Risper stood up to highwaymen to reach her interview

Risper was taking an overnight bus from Lake Victoria to Nairobi to reach her Daraja Academy interview. She travelled with a social worker. This was her last chance to attend high school: Without a scholarship to Daraja, it was over.

She was nearly to Nairobi when the bus was taken over by highwaymen, who rounded up all of the travelers’ bags, purses, and valuables. Risper’s documentation, including her primary school transcripts and everything she needed for her interview, was in one of those bags. As the men turned to leave, she cried out to stop them.

“Keep the money!” she said. “But I need my school documents that were in this lady’s purse.”

Miraculously, the men gave her back the papers.

Today, Risper is about to start her senior year at Daraja Academy. We wish she hadn’t risked her life to get her documents back – and certainly would have found a way to proceed without them – but we recognized the unbelievable courage it took to stand up for herself. If by nothing else, a Daraja girl can always be recognized by her bravery.

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The next generation of Daraja girls is just as determined as Risper to reach us: Will you help us reach them?