St Jude’s recently launched a new program called St Jude's Spirit as a way to appreciate and share stories about people all over the world who go above and beyond to help nurture the future moral and intellectual leaders of Tanzania. All St Jude’s stakeholders – supporters, students, families, alumni, local community and staff – can be a part of St Jude’s Spirit.

Amos is one of many local community members who performs small acts of service that leave a lasting impact on St Jude’s community.

With a chicken in his hand, Focus, who works closely with the community for St Jude’s, knocks on the door of Amos at his home near Sisia Campus.

Focus surprised Amos by gifting him and his family a chicken – a special present in Tanzania. It was rewarded to them for their constant kindness towards St Jude’s. For years, Amos, who live in Moivaro, right near the girls’ school boarding campus, have been generously keeping a lookout and stopping anyone who intends to disturb the secondary girls.

“When you give, you make a difference, and no matter how small the act of kindness is, it deserves to be appreciated,” says Focus, who engages and develops relationships with the local community.

Focus has been visiting members of the local community who have contributed towards the school, the students and all its members, or have given what they can to strengthen the mission and vision of St Jude’s.

“The Spirit Program is a movement. Through this program, we aim to give back to the community by first recognising and bringing together our key stakeholders, and second, by rewarding our stakeholders for their continuous generosity,” says Focus.

“Each stakeholder has a vital role to play in this program. Stakeholders can participate in this program financially or non-financially. For example, we recently gave our token of appreciation to some of our suppliers for being part of the school community for a long time.”

The Spirit Program serves as an effective way of highlighting the efforts made by St Jude’s community, while also serving as the glue that solidifies St Jude’s community.

In the coming weeks, staff will also be invited to participate in the program either financially or non-financially. Staff can decide to either volunteer, donate through salary sacrifice or a pre-determined amount that can be deducted every month.

“We will encourage staff to participate by showing financial generosity, and we will encourage staff to spread the word in their communities and around their neighbourhood about St Jude’s,” Focus explains.

“We have flyers in school buses. Staff can take these brochures and educate people in their communities about the good work being done at St Jude’s. This is an amazing movement because really any generosity through thoughtfulness and goodwill is appreciated here at St Jude’s.”

St Jude’s community is grateful for the continuous support we receive from thousands of people worldwide… it is people like you, and all who contribute to building St Jude’s Spirit, who are fighting poverty through education. St Jude’s Spirit program will also be launching to all our international supporters this year, so keep an eye out on how you can take part in this movement.

Long drives, bus breakdowns, walking for hours and crossing rivers on foot are just some of the experiences that The School of St Jude staff encountered while performing house checks for potential Form 1 students. However, these run-ins did not discourage them from going above and beyond the call of duty.

A house check is the final stage of the selection process after prospective students go through registration, academic entrance tests and document verification during Student Selection Day. During a house check, St Jude’s staff conduct a poverty assessment at the students’ home and interview their family to determine their level of need.

This year, staff stretched far beyond Arusha region, extending the pool of selection of bright, poor students to Kilimanjaro and Manyara regions.

Although the roads were treacherous and some of the homes were barely reachable, this did not extinguish the staff’s spirits.

“We had to drive between 5 and 15 kilometres from one house to another. And at times we had to leave the car and walk the same distance to reach these students’ homes,” said Philip, Head of Community Relations.

Sharing his experience, Philip explained, “It was an intense and emotional experience for me. There were a lot of things that were different in comparison to our normal house checks in Arusha. We realised some people around these regions were extremely poor. Finding basic things like wooden chairs was hard in some of these homes, we had to do house checks either standing up, sitting on the floor or sitting on tree logs.”

“My highlight on this house check was when I met a man with nine children and four wives who were struggling. When we talked, he said to me that he didn’t believe in education, but after talking to teachers and as time went by, he regrets not having educated the rest of his children. To make up for his mistake, he would like to give his daughter, who is last born in the family, a chance to be educated.”

According to World Bank reports, 80% of the Tanzanian populations lives on less than AU$4.60 per day with over 45 million living below the poverty line. Beyond the persistent gaps between urban and rural areas, there are large disparities in the distribution of poverty across geographic regions.

Recalling the experience, Elizabeth, Donor Relations Coordinator, uttered, “This is my second or third time doing house checks. Honestly speaking, with these faraway house checks, we saw more students who are in greater need of free, quality education which St Jude’s can provide.”

“Though we got stuck, and at some point, we were even walking on our hands and knees…” Elizabeth chuckled, “… but we had to do all that we could to select these students. To me, that was true, team spirit. It was worth it, and I will never forget that.”

“At the end of the day, it’s really fulfilling to see success stories of our students especially once you know where they are coming from, their living conditions and their family backgrounds,” Elizabeth commented with a smile.

With all hands on deck, eight teams were spread across Northern Tanzania, ensuring that every student had a fair chance of being selected for an academic scholarship at St Jude’s. A team comprises a scribe, a translator, an investigator, a parent representative and a driver, each role just as important.

Noel, Database Coordinator, was one of the investigators during the house checks. He jokingly said, “I think I’ve done all the exercise I need for this year.”

“The neighbours live far apart from each other. Most of these families live in the middle of nowhere among snakes, hyenas, leopards and other wild animals. So investigating was a bit challenging. I remember I had to walk very far to look for some of these families’ neighbours,” Noel explained.

“For the students that qualified, we really delivered some good news to these families, it was the happiest moment for them,” he added.

Doing house checks this far from Arusha and for this many nights was a first and a humbling experience for St Jude’s staff.

“This house check experience has taught me to be more appreciative of life. As humans, we complain over small things, but these families are poor and seem very happy,” Focus, Community Development Coordinator, described enthusiastically.

With the help of all eight House Check teams, St Jude’s successfully selected and enrolled 112 new Form 1 students who commenced their academic scholarships earlier this month. The new students, plus our existing 131 students, makes a grand total of 244 total students enrolled in Form 1 at St Jude’s this year.

St Jude’s is spreading its wings and expanding its scope, united by one mission; to educate disadvantaged, bright students in Tanzania to become the moral and intellectual leaders Tanzania needs, fighting poverty through education.

The Parent Expectations Meeting is hosted annually by the school. On this day, students’ parents or guardians get to meet the school’s leaders and discuss what is expected from both sides.

For the new parents, the morning was exciting. The School of St Jude staff, assisted by smartly dressed girl scouts, directed the parents to the appropriate locations… primary students in the primary dining hall and secondary students in the girls’ secondary school.

Parents and students grabbed their seats and eagerly waited for the meeting to start.

“It’s important for parents to meet annually and be reminded of the school’s policies and what they should expect from the school and vice versa,” said Charles, a Parent Representative.

The school strongly encourages parent involvement and is fortunate to have five dedicated Parent Leaders who oversee a larger committee of nearly 50 volunteer Parent Representatives. These representatives are voted in by the school parent community to act as spokespeople for all parents and guardians of St Jude’s students.

The Parent Representatives each oversee an area in which students’ live in the Arusha region. Working closely with the school, Parent Representatives investigate any issues at home and keep parents informed at all times by holding meetings with fellow parents and giving feedback to the school’s leadership.

Charles added that, “It’s imperative for all parents to read and understand these rules and regulations. That’s why, once we agree and sign, one document stays at the school and we take a copy home to make sure we read, understand and don’t forget the provided guidelines.”

Echoing the Parent Representatives, Mr Elimringi, Headmaster at the girls’ secondary school, explained that is was also important for students to understand the expectations.

“This document is an agreement between the parent, student and the school. That’s why it’s essential for all students to sign this agreement as well. Once the parents sign and leave the campus, what remains is the implementation of these directives. That’s why it’s absolutely necessary for the student to also agree and sign this document,” clarified Mr Elimringi.

The document covers general expectations, uniform and dress code, communications, academic expectations, health and welfare with a strong emphasis on the fact that their child is receiving a free, quality education that must not be taken for granted. Another one of the school’s policies mentioned is that, all students must follow and live by the school’s values and principles, which are; Honesty, Respect, Responsibility and Kindness.

“Parent Expectations Meeting is the best part of the year. This is when we get to introduce the school to the new parents, what we do and what we expect. If we cannot sign this document with the parents, it means that we can’t hold the parents accountable,” said Mr Mcharo, Academic Manager.

Describing the importance of the meeting, Mr Mcharo further added, “Before anything or any documents are distributed to the parents, we have to educate them first. I would say this meeting is like a workshop, as both parents and students also get a chance to ask as many questions as possible about the school and how these policies work.”

“For the old parents, this meeting is a chance to update them about the school’s progress and students’ performance. It’s crucial for both new and old parents to attend this meeting because rules and regulations are adjusted from time to time. So it’s vital to get this information out to everyone,” he insisted.

The Parent Expectations Meeting is organised annually. For primary and O Level, parents meet with the academic leaders and teachers in January, while the A Level meeting is hosted in July, when the academic year for Form 5 and 6 starts.

The School of St Jude thrives off its parent and guardian community, all united in fighting poverty through education, so their children, can one day become the future leaders that their country needs.

The School of St Jude’s motto is ‘Challenge Yourself’. The last 12 months have certainly brought that concept to the fore, as we, like the rest of the world, have adapted to rapid changes.

Incredibly, thanks to you – our loyal supporters – alongside efforts from our passionate staff, diligent students and astute school boards, we rose to the challenge. Despite the tumult of 2020, we continued fulfilling our core mission and vision: fighting poverty through education and nurturing the future moral and intellectual leaders of Tanzania.

This week, that dream officially turns 19 years old. The gates of Sisia Campus opened to its first three students on January 29 2002. For nearly two decades, The School of St Jude has stood as a shining beacon of possibility.

Last year launched on an incredible high, with the opening of St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School in January 2020. The grounds of Sisia Campus were teeming with excited international visitors and Tanzanian officials who joined us to celebrate the special occasion.

Whispers of a new virus had only just surfaced, and we certainly couldn’t have foreseen the challenges it would bring, just weeks after celebrating such a milestone!

At the same time as opening the new school, our Founding Director, Gemma Sisia, was keenly preparing for her annual promotional tour to Australia.

By mid-March, three weeks into the trip, COVID-19 had been deemed a global pandemic, forcing the promotional tour to reach a sudden (yet necessary) halt.

“It’s incredible how quickly the world changed… during our transit from Australia back to Tanzania, the country declared its first case of COVID-19. Tanzania’s government immediately enforced closure of all schools to prevent the spread of the virus,” Gemma explained.

Many schools around the world transferred their classrooms to the virtual world. Overnight, teachers became tech-experts so that students could continue learning.

St Jude’s students are among the poorest within Northern Tanzania; electricity is unaffordable for many of our families, let alone access to reliable internet. Delivering online learning content was next to impossible.

St Jude’s academic teams vowed to keep students engaged and educated during the school closure, which ended up lasting nearly three months. Four academic packs were distributed to each of our 1,800 students, allowing them to continue learning at home.

We didn’t stop there… Gemma was determined to provide extra support to St Jude’s families.

“It was unsettling to hear that families were going hungry and didn’t have access to supplies such as hand sanitiser and disinfectant. We also really missed seeing our students and wanted to remind them that St Jude’s community cares about them. Again, our brilliant supporters from around the world rallied together and we were able to distribute thousands of COVID-19 Care Packages to students, some graduates and staff, which contained essential household items,” Gemma shared.

“We did what St Jude’s does best: tackle any issue with a tremendous spirit of hope and unity,” she reflected.

Furthermore, in November, we expanded our Form 1 Student Selection intake, with testing centres established in three major regions: Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Manyara. This enabled us to select deserving students from much further afield.

“Student Selection was such a blast! Staff worked extremely hard to make sure we selected the poorest and brightest students from these regions. Out of thousands we tested, 112 received scholarships. These students can start the new year feeling positive about opportunities they’ll enjoy at St Jude’s,” Gemma said.

The challenges of 2020 also delivered an exciting chance to embrace technology. Although phrases such as ‘social distancing’ and ‘isolation’ have recently dominated many conversations, we managed to keep connected with you.

“The boom in Zoom gifted us with amazing opportunities! Although we really miss visitors, we held special online events. Supporters from all over the world met students and key staff who deliver our shared dream of fighting poverty through education.”

“These last 12 months have been tough. We’ve been tested in a range of ways, from the complexities of COVID-19, to the sorts of challenges that make running a large charity school hard anywhere, let alone in Africa. However, I couldn’t be prouder of our resilience and, most of all, the way we’ve come together,” Gemma beamed.

Our classrooms are built of more than brick-and-mortar. They’re built from the goodwill of thousands of people who believe that Tanzanian students, regardless of economic background, deserve high-quality education.

It poured with rain across Northern Tanzania on Saturday, November 28, 2020. Still, nothing could dampen the spirit of St Jude’s community, as they prepared for the biggest Form 1 Student Selection Day in the school’s history!

Every year, until now, Form 1 Student Selection Day has been held onsite at Sisia Campus in Arusha. Government school students and their families travel from near and far, gathering outside the blue and yellow school gates from as early as 6:00am, hoping to pass the first stage of the academic entrance tests. It’s a day full of promise for all involved.

In 2019, approximately 1,300 government school students were invited to Sisia Campus to take the academic entrance tests. In 2020, St Jude’s community challenged themselves to go even further. For the very first time, 300 staff, parent representatives and Community Service Year volunteers divided and conquered, setting up testing stations in three regions across Northern Tanzania: Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Manyara.

Nearly 4,000 of the top-performing Standard 7 students within the three regions were invited to sit the academic entrance tests. In total, around 2,300 government school students attended. Many of them trudged through mud for miles and crossed pot-holed roads to reach the testing centres by 7:30am, determined to succeed and earn a place at The School of St Jude.

St Jude’s Deputy Director, Angela (who was also our first volunteer teacher in 2002) was based in Manyara on Selection Day this year.

“The great thing about Form 1 Student Selection is that, because these children performed well in their Standard 7 national exams, we already know they are highly motivated with their studies. They’ve thrived in under-resourced government schools for seven years. They’ve had minimal learning resources, and most have been crammed into classrooms with anywhere from 50 to 100 other students,” Angela said.

Academic testing is just the first stage of the Student Selection process. To be eligible for a St Jude’s scholarship, students must demonstrate their academic aptitude, but their family must also be very poor.

We test and select the brightest and poorest students so that those students can lead their family, community and country to growth and prosperity. This is how we are fighting poverty through education: the core aim of St Jude’s.

Vivian, Manager of the Beyond St Jude’s program, has worked at St Jude’s for six years and participated in 13 Student Selection days. Vivian was stationed at our selection centre in Moshi, a town near the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. She knows that our hopeful Form 1 applicants have quite the climb ahead.

“This Selection Day was very special. We went so far out of our comfort zone. Because of this, we will see an even bigger impact of St Jude’s across Tanzania in years to come. I was Gemma Sisia’s assistant leader at the Moshi testing centre. Our hearts were in our throats all day, and our adrenaline was pumping. We could see the great need for these students to receive a quality education,” Vivian said.

Out of more than 2,000 students who took the tests, approximately 400 have successfully progressed to the next gruelling stage of Student Selection: poverty assessments. Teams of staff will again venture across Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Manyara, interviewing students in their homes, to ensure they are well-deserving of a place at St Jude’s. There are 240 Form 1 academic scholarships on offer to students next year.

St Jude’s Founding Director, Gemma Sisia, a self-proclaimed, “challenge junkie,” was thrilled to be a part of the action.

“I’ll always remember Saturday, November 28, 2020, as one of the best days of my life,” Gemma beamed.

“The spirit and teamwork of our 300 staff, who pulled this all together, was truly phenomenal. Now, we can help more young Tanzanians and their families to overcome poverty and work their way towards a bright future,” she said.

In each selection centre, the day began with heavy rain and ended with a rainbow as staff clapped and cheered for the students who passed the first stage of selection.

After a long, anxious wait, parents warmly welcomed their child back into their arms, grinning with pride and holding their hands as they began their long journey home.

The school hopes that St Jude’s students – Tanzania’s future leaders – will pave the way to a smoother journey for themselves and their communities in years to come.

It’s 6am and thousands of parents and students have come from all over Arusha with hopes that this day will change the future of their child’s education, forever.  The road outside St Jude’s is overflowing with people as everyone eagerly waits for the school gates to burst open. It’s the first Selection Day of the year for Standard 1 and 2 students.

St Jude’s Selection Days are annual enrolment events that invite eligible Standard 1 and 2, Form 1 and Form 5 students to sit tests for an academic scholarship. Students from government schools receive an invitation letter to sit the test, and for Standard 1 and 2, announcements are also made on the local radio.

Around 1,000 prep and primary students attend Standard 1 and 2 Selection Day, hoping to receive an academic scholarship for St Jude’s. And this year the numbers were huge!

“We had more than 1,100 students come for registration. This is a lot more students compared to other years,” said Philip, Head of Community Relations.

A rigorous selection process is put in place to ensure that only the poorest and brightest students in Arusha receive scholarships to St Jude’s. First, students are registered to ensure they were invited, or they are the right age from a surrounding government school. Then, they are taken to do basic reading and writing tests to evaluate their academic skills. Most students are only six years old, so the testing is quite basic. This is followed by document verification to make sure students are the correct ages and match their documents before choosing the first successful batch that will go through the next stage.

“The team managed to reduce 1,127 students to 287 students who will be going through to the next stage, which is a series of house checks to assess their poverty level. After house checks, we aim to lower the number to around 100 students who will sit probation for two weeks to test their academic skills and behaviour further. Finally, we hope to enrol up to 90 new students. That’s the number of places we have available for 2021,” Philip explained.

House checks are an essential part of the selection process. It’s through house checks that poverty assessments are done to ensure that these students truly deserve a place at St Jude’s.

Noah, a St Jude’s graduate, working in the Supporter Relations department, volunteered to help on the day. “Student selection day has always been such a wonderful experience. It is my third time taking part, and each time I do, it reminds me of when I came for Selection Day back in 2006.”

“My role was to take students from the school gate to the dining hall where they were doing exams, and later, I helped in scanning their documents for verification,” Noah explained.

Having gone through the selection process, Noah said, “My Selection Day remains to be one of the most special and memorable days of my life. Being among the selected few out of thousands of students was a day that changed my life. I remember going to meet my parents after being selected, one of the most precious moments in any selection at St Jude’s. Words can’t explain the happiness that my parents and I had on that day.”

During the selection process, parents are not allowed to be part of the procedure and instead, anxiously wait outside the gates to receive their child, hopeful that they made it to the next stage.

“The massive crowd of parents were eager to know how their children's went. We can only take in a certain number of students and therefore, as a facilitator, I needed to put myself in the parent’s shoes. I had to understand their situation and remain creative in helping them cope with any result (good or bad),” explained Focus, Community Development Coordinator.

Focus’ role was to make sure that the parents and guardians understood what was happening as well as disseminate the necessary information about the next stages.

As a new member of staff volunteering on his first Selection Day, Focus said, “The experience was uplifting. It was great to be part of the process to select and support disadvantaged families residing in Arusha.  The response from the parents was great. They were all eager to see their child getting through the various tests.”

He added, “I was super excited to see the students who had passed the testing stage coming out to meet their parents. Both parents and I felt the same intrinsic and extrinsic joy. It was great to watch the parents catching the vibe and rejoicing for their children.”

Selection Day is the first stage in breaking the poverty cycle for students and their families. Once they have successfully passed the rest of the process, these students will have an opportunity to receive the gift of free, quality education at St Jude’s. This is just the beginning of a very hopeful future.