Uniting in Compassion

One of the most enduring cultures at St Jude’s is the spirit of compassion and helping those in need. Throughout the year, students and staff support the community in various ways. 

“Every other weekend, our students are out volunteering at an orphanage, cleaning the marketplace, or sharing their skills and knowledge with students from neighbouring schools,” says Focus, a staff and mentor of Interact Club at the school. 

This year, St Jude’s launched another impactful initiative to support the community, particularly patients in need of blood transfusion. In March, the school introduced a bi-annual blood donation drive for eligible staff and students to voluntarily participate.

“We saw the need to step in and help local hospitals around our communities replenish their blood banks,” says Irene, who helped organise a recent blood drive at St Jude’s. “From medical emergencies and accidents, to supporting mothers during childbirths, our hospitals could always use the extra blood units,” she adds.

The first round saw 81 volunteers, including students at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School and staff participate in the blood drive. The turnout was so good that it earned St Jude’s special recognition from Arusha’s largest referral hospital as the biggest blood donation drive by a single institution in its history.  

“It was a pleasant surprise,” says Irene excitedly. “We only had a few weeks to organise the drive and had initially estimated the blood drive to only take a few hours. In the end, it lasted the entire day! It was wonderful to see the St Jude’s community coming together once again in support of such an impactful program,” she adds.

The blood donation drive was a collaborative effort between St Jude's welfare and academic teams, with support from Arusha's biggest referral hospital. 

"We wanted to ensure that the drive was organised efficiently," says Irene. “The hospital helped organise an information session for our students and staff ahead of the drive and the school arranged a special lunch for everyone who donated their blood,” she adds.

Fatuma, one of the talented hosts of our monthly podcast, was one of the 63 students at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School who participated in the blood drive. Beyond the podcast, she is an incredible athlete aspiring to become a P.E. teacher and understands the importance of donating blood in saving lives.

“I first learned from my sister, who is a nurse, that blood can be used to help people, particularly mothers during childbirth,” says Fatuma. “So when this opportunity arrived, I immediately volunteered,” she adds excitedly.

It’s also quite fitting that the record-setting blood drive happened at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School during a month dedicated to celebrating women. Soon, St Jude’s will conduct another blood drive at Smith Campus and continue supporting local hospitals with extra blood. It’s part of a new tradition at St Jude’s where students and staff unite to save lives.