LOCATION:

Daraja Academy, Kenya

PROJECT TEAM:

Princeton University

PARTICULAR NEED:

Daraja Academy's 5th year transition program, which protects girls from these pressures and teaches them necessary practical skills, has led to overcrowding in dormitories

CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION:

Build an extra dormitory to ease overcrowding and accommodate 52 additional girls and 4 staff members

ENROLLMENT:

250 girls

Total Riased: 

$46,706

AREA OVERVIEW:

40-45% of girls in Kenya do not receive secondary education. Of those who do, mandatory gap years before college leave girls vulnerable to pressures to marry or join the labor force instead of continuing their educations

SUSTAINABILITY PLAN:

Partnership with Carr Educational Foundation, through its broad donor base, ensures that adequate funds are available to sustain the program

PARTNERS:

Carr Educational Foundation, Daraja Academy

PROJECT STATUS:

Dormitory construction completed in May 2015

Daraja Academy is unique in that it is one of the only completely free boarding secondary schools for girls in all of East Africa. Providing boarding allows the girls to separate themselves from difficult issues at home and concentrate fully on obtaining the best education possible. In addition to the rigorous 4-year academy curriculum, Daraja has launched a 5th year Transition Program to assist the girls in making successful transitions to university, jobs and/or entrepreneurial pursuits. This program was developed as a result of the board’s concern about what would happen to the girls after graduation, primarily due to the Kenya’s mandatory gap year between secondary school and university. This gap can often stretch to 22 to 24 months due to current public university overcrowding, causing many girls to slip out of the education system. As a result of the program implementation, Daraja’s most pressing need is to create additional housing to accommodate the 5th year transition students, as well as the four full secondary classes. The additional space created through Circle’s project has eased overcrowded dorm rooms and provided a large multi-use common room that will be used for testing, seminars, study hall sessions, and welcoming guest speakers, as well as many other social and recreational events.

For more information about Daraja Academy, please visit http://daraja-academy.org/