Mar 23, 2008

Teen club raises funds for students in Kenya

By Adria Murray / Society Columnist

Education equals hope, a chance for a better life.

This universal belief was the message behind Woodside Priory School's Daraja Academy of Kenya benefit, held at the Portola Valley campus on March 15. Students of Priory School's 25-member Daraja Club organized the event to raise funds for the academy and to raise awareness about the hardships school-age Kenyans face.

According to some statistics, one out of every five children in Kenya has lost one or both of their parents. These orphans are often left to raise themselves and their siblings, surviving on roughly a dollar a day, leaving little hope for further educating themselves or escaping the cycle of poverty.

Jenni and Jason Doherty, of San Rafael, were affected by the severe poverty they witnessed firsthand in the region and decided to do something to help the "disenfranchised students of Kenya," Jenni said. The Dohertys co-founded the Daraja Academy of Kenya — a secondary school located outside of Nanyuki on the northwestern slope of Mt. Kenya - in hopes of providing the first free co-ed secondary school in Kenya.

In 2003, Kenya instituted free primary education for all children, but a secondary education remains difficult to attain, with less than 40 percent of students graduating from primary school and progressing on to secondary school, according to statistics provided by the Daraja Academy.

The school will start by enrolling girls "because of the impact just one year can make," said event presenter Mark Lukach. For every year of schooling a woman receives, her income increases on average by 10 percent, Lukach said.

Educating women is key to the health and prosperity of the region, said Jason Doherty, adding that educated women are "the future of that continent."

Daraja Academy, beginning its first classes in 2009, will enroll girls only for the first two years, and will begin enrolling male students in January 2011.

The word "daraja" means "bridge" in Swahili, and Daraja Academy co-founder Jason Doherty said, "With this school, we are building a bridge across cultures."

The academy plans to partner with American schools through online projects and through "Camp Daraja," a summer program in which students will visit the Kenyan campus. Priory School's Daraja Club members raised an impressive $28,000 at their student-organized and student-run event.

Special guest Peter Kithene spoke about his childhood in Kenya and about the important role education played in his life. Orphaned at the age of 12, Kithene steadfastly pursued his education and went on to attend the University of Washington and to found Mama Maria Kenya, a health care clinic catering to all members of the community, regardless of station or status. Kithene was honored in 2007 by CNN as a Medical Marvel during its "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" broadcast.

Kithene said that although losing his parents was hard, he never forgot the lessons he learned.

"They taught me never to give up," Kithene said. "Education gave me a voice, not just for myself, but for my family I left behind."

Kithene said that with the example he's set, and with the encouragement he's shown his family members, several of his cousins have decided they want to attend school, too.

Enthusiastic participants in the fundraiser included mambo performer Michael Mypangu, Daraja's Carr Education Foundation board members Dan Polk and Kim Florence, and Priory Daraja Club members Anna Lee, Sarah Shin, Claire Dennis and Claire Watson.

Performing the Daraja anthem for the first time was Santa Cruz musician Saadi Halil, who penned the song titled "Tuko Daraja" (We are Daraja).

Like the rain brings the flowers
Like the sun brings the morning
We bring the future
We are Daraja
We are Daraja

Kithene, for one, believes that the students of Daraja Academy will go on to "touch lives in the way theirs is being touched." Jason Doherty agreed, saying the students of Daraja will not be recipients of aid, but benefactors of it.

If education is indeed infectious, then hope for Kenya may lie in this generation's ability to spread it.

For more information about the Daraja Academy, visit www.Daraja-Academy.org.


E-mail Adria Murray at amurray@dailynewsgroup.com.