Joe, Dylan, and Emre are Juniors at Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, CA, who will be running the Bay to Breakers to raise money for the Daraja Academy.

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

Emre will be running for Julia C. As a young girl, Julia wasn't able to go to school because her family was making barely enough to buy food. As her father struggled with alcohol, Julia and her family were forced from their home. In Mara Moja, Julia's mother started brewing alcohol and, on occasion, Julia's mother would be arrested, leaving Julia to brew and take care of her five other siblings. Now Julia goes to Daraja Academy, where she can chase her dreams of being a nurse. Even with a lifetime of hardship, Julia was the number one ranked girl in her class after 8th grade examinations.

Joe will be running for Charity M. Charity is the oldest of three children, and grew up in Mombasa. Her father was a carpenter; however, following electoral violence in Mombasa, the family shop was destroyed. As a result, she and her family were left destitute, and forced to flee inland to a very dry area near Sultan Hamud. Charity's father now labors as a peasant farmer, but struggles to feed his family. After hearing about Daraja in her local congregation, Charity was called one day before school began and offered a spot at Daraja. Although she wasn't interviewed, the admissions staff "knew that she was supposed to be at Daraja Academy."  Now, as the youngest member of her class (16 years old), she excels as a leader. 

Dylan will be running for Carla N. Carla is a bright and brave young woman who has overcome much in her short life, while always putting her education first. Carla lives in the dry northern town of Wamba, nestled into the base of the majestic Matthews Range. Finding time and a quiet place to study was difficult for her while in middle school. Her mother passed away several years ago so Carla was raised by her single grandmother. Her grandmother made her living by brewing changa, (illicit brew) and selling it to drunkards in their home.Today Carla dreams of being a nurse. She wants to change the fact that in her home district, because of poverty, people get poor health care and often die from treatable diseases. Though small in stature, Carla is a tenacious athlete. She was the only Form 1 student to play on Daraja Academy’s Netball team, which was the second ranked team in the district.

As Joe, Emre, and Dylan run the race in the Bay Area, Charity, Carla, and Julia will be running the same distance in Kenya.

For more information on the Academy and to meet the girls, please visit http://daraja-academy.org/ 

Asante sana kwa msaada wako! (Thank you for your help!)