Daraja has been fortunate to establish several key global and local partnerships. These powerful collaborations have helped the academy cultivate a rich and multidimensional community.

Global Partners

Girl Effect

Yahoo!

Yahoo! for Good, the foundation arm of internet giant Yahoo!, has provided Daraja Academy with a grant that will help provide internet connection to the campus computer lab. Access to internet will allow students to increase their knowledge of one of the most important aspects of the global market today.

University of San Diego

University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences established an educational partnership with Daraja Academy in 2008. The school chose Daraja Academy as its 2008-2009 Partner of the Year.  In full collaboration, USD has sent professors to the Daraja campus to support professional development and university students to volunteer directly with the girls on campus.

NCGS

NCGS, or the National Coalition of Girls Schools, “is a leading advocate for girls’ education with a distinct commitment to the transformative power of all-girls schools. The Coalition acts at the forefront of educational thought, collaborating and connecting globally with individuals, schools, and organizations dedicated to empowering girls to be influential contributors to the world.”  NCGS has been in existence for over 20 years and collaborates with member schools from all over the world sharing research and information to advance the efforts of girls’ schools.

Marin Academy

Marin Academy is a private school in Marin, California that focuses on building a student body that “asks every individual to think, to question and to create” with special emphasis on compassion and social change. The academy has consistently organized fundraising projects and volunteer trips to Kenya to lead and assist with key initiatives such as computer lab setup and training, environmental education and writing workshops. The program has been highly successful in creating direct cultural immersion between the Daraja girls and Marin Academy students.

MS ActionAid/MS Denmark

As a way to leverage the campus, we “rent” a portion of the campus to MS Denmark’s Global Platform, a 1-month training program for Danish volunteers in Africa.  They share meals with the Daraja Students, play sports together, and create workshops for the Daraja students. The Daraja students love when a new group of volunteers arrive and they enjoy building more global bridges.  MS ActionAid/MS Denmark provides approximately 30% of the Daraja Academy annual budget.

Bay to Breakers

Bay to Breakers is a 12k footrace held every third Sunday in May in San Francisco. Daraja Academy has officially partnered with the race to create Race for Daraja, an annual fundraising event focused on bringing awareness and funding for girls education. Each year, a team of over 50 people is recruited. Each team member is partnered with a student who runs the race on the exact same day in Kenya. The event raised over $50,000 in its first year. Learn more.

Two Penny Blue

Two Penny Blue is a social enterprise founded by Marie Whitney. The mission of the company is to educate and empower girls and women around the world. For every jacket sold, the company donates a school uniform to a girl in Africa; to start the program, the organization has partnered with Daraja Academy.

Anthem Branding

Anthem Branding is a creative agency with a diverse mix of capabilities.  The primary focus is creating unique, strong branding experiences through solid partnerships with clients.  Anthem provides branding and logo design for Daraja Academy.

The Denver Zoo has graciously provided support for Daraja students to visit and experience the research being done at Mpala Research Center. Daraja’s Science and Conservation Club has partnered with the youth program at Denver Zoo as a way to explore conservation together on 2 separate continents.

Local Partners

Kesho

KESHO promotes educational opportunities for children living in Kilifi, on the coast of Kenya. This local organizations aids the Daraja Academy student selection team once a year to identify strong applicants on the coast of Kenya.

The Turning Point Trust

The Turning Point Trust is a charity that works with marginalized children in the Nairobi slums. Turning Point is a local organization that helps Daraja Academy identify powerful applicants in the Nairobi slums.

Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS) Kenya

GROOTS is a globally renowned grassroots organization determined to empower female leaders to create change in their local communities. The organization and Daraja Academy will be partnering this year to launch a leadership curriculum customized for the Daraja girls.

Odyssey Safaris

Odyssey Safari provides fully customizable East African safaris at affordable prices. The company has been a trusted partner of the academy since the beginning. In honor of the work Daraja is doing, Odyssey provides incredible safaris at a non-profit discount rate. They are also the company used for the annual safari field trip for all first-year students.