Daraja Academy Review

On May 25th AAUW Seattle supported an online meting about the Daraja Academy in Kenya and how Bush School Students connect with the girls in Kenya.

Nancy Bowman, a teacher at the Bush School in Seattle who values experiential learning and civics, first connected with Daraja in 2022 after hearing a student describe what it’s like to pursue an education as a girl in Kenya. She learned how many girls face barriers—public schools that aren’t truly free, strict testing requirements, and family pressures that can pull them out of school entirely. Daraja, meaning bridge in Swahili, offers a free, residential education that removes those obstacles and brings together girls from more than 400 tribes. Its four pillars—accountability, honest communication, dignity, and leaving each day better than you found it—shape a community where students take their learning seriously and support one another with remarkable maturity.

Bush students who visited Daraja, including Gretchen and Mahalet, were struck by the girls’ deep sense of sisterhood, their work ethic, and the joy they bring to learning. They shadowed students, shared meals, celebrated birthdays, and experienced programs like WISH, which encourages girls to use their voices in a culture that hasn’t always expected to hear from women. The new Daraja campus aims to become a hub for social change, symbolized by reminders like an empty chair in the garden honoring girls who still lack access to education. The school hopes to grow to 360–400 students, continuing to meet a need that remains both urgent and inspiring.