Grauer School’s Girl Rising Club raised $15,000 to support Kenyan school

Over the past decade, the Girl Rising Club at Encinitas’ The Grauer School has advocated for girls’ education and empowerment.

During the 2022-23 school year, club co-presidents, Solana Beach’s Aviya Afra and Encinitas’ Sarai Scofield, spearheaded a series of successful club fundraisers including custom tote bags, a school-wide Dance Marathon and Race4Daraja, a 10K race partnering with current students at Daraja Academy, a boarding school in Nanyuki, Kenya.

In total, Girl Rising raised $15,000, which covers the housing and tuition for six girls.

The club has formed a strong connection to the Kenyan school. Evelyne, a student at Daraja, was able to visit Grauer last year. She shared a powerful story about leaving home and breaking off her arranged marriage at the age of 12 to pursue her education. She has developed a passion for chemistry and is now applying for college with the hopes of studying at Harvard University. After shadowing Aviya and Sarai at school, Evelyne shared: “This is the moment for girls to rise to their potential.” Her inspirational quote is now on every Girl Rising tote bag.

This fall, club members will be traveling to Daraja Academy in Kenya to spend time with the young women and to learn more about their experiences. Girl Rising has organized a drive to collect donations of art and academic supplies to bring to the school. To order from an Amazon wishlist, visit tinyurl.com/3kb4chxa

The drive will run until Sept. 26. For more information, contact raviyaafra@grauerschool.com or saraiscofield@grauerschool.com .