If you’ve been to Daraja in the last year, you’ve met Yvonne. You probably remember Yvonne well, because she probably went out of her way to meet and greet you, with her enormous smile and contagious laugh. She is one of the most friendly and outgoing students at Daraja, and came to this school in an interesting way.

Yvonne’s mom passed away when Yvonne was in the fifth grade, so her grandmother became her guardian. When her grandmother passed in 2009, Yvonne moved in with her aunt and sister in the Majengo slums in Nanyuki (25 kilometers from Daraja’s campus). That year, she finished eighth grade but her aunt could only afford to send her sister to school, so, as Yvonne explained (in her application to Daraja), “I then decided instead of staying idle I should repeat Class Eight and that is what I did. I worked so hard, besides being sent home for school fees.” She took her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) a second time and got a good score, so her aunt decided she should go to secondary school. However, she wrote, “Most of the time I stayed home while my sister went to school which made me feel very neglected. I still didn’t lose hope and I did odd jobs and after I got the money, I would pay my

[school] fees.”

One day, Yvonne noticed Daraja student Doreen in town wearing a Daraja shirt. She followed her into a grocery store and when Doreen finished shopping Yvonne approached her and asked for her phone number because she wanted to know about Daraja. She called her daily, and finally Doreen told her how to get to Daraja and how much public transit would cost. Yvonne got a job doing casual labor – digging for farmers – and saved up enough matatu (bus) fare to go to and from the school, where she went and asked the administration if she could attend Daraja.

If the fact that Yvonne deliberately repeated 8th and 9th grade in order to stay in school isn’t testament enough to her passion for education, maybe the following will be. Yvonne, who dreams of being either a neurosurgeon or flight hostess, loves writing poetry. Here’s a poem she wrote yesterday for the Daraja family:

 

My Bridge! My Future!

 

Have you heard of a story?

Was it a story or a fairytale?

Was it sad or sweet?

Did you laugh or cry?

Then here is the story…

 

Before I got to Daraja, I never thought I would get here

I worked hard towards my destination,

Although being out of school made me so emotional,

I never gave up my ambition,

Because I knew there was a solution

 

I kept on doing my best in my society

For this was my priority

And always humbling myself to the Deity

 

Soon the best came of it

My yearning became my earning

My hard work became my success,

When I was chosen to be part of Daraja

 

Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks

As happiness dug a deep cavity in my heart

Being part of Daraja means a lot to me

Giving me a chance to learn is one of the best things that I am offered

Forever may Daraja live

To accomplish the dreams of many

                                                               By Yvonne Njeri