Exam results are out for our Form 2 students and the hard work and diligence of the entire year level is clear, with over 75% of our students receiving the highest possible division points and every student ranking within the top division.
This year’s results, as well as being a success for the whole class, included a first in St Jude’s 17-year history as well as one of the greatest stories of determination and resilience we’ve ever seen.
Samson is one of our students whose results have earned him national recognition. He was awarded an academic scholarship to attend St Jude’s at the age of 7 and is one of three children to a widowed mother from the outskirts of Arusha.
Samson placed first of all Form 2 males in the country and seventh out of all students in Tanzania.
“My family they are really happy for me. They are really excited and they are proud of me” said Samson.
Achieving these results with the help of the school, his peers and family, Samson also credits the hard work of his teachers in his success.
“Our teachers they did a lot. They have been coming in during weekends and also they have been extending their lesson hours just to teach us and to give us the experience for questions asked in the examinations.”
Edwin, another of our students who started at the school in Standard 1 received national recognition for his achievement too and placed 10th of all males nationwide in his exams.
“I’m feeling so great about my results and I cannot explain how excited I am because they are wonderful results and actually I didn’t expect I could get results like this ever in my life,” said Edwin.
“I spoke to my family about it and they were really excited also. They were super excited. I couldn’t imagine. It was really the best moment when I received the results.”
It’s not just the boys who excelled, all of St Jude’s Form 2s performed well and one girl in particular has shown what determination, resilience and hard work can achieve, even in the face of extraordinary challenges.
Lightness, alongside her peers, placed in the first division in the national exams. Unlike her peers, she uses her feet to write her examinations.
Lightness has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects muscle coordination, making it difficult for her to have the necessary control to use her hands to write. Instead, she has learnt to write and draw by holding the pen between her toes.
The condition is often stigmitised in Tanzania and inadequate facilities in government schools would make it almost impossible for her to complete her schooling if she were not at St Jude’s.
With the support of her mother, sponsors, donors and the school, Lightness is able to excel academically in an environment that provides the right resources for her wellbeing and success, including an adapted keyboard for the computer and additional assistance in boarding.
“I did well because of the school, the extra facilities, books and mostly that our teachers are very good. I’ve been working very hard also with my friends,” Lightness said.
When it comes to the year ahead, she can’t wait to continue beating the odds and showcasing her ability.
“In Form 3 I want more A’s and I want to work even harder than before.”
St Jude’s Secondary Headmaster, Mr Mcharo knows that Form 2’s unprecedented success is not just a happy accident.
“We set out at the beginning of the year with strong teamwork, all working towards the common goal of excellence. With discipline and planning we made sure to create an environment that was the best it could be for both teaching and learning. The results speak for themselves and we are looking forward to more of the same,” Mr Mcharo said.
We couldn’t be prouder of every single one of our Form 2 students and their amazing exam results. Their achievements are inspiring every student at St Jude’s and spurring us all on to new heights.
Support one of our aspirational students by sponsoring an academic scholarship today.
The Rotary Club of Wicklow is organising a table quiz and dinner to help students from the Dominican College Wicklow to raise funds for the School of St Jude in Tanzania.
It may be over 11,000km from Wicklow town to Tanzania, but students from the local Dominican College are making an enormous contribution in bringing both countries together through a visionary educational project. Tanzania has endemic poverty and is unable to provide its children with a quality education as the government school system is overstretched and vastly under-resourced.
The School of St Jude was formed in 2002 and educates disadvantaged students. When they finish their education they then return to their communities to demonstrate educational leadership in Tanzania. The school receives no State funding so depends entirely on voluntary donations. A few years ago students from Dominican College decided to help by raising €3,000 each month which goes directly to the school.
The Rotary Club of Wicklow has supported the Dominican students fundraising campaign for St. Jude's since it was initiated. On Friday, March 23, Rotary is hosting a table quiz in the Grand Hotel at 7.30 p.m. in collaboration with the Dominican students and their supporters to increase its funding.
'We urge people in Wicklow to come out and support this visionary project and also learn about the remarkable work carried out by local students,' said Pat Kerr, President of Wicklow Rotary. 'They have shown remarkable skills and initiative in supporting this worthwhile educational venture and we are delighted to support them.'
Teacher John O'Brien said the school is extremely proud of the efforts of the Wicklow students.
'They have raised over €100,000 for the school of St Jude and also sponsor students in helping to give them an education and a chance in life that they would not otherwise have. Drawn from families who often live on less than €1 per day, the pupils of St Jude's are shining examples of what students can achieve when they are given the opportunity to receive a quality education.'
Those wishing to attend can contact John O'Brien on (0404) 68111 or (087) 6598309 or Pat Kerr at (086) 3398390. The Tickets are priced at €30 each or €120 for a team of four.
Michael Buchanan, Wicklow People (read the original article here).
Edgar Tarimo is changing the world one brick at a time.
The teenage schoolboy from Tanzania just won a top international environment prize with his inspired project making house bricks out of plastic waste.
The 17-year-old now hopes that one day thousands of homes all over the developing world will be built out of the recycled plastic bottles, bags and packaging – and he wants to thank Australia for making it all possible.
For without Australian teacher Gemma Sisia who set up a school in poverty-stricken northern Tanzania and awarded him a free scholarship, and the thousands of Australians who support her every week with donations, he would never have been able to follow his dream of improving housing in his country.
“Being at her school has taught me how to think outside of the box and to see possibilities and opportunities out there in the world,” says Edgar, smiling.
Schoolboy Edgar Tarimo with his Australian teacher Gemma Sisia, who started a school in Tanzania 16 years ago with just three students.
“Gemma is the person who’s changed my life. I’m a new person because of the education she’s given me. If she hadn’t come and built her school, with other Australians sending over funds to help, I have no idea what I’d be doing now – if anything at all.”
Edgar is just back home from a trip to Sweden to accept the 2017 Children’s Climate Prize for his scheme recycling plastics to build permanent homes. The idea came to him after seeing mud-brick houses in the nation’s capital Dar es Salaam swept away in floods, and knowing how plastic litter is destroying the countryside.
He’s a pupil at the School of St Jude in Tanzania’s second city Arusha started by education pioneer Gemma Sisia. From a sheep property in Armidale, she went to Africa for a holiday, fell in love with her Tanzanian safari guide and then built the school 16 years ago on some land donated by her new father-in-law.
She began with just herself and three pupils. Today, she has 2000 students and 350 staff, and her school is recognised as one of the best in East Africa.
“It’s so wonderful to see kids like Edgar flourishing and it gives energy and inspiration to all the other children to see him do so well,” says Gemma, now with four children of her own, aged between16 and five. “He’s a very humble boy, but he’s passionate and quietly driven to change the world.
“When you have kids who grow up with very little, that struggle can end up becoming a real gift. Of course, it’s not nice to see them struggle, but it helps them appreciate what they’ve got and teaches them to be strong and determined.
“They come from poverty-stricken families and, as a result, they aren’t pushovers. So if someone tells them something isn’t possible, they’ll go on to the next person, or if one door closes, they’ll knock on the next.” “
Edgar has also been recognised as a next-generation young African entrepreneurial leader as first runner-up of the Anzisha Prize, and now employs five people full-time in his building venture Green Venture Recycles, and over 80 part-time who collect discarded plastics for him.
There are hopes that his trash-to-treasure vision may become Africa-wide, and then start to transform housing in the developing world.
Edgar’s sponsor is a Sydney donor to the school, and 90 per cent of the funding to keep the school going is raised by Australians.
“We’re grateful for every donation, however big, or however small. We love Australians visiting us here, or volunteering to help us, or just giving. And when you see kids like Edgar changing the world, then you can see how valuable this is.”
Sue Williams, Domain (read the original article here).
