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Commenced:
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01/06/2010 |
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Submitted:
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19/03/2011 |
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Last updated:
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07/10/2015 |
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Location:
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Nanyuki, KE |
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Climate zone:
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Arid |
Daraja Academy is the first free all-girls secondary school in all of East Africa. The Daraja Academy Permaculture Project aims to create a model of sustainability and self-reliance and to instill in every student, a sense of environmental responsibility and stewardship.
Daraja Academy is the first free all-girls secondary school in all of East Africa. The mission of Daraja Academy is to cultivate a community of individuals with a sense of cultural awareness, social conscience, and environmental responsibility, all while instilling talents that will enable them to open doors to a global society. In late February 2009, 26 girls from Kenya were given a chance for a secondary education which would otherwise not be possible, given their current economic situation. Daraja is now in its third year of operation and as of February 25th, 2011 has a total enrollment of 78 exemplary Kenyan girls.
The Daraja Academy Permaculture Project aims to create a model of sustainability and self-reliance and instill in every student, a sense of environmental responsibility and stewardship. The 60 acre (24 hectare) campus is located at the base of Mount Kenya, where the devastating effects of illegal logging and deforestation can be seen firsthand. The desertification in this region has caused changing rainfall patterns and drought, accelerating poverty among subsistence farmers. The region is home to Maasai pastoralists who traditionally graze cattle and live off the land; many have been forced to find other ways of survival.
Daraja harvests water from the Ewaso Ng'iro River, which flows down from the glaciers of Mount Kenya to irrigate the arid landscape below. The rapid removal of indigenous trees in the region has led to siltation in the watershed. Upstream from Daraja, there are several large greenhouses which are a part of Kenya’s unsustainable cut flower industry, the nation’s second largest export. Water levels have fallen as a direct result of flower farmers pumping water from the Ewaso Ng'iro River faster than it can be replenished.
The immediate goals of the project are 1) to improve access to clean water, 2) improve soil fertility and 3) increase the amount of food grown on campus, thereby reducing the monthly food bill and eliminating transportation costs. During the summer of 2010, several hard working volunteers contributed to a permaculture design for the school and laid the groundwork for future permaculture projects. The school’s environmental education initiatives consist of ‘experiential learning’ or learning by doing. Permaculture related courses taught during the summer of 2010 included: how to make sun-dried adobe bricks for natural building, how to plant trees, how to use an A-frame to map out contours for swales, how to improve soil fertility by using chicken tractors and how to make good compost.
Future projects include: seed saving and conservation of indigenous plant and tree species, construction of a tree nursery and greenhouse, planting of drought tolerant fruit and fodder trees, installation of a large-scale biogas digester for cooking, installation of humanure composting toilets, digging a pond for aquaculture, construction of a greywater system for the new dormitory, increasing rain water catchment capacity and digging more swales to slow and spread water during the rainy season. We are also interested in learning more about sustainable land use practices, such as Holistic Management, to improve soil health and mitigate draught.
Engaging both the students and the faculty, the Daraja Permaculture Project has created a dialogue about ecological responsibility and environmental stewardship, not only within the boundaries of the campus, but within the community as well. During the inaugural Earth and Me Festival held in August 2010, each student planted a tree on the degraded land adjacent to the school’s campus and made individual pledges to think and act more sustainably. Plans are underway to develop curriculum to help educate neighboring communities about the importance of environmental stewardship and implementation of sustainable land management practices. Developing self-reliance at the community level will create models for sustainable community development in Kenya and serve as a model for other developing countries as well.
Note: The various badges displayed in people profiles are largely honesty-based self-proclamations by the individuals themselves. There are reporting functions users can use if they know of blatant misrepresentation (for both people and projects). Legitimacy, competency and reputation for all people and projects can be evidenced and/or developed through their providing regular updates on permaculture work they’re involved in, before/after photographs, etc. A spirit of objective nurturing of both people and projects through knowledge/encouragement/inspiration/resource sharing is the aim of the Worldwide Permaculture Network.
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MemberA member is a permaculturist who has never taken a PDC course. These cannot become PDC teachers. Members may be novice or highly experienced permaculturists or anywhere in between. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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Permaculture MatchmakerOne of these badges will show if you select your gender and the "I'm single, looking for a permaculture partner" option in your profile. |
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PDCPeople who claim to have taken a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course somewhere in the world. |
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PDC VerifiedPeople who have entered an email address for the teacher of their PDC course, and have had their PDC status verified by that teacher. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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PDC TeacherPeople who claim to teach some version of PDC somewhere in the world. |
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PRI TeacherWith the exception of the ‘Member’ who has never taken a PDC, all of the above can apply to become a PRI PDC Teacher. PRI PDC Teachers are those who the PRI recognise, through a vetting board, as determined and competent to teach the full 72-hour course as developed by Permaculture founder Bill Mollison – covering all the topics of The Designers’ Manual as well as possible (i.e. not cherry picking only aspects the teacher feels most interested or competent in). Such teachers also commit to focussing on the design science, and not including subjective spiritual/metaphysical elements. The reason these items are not included in the PDC curriculum is because they are “belief” based. Permaculture Design education concerns itself with teaching good design based on strategies and techniques which are scientifically provable. PRI PDC Teachers may be given teaching and/or consultancy offerings as they become available as the network grows. |
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Aid WorkerThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to be involved in permaculture aid work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture aid worker experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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Community ProjectCommunity projects are projects that help develop sustainable community interaction and increase localised resiliency. |
