My name is Jeff Rivero, and I teach in Merced, California, where I guide students in the Interact Junior Ambassadors program—young leaders committed to service, civic engagement, and global awareness. Today, we are raising funds to purchase video equipment so our students can create a documentary about an extraordinary partnership with the Daraja Academy, an all-girls boarding school in Kenya that is transforming lives. The young women high school students at Daraja face incredible odds. In many parts of Kenya, girls encounter deep gender inequality, cultural bias in education, and the risk of early arranged marriages when families cannot afford schooling. For many, eighth grade is the last level of state-funded education. Daraja Academy changes that story. The school provides scholarships, mentorship, and rigorous academics, achieving a remarkable record: 100% of its students graduate high school, pass Kenya’s national university entrance exam, and earn college degrees. Our Interact students connect with Daraja through projects focused on environmental and social justice. Through service and storytelling, they are becoming leaders who advocate for the world they believe in.

This documentary will tell the story of one Daraja student whose full four-year scholarship was sponsored by the Merced Sunrise Rotary Club. Without this opportunity, she might have been forced into child marriage and had to deal with female violence. Instead, her education will allow her to pursue a career and send 60–80% of her income back home, helping her sisters stay in school and lifting her family and village out of poverty.

Donations will help purchase filming equipment so students can produce this documentary and submit it to local and international film festivals, sharing this powerful story with the world.