Twelve years ago Alex sat a test that would change his life and put him on the journey out of extreme poverty in Tanzania and into one of the world’s most sought-after universities, Stanford. In this essay, Alex remembers in brilliant detail the day he sat the test for a St Jude’s scholarship and outlines his hopes to use his education to bring a brighter future to Tanzania. 

The blazing equatorial sun beat down on the massive crowd in the street. The air was full of dust and the smell of sweat as the multitude of 7 year old children tried to get near the small entrance gate to the school. My mother was far behind me when I finally reached it. The school askari (gateman) grabbed my shirt, pulled me through the small opening and placed me at the end of a very long line. Through the distance I could barely see the other end of the line where sat a young, neatly dressed white lady with a couple of small books on her lap. Eventually it was my turn; the lady handed me a basic English reading book entitled Peter and Jane. I took a deep breath, and slowly read aloud the opening paragraph. When finished, I looked up and the woman’s smile told me that I could now move on to take the math test, which was quite easy. When I came back out of the school gate, my waiting Mama could tell from my face that I had passed the entrance tests.

Thousands of bright Tanzanian youth from very humble backgrounds have passed through this same screening process for entry into the School of St Jude’s of Tanzania every year for the past 13 years. With admission being highly selective I am proud to say that I recently became a member of it’s very first graduating class. St Jude’s provides free, quality education to about 2000 students. Getting this privilege was a great relief for my single parent mother of ten children – which may seem a large family, but for my Maasai tribe, it is very normal. Maasai children are often negatively stereotyped as being uneducated, having a future of grazing cattle instead of attending school, and looked down upon for wearing a unique and traditional style of dress.

But at St Jude’s, it was different. It was refreshing to see that our tribe had acceptance and positive recognition, and we were encouraged to openly sing and teach other students and visitors Maasai songs and do our traditional dances in school assemblies. With the vision of creating future leaders of Tanzania, St Jude’s tries to unleash the potential of every student, beyond cultural beliefs and financial status, with a special emphasis on actively serving the community we have come from. Most young people in Tanzania are not as fortunate as I to attend a good school; their only option is overcrowded government schools with limited teachers and resources. Volunteer teaching in local government schools was thus an every weekend priority for me during my time at St Jude’s. I particularly loved teaching sciences and math, helping students to understand complex formulas, while encouraging them to appreciate the practical value of these subjects. 

No matter where my future leads me, my St. Jude’s experience has taught me the importance of accepting all cultures and traditions. But it has also given me the skills to conquer challenges, turning them into stepping stones towards bringing positive change. As a result of my gift of a St Jude’s education, I am even more aware today that my greatest challenge still lies ahead in bringing about positive future change for other young Tanzanians, especially for my often looked down upon fellow Maasai!!

lex wouldn't be where he is today with out the fantastic St Jude's teachers, donate to teaching today! 

A year after heading to South Africa on an African Leadership Academy scholarship, former St Jude’s student Liston was back to share his education through a weekend leadership course at Smith campus.

The two-day, ALA-initiated camp is designed to help ambitious students problem-solve via a grassroots structure. Called “BUILD in a Box”, the course is a mobile entrepreneurial development kit that takes its name from the motto ‘Believe, Understand, Invest, Listen and Deliver’.

“I believe St Jude’s is the perfect place for me to come and teach (the course),” Liston explained.

“I studied here for a long time and I really know what they need, and what they need is that familiar relationship. By teaching them BUILD in a Box, I’m sure, once they finish at St Jude’s they will be able to run their own businesses and solve the problems in their community, using this knowledge. I think it would really help them personally, and their communities.”

This was the first BUILD course Liston has delivered, and he is ecstatic with how well it was received by the 32 St Jude’s students involved.

“BUILD is about looking at the root cause of problems, so let’s say the group you are with are looking at the root cause of poverty. The short-term impact is to help individuals, but the long-term impact is to help all of Africa,” he said.

Liston also enjoyed the opportunity BUILD provided to return to St Jude’s as an alumnus.

“I’m really happy to be here again and meet my classmates. I just feel happy. I love St Jude’s, and I think they have the same aim as ALA. Their goals are the same and, for me personally, I align with those goals. They are something that will transform the lives of many people – I’m one of those people who have been transformed by St Jude’s, and now I’m being transformed by ALA.”

Liston is half-way through his ALA scholarship, so his BUILD presentation was supported by recent ALA graduates Bernadette and Peace.

“The BUILD course is usually a term-long course but here we compress it into two days, so it’s much harder. We went through it at ALA and got the right understanding of it so that’s why we can teach it,” Peace, who hails from Rwanda, said.

“Because we are targeting 15 to 22-year-olds who are in the same age bracket, it’s easier for us to communicate from our understanding of it. It’s more of a fun, productive conversation rather than a lecture,” Tanzanian-born Bernadette said.

The young women said their main aim was to change the mindset of the students involved, and that meant each group had to find a solution through the root cause of a complex problem. Peace said students often chose too-broad topics such as education, and were asked to “think about what they can be more specific about within education”.

“We try to focus on very little problems, as in what really bothers you, as you walk from home to school or as you experience your normal, daily life with your peers,” Bernadette explained. “After you have solved a little problem, and you see ‘Oh, I successfully did that,’ it makes you feel like you can do something bigger and bigger, and that becomes a whole ‘change the society’ type of thing.”

Bernadette said their ultimate aim, at the end of each two-day program, is to produce “actual, practical solutions that people can feel they might be able to do for something they really, deeply care about”.

Bernadette and Peace said they had thoroughly enjoyed helping facilitate the St Jude’s students, and that Liston was shaping up to be a promising BUILD in a Box leader.

Meanwhile, Liston is enthusiastically looking forward to his second year at ALA.

“I’m really enjoying ALA after studying there for one year. At first it was really challenging, you know, you are changing everything, changing curriculum, no speaking Swahili. From my second term, I can say I started to enjoy it more than I thought, and I’ve had many chances to explore a lot of opportunities,” he said.

“I will graduate next year, in June, with a high school diploma. After that, I will go to college. I would like to study electrical engineering. Since when I was here (St Jude’s), since I was young, I’ve loved electrical engineering. I always taught other students and showed them, and also learnt from them. I love sharing.”

Click here to sponsor a future leader like Liston.

The results from our first ever Form 6 national exams have been released and the achievements are inspiring. 

Years of dedication has paid off for our incredible students, who all passed, with more than half of them achieving the highest possible mark of 'Distinction'. The class also ranked in the top 10% in Tanzania for chemistry, economics, advanced mathematics and physics.

The results placed St Jude's 3rd in our Region and 25th in the Nation!

The full results illustrate the success of our hardworking and talented graduates:

Individual pass marks:

Class rankings by subject:

2014 was a big year for our Form 4 students. They spent it applying themselves to studies that ranged from history to chemistry to biology. Our students began the New Year with feelings of anticipation as they eagerly awaited their exam results to see if all of their hard work paid off. Finally, the results are here! And happily, the answer is a resounding “yes”!

Overall our 126 Form 4 students received stellar results, placing St Jude’s 3^rd in the region and 24^th in all of Tanzania. Over half of the students achieved a Distinction, the highest possible grade, and 99% of the class achieved a Merit (the second highest grade) or above.

The results indicate our students show particular aptitude for communication, with the class ranking 2^nd in the region for Kiswahili. They are also budding scientists and historians, achieving a regional ranking of 2^nd in Biology and 3^rd in History.

These results are fantastic for all of our students and their teachers who have worked so hard to guide each of them throughout the year. The students are very proud of their achievements, deservedly so, and begin Form 5 with a renewed confidence and excitement for the year ahead.