Consolata “Conso” Mwavishi has lived on campus since pre-Daraja days, when the campus was home to the Baraka School, an immersion program for troubled 12-year-old boys from Baltimore schools. Conso served as a cook, and stayed on when Daraja started four years ago. At the time, she had a young daughter, Maureen, who is now part of the graduating senior class.

In November, Conso officially got a new role. She has transitioned from cook to Dorm Matron, a position that historically teachers have filled via a rotating system. As the school has increased in size, however, the responsibility of dorm matron has become fulltime. “It’s a lot of work – to be a matron at the same time as a teacher” – and so she is excited about her new position. “If

[students] have one dorm matron, it is better for them because they’ll be used to just one person and that person will know each and every problem that that student has,” she explained.

Conso’s duties began largely Saturday, January 5th when all the students returned from break. She spent the weeks prior to their arrival preparing their dorms, ensuring that they were clean and stocked with needed supplies. Saturday was an especially busy day for her – as the girls gradually arrived on campus beginning at noon, she ushered them into the lounge and painstakingly went through each of their luggage. She removed contraband items – like snacks, hair chemicals, and excess “home clothes” – and divvied up supplies of blankets, Daraja clothes, and books.

Now, she wakes up by 5:30 a.m. each morning to ensure the girls are awake by 6:00 a.m. She oversees their hygiene, making sure they’ve brushed their teeth, washed up, and dressed smartly before class each morning. She makes sure they’ve made their beds and kept their rooms tidy, supplying basic necessities like tissue and soap, and ensures they’re not late for 7:30 a.m. breakfast. The girls now know to come to her when they have a problem – for example, if they’re sick she’ll take them to the doctor, or if they’re menstruating she’ll give them supplies. When classes end at 4:00 p.m., Conso is present for any needs around the dorms (where she now lives instead of at her former staff quarters). Basically, Conso serves as mother to the girls, so it helps that she already knows almost every Daraja girl, especially the Form 3s and 4s. “It will be hard!” she said. “But I’ll try my best.” The girls know she will, and they cheered with excitement when they heard the news that she was to be their new official Dorm Matron.