Community Service

St Jude's graduates giving back to their communities

In Tanzania, the first four years of secondary school are called Ordinary Level (O Level) studies;
from Form 1 to Form 4.
Upon completing Form 4, students continue with the final two years of secondary school education, Advanced Level (A Level) studies. However, Form 4 graduates may opt for an alternative pathway to career by completing a diploma or certificate at college. Offering this alternative pathway of study keeps students motivated to succeed and achieve.
In recognition of this crucial step, St Jude’s launched the Alternative Pathways Program (APP) in 2020. The APP program allows our Form 4 graduates (O Level) to pursue a diploma or certificate at college, in place of the traditional St Jude’s A Level pathway through secondary school.

This program is quickly becoming popular for Form 4 graduates at St Jude’s. Having started with six inaugural scholars in 2020, it has since grown over the years and in 2024, 47 Form 4 graduates successfully opted for the program.

The APP consists of two components, a Community Service Semester (CSS) and a College Program.
Sponsor a volunteer

Pursuing the Alternative Pathways Program (APP)

Community Service Semester (CSS) Volunteers.
As part of the APP program, our scholars undertake a semester of community service, known as a Community Service Semester (CSS). During CSS, volunteers assist in under-resourced government schools as teacher’s assistants, helping with sports, exam marking, and other areas of need within the school.
The CSS starts in January and lasts between six and nine months, depending on the volunteer’s college course starting date. It enables our Form 4 graduates (O Level) to give back to their communities and demonstrate our school values: Respect, Responsibility, Honesty and Kindness.

Upon successful completion of their CSS, volunteers are eligible to apply for a BSJ College scholarship, enabling them to study a certificate or diploma course specific to their field of interest.
Work Readiness Training
This is a special training program that equips our CSS volunteers with basic knowledge and skills during their community service. This training is facilitated by the Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) team and happens before volunteers start their semester of community service.
During this time, volunteers learn about lesson planning, time management, budgeting, public speaking, patience and resilience, receive handy tips from some St Jude’s alumni. 

The BSJ team provides year-round support to CSS participants and visits them at their CSS placement to ensure their working conditions are satisfactory.
College Programs
Upon successful completion of their CSS, volunteers are eligible to apply for a BSJ College scholarship, enabling them to study a certificate or diploma course specific to their field of interest.
Our CSS scholars have a wide array of colleges and courses within Tanzania that they can apply to study. These courses and educational institutions have been carefully selected by our Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) and Academic teams to ensure maximum impact for our scholars.
The BSJ team provides year-round support to College scholars and visits them at their higher education institution, to ensure their study conditions are satisfactory.
Fields of study available to BSJ College scholars include agriculture, engineering, IT, nursing, allied health, and hospitality. These are areas of need within the Tanzanian labour market; consequently, research shows that rates of employability within these areas are high.

Making a real impact

Since the program launched in 2015, our graduates have voluntarily taught over 112,000 students in government schools throughout Arusha and surrounding regions. Many of these students would have been without teachers in the critical disciplines of mathematics and science if it weren’t for these volunteers. As well as giving back, our graduates grow in confidence as they develop their leadership skills and become positive role models for our younger students.

Support our CSY volunteers