Volunteering on Campus

By Sue Whitmore, Campus Volunteer

Sue Whitmore, 74, spent two weeks on campus teaching the girls poetry and how to play the recorder. This is her second year volunteering at Daraja.  By the end of her visit, she had compiled a book of the girl’s poetry. In the following blog, she writes about her experience as a Daraja volunteer.

Although this is only my second visit to Daraja Academy, it has felt like coming home, not just because of familiarity of place, but because arriving here feels like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers that your feet have longed for that mean ‘home.’

But I am jumping ahead of myself and need to go back to September 2016 when I arrived at Daraja Academy for the first time. To give a bit of context, I moved from the UK to Kenya in the early seventies for a couple of wonderfully happy years as my husband lived and worked here. Since then, my love of the country and its people have drawn me back many times on holiday.  It was on one such occasion in 2015, I was asking about volunteer teaching opportunities that, as a result, I was put in touch with Daraja Academy, an all girls’ senior school near Nanyuki.   After many emails between me and Stephen, the Volunteer Co-coordinator (more on him to come!),  a date was fixed for me to spend two weeks there combining both their Volunteer Program and the Guest Program. The former is more campus-based, whereas the latter involves experiences off campus, getting to know different aspects of Kenya.

So, here I was on September 11th arriving at Daraja Academy ready for my new adventure! What do I remember from that first evening? The strangeness of it all, and apprehension about whether I had made the right decision. Then I saw the first girls and the next thing I knew I was enveloped in a huge hug and welcomed, literally with open arms.  There was my answer! No more apprehension or indecision.  Instead, an overwhelming feeling of ‘rightness’ that grew and lasted till the day I left.  During my stay, Stephen was the fount of all knowledge!  He sorted problems, answered endless questions, reassured, supported and encouraged as well as arranged all outside activities.  In short, he was, and is, a walking security blanket! 

For the next two weeks, I worked on poetry with the girls, as well as teaching a group of them the recorder and doing some singing as well.  As the poetry was so remarkably expressive, Stephen wanted to compile a book and get it printed. (You can read some of the girls’ poetry here!) The girls took as much pride in seeing their work in print as I did in helping them to achieve it.  On my last night the recorder girls and singers gave a mini concert and I was literally bursting with pride and emotion.  For the last two weeks, the girls had enriched my life in ways I couldn’t begin to explain.  Their trust, generosity, friendship and acceptance had humbled me beyond measure.

The off-campus activities were varied and a lot of fun.  We went on a one-night safari, visited a Masaai Women’s Co-operative where we danced and ate and went on a dawn baboon walk.  We had a fabulous, all-you-can-eat brunch at a nearby old style colonial hotel and visited the animal orphanage there.  We visited a local Spinners and Weavers Co-operative, and had a delicious lunch at the Trout Tree Restaurant (they farm trout and the restaurant is built round a huge fig tree).

All too soon my two weeks were over so, with much emotion and many tears, I left Daraja promising to return.

Seven months later and here I am back again writing this blog. I’m doing more poetry  (creating another book) continuing with recorders and hoping to do some more singing.

Peace, love and tranquility mixed with the girl’s’ passion and determination makes a very heady drug.  Now, where are those slippers?  Ah yes, just where I left them.  At home where we both belong.