Sunday, September 30, 2012

Daraja Academy



“I want to be an independent lady” ----That one sentence means a lot if one pauses and reflects on who says it.

I happened to watch a short movie of 14 minutes and to tell you frankly I was smiling throughout the movie.

It was about Daraja Academy, a revolutionary idea - a secondary school where remarkable Kenyan girls, otherwise forgotten due to the lack of school fees, are given the one thing they desire most... a chance to succeed, because Daraja and its supporters believe educated girls can transcend poverty and change the world.


Girls from 18 of Kenya’s 42 tribes live and learn together in peace at Daraja.

The principal says, “The World, the west, the north, whatever you want to call it, will learn much much more from these girls than what this school can teach these girls”


It is not only academic education, but sustainable environmental practices are also a priority.

Daraja means “Bridge” and there are four pillars that the Daraja school works on and live by. They are:

Pillar #1
Be accountable for the role that you play at Daraja, neither neglecting nor abusing it.
Pillar # 2
Maintain open communication. Speak honestly and listen respectfully.
Pillar # 3
Embrace differences. Treat all with dignity and respect.
Pillar # 4
Each day, leave it better than you found it…


(that is Gideon, Winnie, Pamela and Joy in the art class)

The girls say ASANTE SANA. .  . . . . . .”Thank you very much”.

I thank Barbara Rick who has produced and directed this movie. It is simply marvellous and rich both in the content and the quality of the movie.
For those who want to see the movie, click here.


14 comments:

http://www.samposey.com/ said...

Great post! Thank you.

Jeannette said...

a fine post...the irony is that the ad service put an ad after it that was young girls who either are being exploited or are foolishly exploiting themselves. I wonder how the ads are paired? The algorithms of advertising are frequently less than subtle.

But back to your post...the efforts to encourage young people, especially young women with opportunity to become part of the solutions is a high calling and enlarging the circle of awareness and support of those directly involved is too.

Lazy Pineapple said...

Asante Sana Joe.. Another lovely post from you.

deeps said...

:)
that can be true of anyone i guess

KParthasarathi said...

The four pillars of Daraja Academy impressed me a lot.
They are universally applicable and make men and women better for every role.A great endeavour to uplift and empower girls from deprived classes
Thanks for sharing

Denny Thayil said...

Impressive work...

About Last Weekend said...

Lovely happy faces full of joy.

Christine H. said...

I'm so glad to know about this school. Heartwarming and inspirational!

D.Nambiar said...

That's an inspiring story. The idea of the bridge and the pillars is an ideal one. This institution is a great role model.

Marie said...

So wonderful!

My Unfinished Life said...

such a wonderful initiative!!

http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

Danny Simon said...

Sounds good... must check it out!

Bikram said...

My best wishes to this institute for always ..


Bikram's

Anonymous said...

This is a truly awesome project. I hope it will go on for many more years...decades, centuries. Asanta sana for posting.