Dear Friends and Family,    

If we reach our goal of $2,500 we can send Joyce to school for a full year, which includes tuition, room and board.

Education is the key for advancing oneself in life, but in many parts of the world it is not readily available. Particularly for women and girls in Africa and across the globe. If schooling can only be provided to a select member of the family, the boys will almost always be chosen. In effort to create some sense of equality, Daraja Academy was established. Daraja is an all girls school in Kenya which offers an excellent high school education to girls who would not normally be given this chance to learn. Through the education that Daraja provides, these girls can move on to have better lives, improve their community and make an impact in the world.

When Daraja was first introduced to us through a club at school, we were instantly drawn. Our current mission is to raise money for this amazing school by running the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race for Daraja. As a mother-daughter team, we hope that we can do our part to help give these girls the futures they deserve! Our race is on May 20, 2012, and by that date we hope to have enough sponsorships to really make a difference.

For this race, we were partnered with a student at Daraja Academy named Joyce Mururigah. Please see below for her amazing and inspiring biography and involvement at the academy. We are excited to be matched with such a special girl! We hope that you can help us on our mission to support her and her fellow classmates in Kenya!

Thank you!

Summer and Kelly Lawson

"Education is the movement from darkness to light." ~Allan Bloom

For more information on Daraja: http://daraja-academy.org/  

Background:

Joyce has two sisters and one twin brother. Her mother died giving birth to Joyce’s younger sister and, from then on, Joyce was raised by her father. Joyce’s father worked hard to ensure that her school fees were paid. He died a few years later, however, and her stepmother took all of the family’s belongings and disappeared. Suddenly orphans, the children had to learn how to sustain themselves. Joyce’s eldest sister left school to “look for contracts” in order to feed the family. Due to her inability to pay school fees, Joyce eventually left primary school for a year until the government made primary education free. Both her older siblings scored high marks on the KCPE exam yet failed to get funding for secondary school. Despite seeing their failures, Joyce continued to try hard in school and her efforts have paid off tremendously.  

Today at Daraja Academy:

Joyce is quite the dichotomy as she plays fiercely on the net ball court but can also belt out a soothing, beautiful singing voice. Although Joyce grew up without any encouragement, she seems to have a clear vision for the future. Joyce hopes to be a court magistrate in order “to give people fair judgement.” While she is one of the quieter students, her past shows that Joyce is a silent fighter for what she knows she deserves. Her ability to maintain hope is something to admired.