Summer is always busy at Daraja, thanks in large part to the slew of volunteers who come, from around the world, to experience the school. In June, 14 high school students from Woodside Priory School in California arrived at Daraja Academy, where they spent a week volunteering in many different capacities. Volunteerism is important for different reasons – it’s important for the students of Daraja and for the volunteers themselves.
Dianah, a Form 2 who’s built special relationships with volunteers over the past year and a half, explained why she thinks it’s important for people to come volunteer. “Volunteers come here for different reasons,” she explained. “Some come here because they want to see how Daraja is – they’ve heard about it so they’re excited to be here. Some are fundraising for Daraja, and others come during the summer to have fun. It’s important because these are two people from different cultures so us, the Daraja girls, get to interact with volunteers and we get to exchange ideas and become better people, and vice versa.”
Daraja cofounder Jenni Doherty agrees with Dianah. “When we think about the vision of Daraja, it’s the concept of the bridge,” she explained. “If you’re not ready to learn you’re just kind of stagnant, I think. One way that we provide enhanced education to our students is through a volunteer program. I think it’s valuable because of the different perspectives people come from, and the more perspective the girls hear from the more well-rounded they’ll b