Harambee

What is Harambee?

Each day at Freedom School begins with Harambee, meaning “let’s pull together” in Kiswahili. The purpose of Harambee is to make sure that scholars and their teachers (known as SLIs) come together to start their day off in a positive, energized way!

The Key Components of Harambee

• Read Aloud: Each morning, a read-aloud guest from the community comes in to share a book with the scholars.  The purpose of read aloud is to demonstrate that reading is important across all walks of life, as well as to show the scholars the different ways a person can be active in their community.

• The Motivational Song: Labi Siffre’s “Something Inside So Strong” is the “theme song” of Freedom School.  The scholars and SLIs sing this song every day to remind themselves that they are full of infinite potential and strength.

• Cheers & Chants: This portion of Harambee serves to get the entire site hyped up and energized.  It’s loud, it’s fun, and it’s great to experience! 

• Moment of Silence: After singing, cheering, and chanting, it is important for everyone to take time to center themselves.  The moment of silence is concluded with the word Kiswahili “ashe,” meaning “let it be".