The Official Blog of The Daraja Academy

A Volunteer’s Voice: Carr Cavender

I’ve been out in the Bush of Daraja Campus for about a week and a half now and I couldn’t be happier! It took a few days to get used to the time change, and it could take a year to get used to the cultural differences, but I’m doing ...

A Volunteer’s Voice: Kayla Lozier

Hopefully, this will be the last blog I post from the US. I board a plane on Sunday July 13th and after stops in Holland and the UAE arrive in Kenya on Wednesday. I love being in California. I am so grateful I was able to be stateside to help my ...

This Connection, This Bridge… This Opportunity.

Jenni in her office It is often hard to pull myself away from the operations of the school—is the generator working properly, does the kitchen have all the supplies they need, is the river still flowing, how long before we are out of water, etc. But I have seen some ...

“… the power of “no”, the power of “yes”, and the power to speak up.” Daraja Through Olivia’s Eyes

I cannot say enough good things about the AMAZING young woman who wrote the following blog from the Daraja Academy campus. Her last blog was written as she evacuated her London School of Economics dorm-room en route to Kenya. She certainly is there now, and I wouldn't even try to ...

Daraja through Andy’s Eyes

Building Bridges I have been volunteering at Daraja Academy for 8 months now (since October '08). I started out just cleaning and doing some simple renovations, but I’ve now moved onto teaching and doing anything else that is needed of me. I’m just as passionate about this school now as I ...

A Volunteer’s Voice… trying to leave Daraja (Sarah Montgomery)

I will post this with out any edits. Sarah, is on safari with her mom and Claire in the most National Geographic-esque part of Kenya - the Maasai Mara, which is the Northern 1/10th of the Serengetti Plain. I will Publish her entire Email, as-is and let her ...

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 ...

A Parent’s Perspective (volunteer’s voice): Suzanne Montgomery

From the moment my daughter Sarah and her classmate Claire presented their proposal to volunteer at Daraja, I knew it would be a unique learning experience for them. They both posses a strong desire to help others, and were eager to share their particular skills with their “sisters” in ...

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 ...

A Volunteers Voice: Olivia Capra (still in London)

So here I am, my dorm room at the London School of Economics looking more like an Ikea explosion than luggage ready for Nairobi, and I’m choosing to ignore the shocked expression of my roommate when I announced my flight to Kenya is tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am excited and in great anticipation ...