Page 22 - Priorities #40 2008-March

The Daraja
Academy of
Kenya and
the Woodside
Priory School
Faculty Dan Polk enjoys arts and crafts with Kenyan students.
bAy Dan Polk, Social Studies Faculty
n incredible thing is taking place on the Priory campus. Students, faculty members
and parents have been coming together to create a community of people interested in Global Cross- Cultural education and learning.
Every Tuesday after school
the Daraja Club meets to work
towards building the Daraja Academy of Kenya. The Daraja Academy of Kenya (www.daraja- academy.org) is located four hours north of Nairobi and rests on 60 acres of land bordered by a national park. Dan Polk, a Priory History teacher is one
of the Academy’s founders and has been working tirelessly to establish a lasting partnership between Priory students and students from Africa.
In January of 2009 the Daraja Academy hopes
to open its doors to an in-coming class of female boarding students who will arrive from all over Kenya to receive a first class education from both Kenyan and American instructors. The school will not charge tuition, making it the very first free high school in Kenya. During the summer of 2009, Daraja intends to host its very first “Camp Daraja” with Priory students Claire Watson, Anna Lee, and others as both volunteers and Counselors. The long range vision is to create a large network of Daraja Schools throughout Africa that will work towards providing lasting sustainable development in African nations, as well as a myriad of experiential service-learning opportunities for American youth and other
In a world that is increasingly connected by climate change, terrorism, technology and the Internet, The Daraja Academy (Daraja means bridge in Swahili) seeks to reach out and connect Africa to the U.S. and the U.S. to Africa. Priory students and future Priory students will be able to
put their Benedictine values into living practice, showing Hospitality towards others
from developing countries, as well as providing meaningful Service both teaching and learning from Africans. Upon return from their experiences in Africa, students become veteran “Daraja Volunteers”, as they join a Community of people that care about the values of hospitality and service abroad.
If you or your student is interested in getting involved with the Daraja Academy, please contact Dan Polk, Clair Watson, or Betty Watson.
22 volunteers.