Proud parents rejoiced when they saw their children, dressed in new school uniforms and ready for their free, high-quality education at St Jude’s.
Chosen from the most underprivileged families in the Arusha district, these students already understand the importance of being chosen to receive a free education that ranks in the top 10% in Tanzania.
St Jude’s employees and volunteers rolled up their sleeves to distribute fresh new uniforms to the delighted children, who then showed their parents and lined up for their first official photos.
“We are so pleased to welcome a new group of keen young students to St Jude’s. This is always a very exciting time of the year,” school founder Gemma Sisia said.
“I couldn’t imagine a better way to start the school year than seeing the faces of these students and their parents light up on Uniform Day.”
New student mothers Elizabeth and Ava agreed.
“I’m ecstatic, so excited Jenipha is going to St Jude’s,” Elizabeth said.
“She will have an opportunity at this school to go to secondary level and be such a good help for the family, and it will give her an opportunity to teach others and be a good example of how we need to prioritise education.”
“I am so happy, beyond explanation,” Ava said.
“Colin getting an education will help sustain our life, and that of our community.”
Over the 14 years St Jude’s has provided an education to underprivileged children, our selection process has been refined to ensure those most deserving are enrolled.
“We welcome bright students who have demonstrated aptitude and dedication to their education,” Gemma said.
“It’s a fair and thorough process to ensure students and their families, as well as their sponsors, receive the upmost benefit of a St Jude’s education.”
The annual selection process began in August last year with almost 7000 hopeful students applying. These successful new students have been selected for their academic ability, social and leadership qualities and financial disadvantage.
Join us in welcoming our bright new students to the St Jude’s family in 2016.
2015 was one of our most successful years fighting poverty through education!
Not only did our first ever Form 6 graduating class finish in the top 10% in Tanzania, these amazing graduates went on to help thousands of students at under-resourced government schools by volunteering as teachers.
Our amazing supporters helped us with one of the most successful fundraising appeals in our school history and we were able to reach more people than ever through the release of our new school DVD.
Here are just a few of the amazing stories you made possible in 2015.
Our first ever Form 6 graduates finish in top 10%
More than 100 supporters and sponsors joined a crowd of more than TK to celebrate our groundbreaking first Form 6 graduation in May – and, boy, did they have a lot to celebrate.
The class of finished in the top 10% overall, with especially strong performances in chemistry, economics, advanced mathematics and physics. All our students passed and more than half achieved the top mark of “Distinction”.
An amazing achievement by a group of students who come from some of the poorest families in Arusha.
Inaugural Community Service Year helps 1000s of students
Our Form 6 graduates began putting their education to good use immediately after finishing school by enlisting in the inaugural Community Service Year. Of the TK graduates, TK volunteered, with 21 under-resourced government schools around Arusha benefiting from program.
In the first year of the program, our graduates have helped more than TK students while volunteering as teachers.
Our Standard 7s finish in the top 2%
More great Form 6 results could be on their way in the future – if our Standard 7 results are any indication.
From more than 16,000 schools in the country, our 135 final-year primary students placed in the top 2% for national exams, and we could not be more proud.
These students will start high school next year, where they will be given everything they need to ensure the good results continue.
Liston and Daniel at ALA
The spirit of leadership runs deep at St Jude’s, with recent Form 6 graduate Tumaini using his 11 years of a high-quality education to help government-school students to a better future.
He and a fellow graduate Peter, both teaching at Baraa Secondary School through community service, have launched a Mentorship and Networking Program where students will receive the step-up they need for a better future.
“When we started (at Baraa), we saw the students were getting an education but lacking something… I realised it is very important that we mentor them and expose them to job opportunities,” Tumaini said, adding that the program is designed to build his students’ expectations of what they can achieve.
“We need to give them motivation because when they’re motivated they study hard and have a self-driving force so they can continue to pursue
The program links students to specific mentors who can advise them, and Tumaini also plans to encourage students to enter essay competitions and apply for scholarships.their dreams.”
“They are just the same as the students of St Jude’s, only they lack self-confidence and the resources,” he said, citing the support such as libraries and staff available at St Jude’s.
“What they lack is information. So, we wanted to find different mentors (for the program). They may be Westerners or may be fellow Tanzanians from university who can come in and give an inspirational talk to the students.”
Showing maturity beyond his 21 years, Tumaini chose to spend his community service year at Baraa, in the same village he grew up with his family in a mud and stick home.
His students are responding well to his efforts with some of them accompanying him to St Jude’s recent Careers Day, where he gave a speech.
“Here at St Jude’s, you are all given a quality education, you are given school uniforms, you are given free food, you are given shelter at the boarding houses,” Tumaini said in his speech.
“What I want to tell you, is that when you step outside, you won’t have the chance that we have here. That special chance. Your light is shining and I believe when you reach dark places, your light is with you. I went (to Baraa) to shine my light in a place that was dark so, at least when the time comes, you can play your part and serve the community.”
Tumaini and Peter hope their community service time allows them to form a solid foundation for the program, so that it can continue with future facilitators when they leave for university.
The entire student body and all our staff got together at our Sisia Campus to celebrate St Jude's Day with an extravaganza of singing, dancing and cultural shows.
Our talented students entertained each other with moving and entertaining performances giving thanks to St Jude, the patron saint of lost and desperate causes, and the people who have supported their free, high quality education.
One hundred and thirty-nine promising Form 4 St Jude’s students reached an exciting milestone in their education by graduating over the weekend.
Proud parents, fellow students, special guests and staff made up the hundreds who attended the jubilant ceremony at Smith campus and enjoyed celebratory performances by the Ngoma Club, Africanas’ group and traditional dance graduates.
“The stage that we’re at has built us a good foundation,” Form 4 student Christina said.
“The education we’ve been provided has improved our chances in numerous sectors including political, social and economic.”
Christina’s words, spoken on behalf of her fellow graduates, are all the more striking considering the gross school enrollment rate in Tanzania drops from 93% in primary to a staggering 35% in secondary. Just 2.4% of the Tanzanian students who entered Standard 1 in 2002 completed secondary school.
Professor Patrick Ndakidemi, deputy vice chancellor of The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, was also struck by the significance of the event.
Touched by the occasion, he opening his speech by saying he was so excited he could cry, “because (the graduates) are the future”.
Prof Ndakidemi supported the sentiment by announcing he would personally give 1 million TZS Tanzanian shillings ($637 AUS equivalent) to reward students for discipline.
St Jude’s founder Gemma Sisia encouraged graduates to take this time to carefully consider their opportunities.
“Every single university we’ve visited in Africa recruits on marks. It’s as simple as that,” she said.
“If you want to do medicine, you want to do engineering, or you want to do teaching... If you want to get into university you need to get very high marks in the subject you are studying.”
Gemma also impressed the importance of aiming for a scholarship.
“The Form 6 graduates who finished in May and are doing community service are currently filling out scholarship forms,” she explained.
“Many of the questions on the form are about what you have done, spirit-wise, that makes you deserving of that scholarship. How many community service hours have you done, how many hours have you given tutoring to younger students, how often have you helped people in your village? They’re the types of things you need to get ready for your scholarship forms.”
Vice-chairperson of the Secondary School Board, Jacqueline Mkindi, also had advice to share.
She said the “remarkable” performance of last year’s 126 Form 4 graduates, with 70 distinctions and 55 merits, should be an inspiration to them all.
“The school was number three out of 146 schools in the region, and 24th out of 2322 schools nationally,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from, what matters is who you become tomorrow. If you want be a success in life you have to be focused, you have to work hard, you have to continuously train yourself and you have to include those principals in each and everything you do in life.”
See how our Form 6 graduates are giving back to their communities in the Beyond St Jude’s Community Service Program.
Nature, team work and the great outdoors were all part of the hiking experience some of our senior primary students enjoyed last month.
More than 20 students took part in a Twiga group hike around the local Moshono area to appreciate the local plant and animal life, as well as learn about hiking etiquette and safety.
Participants brought along trail maps, binoculars and sketch pads or journals to record their outdoors experience. They were given hiking etiquette guidance, including knowing the layout of your area, safety precautions to be taken, knowing your route and how to be mindful of others while enjoying nature.
