^th 12:30-4:30pm

Saturday, May 19^th 3-8pm

Location: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California

Even if you can’t make it to the race on Sunday, May 20^th, you will be providing a great assistance to Daraja! We hope you can make it and don’t forget to tell you family and friends about volunteering at the expo and supporting Daraja at Bay to Breakers!

If you would like to volunteer or want more information, contact Sarah Montgomery at sarah.e.montgomery11@gmail.com or 650-799-7617

Go Daraja Family!

What is the K.C.S.E., and why does it matter?

“In Kenya, the K.C.S.E. is the single most defining parameter of how far you can go,” said Charles, Dean of Curriculum at the Daraja Academy.

Florence, Form 4, reviews her work

The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education is taken at the completion of Secondary school. Replacing the Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE), the K.C.S.E. debuted in 1989 as the new entrance requirement to attention a Kenyan university. Although initially ten subjects, the examination now covers seven: English, Swahili, Mathematics, at least two sciences, one humanities and at least one practical or technical subject.

“All careers are interlinked with one’s performance on the K.C.S.E.,” Charles said. “The test defines the life of a person after school in Kenya. That is unfortunately how the system here is designed. You can be exceptionally smart, but if you cannot perform on this test, it means nothing.”

The Form 4s at Daraja, like any other Form 4 in Kenya seeking university admission, will take the K.C.S.E. in November. The curriculum is so intensive that the test often can take up to 3 weeks to administer. Exams, papers and labs are sometimes administered over the course of a month to give students days in-between testing to study and recuperate.

Mercy, Form 4 at Daraja, said  that although she couldn’t go home when the other girls got to after the end of term 1, she was glad that the reason was to start studying. The more time the girls study for the test, the more prepared they will be. With the stakes as high as each girl’s future, preparation is everything.

Leila, Form 4, works on sample questions

The structure and methods of instruction in classes has been tailored to prepare the girls specifically for this exam.  The teachers at Daraja have been trained to outline common mistakes students make on the test, show students how to utilize sample tests, and teach in a way that is similar to what the students will see on the K.C.S.E. examination. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans will take the K.C.S.E. this year, and hope that upon receipt of their results in February of next year, they make the cut-off to continue his or her education.

How can you play a part in the success of the Form 4s at the Daraja Academy?

In addition to study and preparation, confidence goes a long way toward the success of any young woman. The biggest, most exciting event of the year for the girls of Daraja is soon approaching: the Lap-a-thon, sister race to the annual Bay to Breakers event. Each Daraja girl will run 28 laps around campus while across the ocean at the same time, Race for Daraja teams will be running through San Francisco to raise money for girls’ education. For each Daraja girl who is able to get her laps sponsored, she is able to run with the pride and fulfillment of knowing that she is contributing to her own education. Each lap that she completes is one step closer to her future as a leader of Kenya. Click here  to help empower a Daraja girl during a pivotal time in her life when that extra bit of confidence can quite possibly make all the difference!

Tuition

Form 4s Mercy & Pauline

Although Forms 1-3 left campus 2 weeks ago, the Form 4s stayed on campus for more examinations and tuition. “We stay on campus longer than the other forms for tuition. That is a time when we prepare for the K.C.S.E. (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education),” Mercy, Form 4 said. “We also had more examinations to take. Chemistry was the most difficult for me, but because I studied so hard for it, I know I did well.”

*What is the K.C.S.E.? Why is it so important? Stay tuned next week for a breakdown of the biggest test the girls will likely ever take, and how you can get involved!

Monicah, #1 in her class!

“Remember, you are Form 4s”

Last night, the Form 4s gathered in the Dining Hall with the faculty. The new Bay to Breakers board hung proudly in the background as some of the teachers took turns making announcements and saying goodbye. As leaders of the school, the Form 4s were reminded that upon their return, the rest of the school will look to them for guidance, focus and energy. The top 10 highest achievers (by grades) were announced, with Monicah coming in first place! “Remember,” Teacher Victoria said, “You are Form 4s. You are W.I.S.H. girls (Women of Integrity, Strength & Hope). When you go back to your homes, back to your villages, display what a Daraja girl looks like.”

Heading Home

Teacher Victoria & Maureen hug as the rest of the Form 4s wave goodbye to Daraja

This morning, the girls finally saw their turn to say goodbye for now to Daraja, wish each other safe travels, and head home to spend time with loved ones. Although the campus will be without students, the enthusiasm for Bay to Breakers will only continue to build, as the campus works on B2B activities for the students’ arrivals!

GET INVOLVED! Do you have a Race for Daraja team set up? The #1 team on the leadership board on May 6th will be announced at the school’s Monday Assembly when the girls return! You inspire the girls just as they inspire you! Two events. One Cause. One family!