From gifted Land to growing School

When Lembris, a 2015  St Jude’s Form 6 graduate, dreamed of starting a school, he didn’t have much. What he did have was a 21-acre plot of land in Moshono, Arusha, gifted by his father. That land became the foundation for what would become Bright Lands School.

Lembris’ motivation to start a school comes from what he saw during his Community Service Year, when he taught mathematics and physics at a local government school in Arusha. There, he experienced overcrowded classrooms, limited resources and students with different learning needs being taught the same way. That experience stayed with him.

To raise the first capital, Lembris sold a piece of land he owned in Dodoma, which he bought during his Community Service Year. he began construction of two classrooms in July 2023. By the following year, he had completed the first classroom, along with essential facilities including two toilets, a kitchen, security and store huts and front entrance walls. However, he soon realised that one classroom was not enough to get him approval to open his gates. He needed three.

Rather than giving up, Lembris found another way forward.

As a civil engineer by profession and owner of an engineering company, he reinvested profits from his company to add more classrooms, buying learning resources and strengthening the school’s operations. Step by step, Bright Lands grew from an idea into a functioning learning centre. By July 2025, he managed to complete the three classrooms and was approved to open the gates with his first two students.

Today, the school has 64 students, three teachers, a cook, a security guard and a manager.

Through a low-fee model, Lembris is building a school that gives more families access to quality education while focusing on understanding, creativity, discipline and practical learning.

Now part of the third cohort of St Jude’s Next Frontier Incubator and Small Grants Program, Lembris is developing the business skills needed to grow Bright Lands School sustainably. He hopes to expand the school into a fully registered primary school in the coming years, bringing quality education to even more students in Tanzania.

From welcoming just two students to educating 64 in its first year, Lembris is proving that impact does not always begin with perfect conditions. Sometimes, it begins with one piece of land, one bold decision and the discipline to keep building.

His journey is a powerful reminder of why The School of St Jude exists: to educate young people who will go on to lift their families, serve their communities and create opportunities for others.

The impact of your support can continue long after a student graduates from St Jude’s. By investing in education, you are helping young people build the skills, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures and make a difference in their communities.