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