When Angel first walked through the gates of The School of St Jude, she was a bright student with big dreams but few resources. Thanks to the generosity of donors and sponsors, she gained not just a quality education but the confidence and tools to lead change.
Her journey began in 2017, when she and her friend Sharon shared a love for science and innovation. Their first major creation, a simple yet life-changing electric stick for the visually impaired, took them to the Project Inspire boot camp in Dodoma. That experience sparked a lifelong commitment to using innovation for good.
A year later, their banana peel fertiliser project took them to Science Week at the Nelson Mandela Institute of Science and Technology, where future African scientists, engineers and leaders learn to solve local challenges and drive progress across the region. By the time they reached A Level, Angel and Sharon were leading environmental initiatives on campus, from maintaining green spaces to inspiring fellow students to think sustainably.
Out of this passion, Angel founded E.C.H.O. Elevating Climate Harmony Ontime, a youth-led non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on tackling climate change. In 2024, E.C.H.O. made history by winning the prestigious Humanitarian Excellence Award from the I CAN Foundation, triumphing over entries from all 28 Indian states and more than 80 competitors worldwide.
The award recognized E.C.H.O.’s tangible impact on:
Now back in Tanzania after completing her studies in India, Angel is determined to bring her expertise home and is designing solar-powered cooling systems for farmers, developing sustainable irrigation, and building climate resilience in vulnerable communities.
Angel’s story is your story too. Without your generosity, this young leader might never have had the chance to dream this big, let alone inspire change on a global stage. Your support is not just educating students. It is equipping them to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Johnson, Class of 2022, is on a mission to universally help students manage the daily pressures of school and build stronger mental resilience with his newly published book, 7 Mental Health Tips for Students: Become a Successful and Happier Student.
Johnson’s inspiration for the book came from his own experiences as a student.
“When I was in school, I loved spending time in the library, reading and talking to teachers,” he recalls.
In 2023, Johnson completed his Community Service Year (CSY), a program where St Jude’s graduates spend a year volunteering in government schools, academic teams or head office at St Jude’s.
While teaching at a government school, he spoke with many students and conducted research to better understand how they coped with stress and balanced their wellbeing alongside academic demands.
Through this process, he noticed a broader gap in available resources. While many books focused on personal development, few addressed the real mental health challenges students faced when pursuing academics.
“When I was at the government school, I asked all types of students about the daily challenges they faced with stress. I saw there weren’t many books for just students on this,” says Johnson.
Motivated to do more, Johnson continued exploring the topic after starting his studies in Business Administration at Ashesi University in Ghana, where he recently completed his second year. It was during this time that he connected with Mariam, a clinical psychologist.
“Mariam was the guest speaker on a webinar about student wellbeing that I was part of. Afterwards, I reached out to her and we connected. She is leading the Wellness Within Hub, which provides workshops and resources for students,” he says.
Mariam was eager to support Johnson in bringing this idea to life, and together, they co-wrote the book over the span of a year. They intentionally kept it short and easy to navigate, recognising that many students are discouraged by lengthy books.
“Before we started writing, I also did lots of research, read books and spoke to lecturers and peers from different countries. But working with Mariam was great because she is very open to feedback and willing to change ideas. She also brought so much experience and credibility. I learnt a lot from her.”
When asked about his favourite tip in the book, Johnson refers to what is known as ‘The Four A’s of Managing Stress: avoid, adapt, accept and alter.’
“This approach is useful for everyone, not just students. There’s no way to be completely free of stress, but you can become more resilient in how you manage it. We also wanted to make the book as short as possible for students to be able to skim through it so they can get the exact content relevant to them,” he adds.
When the hard copy was released, Johnson arranged for fellow St Jude’s alumni, who were beginning university in Ghana, to bring 500 printed copies of the book with them from Tanzania.
“It feels like a real achievement to see this book come to life. Some of my lecturers bought the book, and it’s available through the counselling department and wellness committee at Ashesi as a resource for students,” he adds.
Inspired by this experience, Johnson plans to write more books in the future, noting that this is just the beginning.
“I never thought when I was sitting in the library as a student that I would become an author one day. It was a challenge managing my university curriculum while writing the book. I wrote a lot on weekends. I also wrote in the early mornings and sometimes late at night,” he says.
Just this month, he returned to the very government school where the inspiration for his book first took root, invited by the headmaster to speak with students about mental health.
“This summer, I have also applied for some grants so I can help more students get this book, especially in rural areas like the one I taught at. I want this to be a resource for more students,” adds Johnson.
For now, copies are eagerly circulating among St Jude’s staff and university communities, with hopes to broaden its reach in the near future.
It’s been ten years since Anna stood proudly in her graduation gown as part of the first-ever graduating class of The School of St Jude in 2015. While much has changed since that milestone moment, Anna’s connection to the school has remained strong - coming full circle earlier this year when she started sponsoring a student scholarship.
“In January, I started sponsoring the scholarship of a Standard 1 student named Careen. I came to the school and had the opportunity to meet her. I can’t even describe the experience. It was just incredible,” says Anna.
For Anna, sponsoring Careen's education stemmed from a desire to give back – both for the education she received and to support her community.
“When I was a student, there were people who were generous enough to sponsor my education, and now I have the chance to do it for somebody else. It’s more than financial support; it’s holding someone’s hand on the path to becoming like myself, and even more,” she adds.
Anna’s commitment to giving back began well before this year. After graduating from St Jude’s, she spent a year teaching at a government school through the Community Service Year (CSY) program that places volunteers in government schools across Arusha and nearby regions, as well as in various non-teaching roles within St Jude’s. Since the program’s inception, St Jude’s alumni have taught more than 170,000 government school students.
“When I was teaching, I saw how strained and under-resourced most government schools are. When a student joins St Jude’s, they are lucky to receive all these resources, from the teachers to the library and everything else. It’s life-changing,” says Anna.
Anna knows this transformation firsthand. Before joining St Jude’s in Form 1, she attended a government primary school where all her classes were taught in Kiswahili.
“When I graduated from Form 4, four years after being at St Jude’s, I was the best student in English. The school shaped me in every way to be prepared for the future. Now, when I think about work, I don’t just think about getting a job and a salary; I think about how my work can change the world and touch lives,” she says.
Following her CSY, Anna earned a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting in Dar es Salaam before returning to Arusha to work in the St Jude’s Accounts team.
Having been both a student and staff member, Anna has gained a unique perspective on the school’s holistic education, one that goes beyond academics to develop well-rounded individuals.
“We weren’t only taught subjects like physics, chemistry and mathematics, but also things like entrepreneurship and the importance of giving back to our communities. It shaped me in a way that I was ready to face the world not only with academic skills but with life skills too which is really important,” she adds.
Late last year, Anna took on a new role with Toyota but remains closely connected to the school. She hopes that, in time, more alumni will be able to sponsor student scholarships once they are in a position to do so.
“Every year, we have around 150 to 200 graduates, and 20 years from now, there will be thousands and thousands of students who have graduated from St Jude’s,” she says.
“If just 10 to 15 alumni from each graduating class sponsor one student scholarship each, you can imagine how many sponsors we’ll have in 20 years, and the impact that will make. From having people sponsor us when we were young and then us as alumni sponsoring our ‘younger ones,’ it’s the biggest thank you there is.”
When Joseph joined St Jude’s in 2018 as a Form 1 student, he never predicted that a simple break-time conversation with friends would spark a passion that would shape his future.
“A group of students were talking about Java, a programming tool I’d never heard of. I’m the kind of person who looks things up if I don’t understand them. So, I went to the library and started reading everything I could about computers,” recalls Joseph, who graduated in the Class of 2024.
Before joining St Jude’s, Joseph completed his primary education at a local government school in Arusha, where computers were something he’d only ever seen from afar.
“I had never even touched a computer before coming to St Jude’s. I’d only seen them in movies and on screens, where they looked really cool. I just fell in love with them,” he says.
Eager to learn more, Joseph began teaching himself the basics of programming, using every resource he could find in the school library.
“The books I was reading were all in English, and I was still learning the language at that time. But I just kept going. I really fell in love with it and continued to teach myself,” he says.
Fast forward to today, and Joseph’s passion has come full circle. As part of his Community Service Year (CSY) - where Form 6 graduates have the opportunity to take part in a year of community service - he is volunteering in St Jude’s Corporate Applications team, using his skills to tackle real-world challenges and help improve internal systems at the school.
One of his most impressive contributions has been the development of an automatic system that tracks and manages government parking fees; a crucial task for St Jude’s, which operates a fleet of more than 30 vehicles.
“When the school buses park outside the school, the government charges a parking fee. Previously, staff had to manually check each plate number online to calculate the monthly charges. This was a time-consuming job, especially with so many vehicles to manage,” explains Joseph.
Now, thanks to his innovation, the system now automatically retrieves all St Jude’s bus plate numbers from the government portal and generates a report – saving valuable time and reducing the risk of errors.
“We’ve been improving it based on feedback. I keep refining it with input from the team. I’m now working on how to store the data for the records,” adds Joseph.
With his CSY wrapping up in July, Joseph has his sights set on tertiary studies in computer science or financial technology, with plans to eventually merge the two fields.
“The CSY program has been amazing. I’m learning so much, and it’s opened up a lot of opportunities," he says.
“Doing CSY at the place where my passion for computers began, and being able to give back using the skills I’ve developed from my time here, is very rewarding. I’m excited for what the future will bring.”
A group of St Jude’s students and alumni recently participated in Arusha Innovation Week, joining changemakers across the region to tackle real-world challenges with bold ideas. Among them was David, an alum who won first place in the event’s prestigious pitching competition for his award-winning innovation - organic fertilisers made from human hair - earning him a spot at the national finals in Dar es Salaam this month.
Really great! I was very happy when they announced I had won. I love what I’m doing and I’m always thinking about ways I can share it with more people. There were 13 people in the pitching competition. We each did a two-minute pitch in front of the panel. I prepared a pitch deck the day before. The same event also happened in many regions across Tanzania, and all the regional winners will meet in Dar es Salaam for the final competition on 12 May.
Make sure you connect with both the audience and the panel. You can do this by having a strong opening that makes your pitch stand out. I do this by starting with a question or coming up with an engaging opening line. This gets their attention immediately. I also talk about the most important thing first as time is limited. The rest of the information can always be put into the Q&A.
So many things!I loved seeing everybody’s different ideas. The audience was full of innovation experts, and I got to meet them all afterwards. I was also so happy to see people supporting young innovators. Young people need a platform to show their ideas.
There is going to be a big space to exhibit everyone’s ideas, and we will get to meet lots of people from different organisations and institutions. It’s also being held in the same place where, seven years ago, we competed in a national science competition after showcasing this very project at St Jude’s Science Fair. There, we came second among secondary schools from across Tanzania. So, it’s going to be a very full-circle moment.
As a young mind, you have to think of future problems. Try to identify the problems that people might face in the future, not just the ones we see today. And keep going! You’ll always be happy waking up to something you love doing.
St Jude's has always been a place where young minds are nurtured and bold ideas are born. However, turning a passion into a sustainable business is no easy task - it requires practical skills, mentorship, and the right kind of support. To help bridge this gap, the school recently launched the Next Frontier Incubator and Small Grants Program, designed to help alumni transform their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
The 20-week program, which kicked off in January, offers 25 alumni the opportunity to develop essential business skills through expert mentorship, tailored resources, and hands-on training in critical areas such as business planning, financial management, goal-setting, and legal compliance.
Program Specialist Neema explained that the initiative was established to help alumni with innovative business ideas transform them into successful ventures and build a strong foundation for long-term growth.
“We found that many alumni had incredible ideas but didn't know the next steps. They were caught between creative development and the practical aspects of business management. This program helps bridge that gap by offering the resources needed to turn these ideas into a viable business,” Neema says.
The inaugural group includes ideas from a range of industries, including art, manufacturing, construction, and transport. They each submitted a business proposal detailing their vision, goals, and the challenges their businesses aim to address, which formed the basis of their admission to the program.
“Many of these ideas aim to solve real-world problems and make a positive impact on people and the planet. Some are startups that, despite winning awards, are facing challenges in scaling, while others are still in the early stages of development and getting their ideas off the ground. The cohort meets twice a week for expert-led sessions and assignments to help them refine their goals, develop their mission statements, and map out their next steps,” Neema says.
At the end of the program, the students will pitch their ideas to an external panel of experts who will assess their business models, scalability, and community impact. Successful pitches will receive grant funding up to US$5,000 to support key areas such as product development and marketing.
One alum, Queen, Class of 2021, said she jumped at the opportunity to be part of the program. After studying art and design in Dar es Salaam, she founded The Kids Hub, an art workshop offering creative classes in painting, jewellery making, and digital art for children and young adults in Arusha.
“I've always had a passion for art, and I wanted to create a space where young people could explore their creativity,” says Queen, who has a studio in the centre of Arusha where she runs her classes.
“Art is often overlooked in schools, so I wanted to provide a space where kids could develop their skills, express themselves, and sell their work. We've already held two classes, and the response has been incredible.”
Queen's ultimate goal is to expand The Kids Hub into a larger space where people of all ages can learn and appreciate art - a goal she feels is within reach thanks to the insights gained from the program.
“The Next Frontier Incubator and Small Grants Program has been a real eye-opener. It's hands-on and practical, and the sessions have given me so many tools to improve my business. I've learned how to manage stress, scale my business, and navigate the financial side. It's a complete package that has really set me up for success,” says Queen.
“I'm also learning so much from my fellow participants, as we all exchange advice and insights. My goal is to run regular classes and continue to grow the business, and by the end of this program, I'm confident I'll be able to achieve that.”
In addition to supporting the entrepreneurial endeavours of alumni, St Jude's has also launched a Pre-Incubator Program for current high school students. This extracurricular club serves as a stepping stone into the Next Frontier Incubator and Small Grants Program, offering students the chance to explore entrepreneurship as a potential career path from an early age.
“The Pre-Incubator Program provides students with the tools and support they need to develop their ideas and prepare for the full incubator program if they wish to pursue it professionally after graduation,” Neema explains.
“By introducing entrepreneurship at the high school level, we're encouraging students to see it as a viable career path, and empowering them to become innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders both within their communities and beyond.”
