Drake Students Raise Money for Kenyan Girls' School

This month, Drake High’s Daraja Club raised nearly $3000 to benefit a girls' boarding school — the Daraja Academy — in Kenya.

The Dollars for Daraja: A Night of Music was held at George’s in San Rafael and featured performances of students from Marin Academy. Drake student Melanie Voorsanger coordinated the musical acts.

The Drake Daraja Club is a student group at Sir Francis Drake High School that was founded to bring attention to the need to educate girls worldwide. The club is run by co-presidents, Maddie Barto and Mackenzie Mock. 

Daraja Academy is a secondary boarding school for Kenyan girls with top academic scores and exceptional leadership skills but no means to continue their education.

The academy provides shelter, food, healthcare and counseling services which allows students to focus on their academic and personal potential, without being hindered by the everyday barriers of poverty.

The school's US headquarters is located in San Rafael. 

In Swahili Daraja means “bridge” which is what the academy provides these girls with: a bridge from who the girls are now, to who they have the potential to become.

For more information about the Daraja Academy, visiting their website at www.daraja-academy.org