For four straight years, Jordan followed a tight schedule. He started his day at 4am, dedicating the next hour and a half to personal studies. By 6:20am, Jordan was ready to begin the 40-minute walk to school. He would return home around 6:30pm, spending an additional hour and a half after school in group discussions and revisions.
"The government school I attended didn't have enough boarding facilities for all students," explains Jordan. "Nevertheless, I had to do everything I could to pass my national examinations."
In Tanzania, there are two key stages to secondary schooling. The first four years of secondary school are called Ordinary Level (O Level) studies, from Form 1 to Form 4, and the final two years of secondary school are called Advanced Level (A Level), Forms 5 and 6. Students must sit for a series of standardised examinations organised by the government at the end of each stage. Only those that pass may continue onto the next level.
Jordan had to ace his Form 4 national examination to stand a chance of continuing with A Level studies. In 2023, close to 600,000 candidates sat for the exam. With only close to 1,000 A Level schools in the country, a student has to do exceedingly well in the exams to earn a spot in any of these schools.
"Two of my older siblings never made it to A Level," shares Jordan. "I have two younger siblings and my mother back at home. They were all rooting for me because I would be the first one in the family to do so," he adds passionately.
As Jordan approached his national examinations, his mother paid additional accommodation fees so that he could move into a boarding facility close to school. The support from his family and Jordan's hard work eventually paid off. He passed his national examinations with flying colours and was one of the top-performing students at his school!
"It was like a celebration when the results came out," reflects Jordan excitedly. "Everyone was so proud of me and it makes all the effort worth it."
Despite the impressive results, Jordan's path to A Level wasn't guaranteed. The shortage of secondary schools in Tanzania means that not every qualified graduate makes it to the next stage. The only way to get into a government secondary school is through an allocation by the government, which happens several months after the results are announced.
"Missing out on a government school would surely mean the end of the journey for me," says Jordan. "The only other option would be to join a private school, which we couldn't afford. I had done my part, now I had to wait and hope for the best," he adds.
Luckily for Jordan, he didn't need to wait long. His impressive academic results earned him an invitation to apply for an academic scholarship at St Jude's. Jordan jumped at the opportunity. He aced the academic tests and passed the rigorous poverty assessment checks to secure a spot at St Jude's. His strong academic prowess, underprivileged background, and strong character made him an ideal candidate for the scholarship.
"I have only been at St Jude's a few weeks, but it's already made a lasting impression on me. I'm now exploring my curiosity with computers and trying out different activities within the school," says Jordan, who hadn't used a computer before St Jude's.
Jordan is pursuing physics, chemistry, and mathematics in his A Level studies and hopes to become an engineer someday. St Jude's holistic approach to education turns motivated students like Jordan into well-rounded individuals. Provided with a quality learning environment, strong academic program, and robust co- and extracurricular activities, students graduate from St Jude's better equipped to lift their families and communities out of poverty. With his hard work and determination, it's thrilling to imagine how much he'll accomplish in his next two years at St Jude's.
mahafali /mah-hah-fah-lee/ noun
Definition
"Mahafali" is a Kiswahili word that means "graduation" in English. It typically refers to a gathering of people to celebrate an achievement, often related to education.
"Mahafali" is of Arabic origin, derived from "Mahfal," which means "gathering" or "assembly." The adoption of this word into Kiswahili highlights the historical influence of Arabic on the language, particularly due to trade and cultural exchanges along the East African coast in the 8th to 19th centuries.
The use of "mahafali" in Kiswahili aligns with the cultural importance of educational milestones and the ceremonies associated with them. It signifies the completion of academic requirements and a communal celebration of achievement and progress.
It’s a chilly April morning at St Jude’s Smith Campus. There are no classes today. Instead, the campus transformed into a vibrant hub of innovation, the halls filled with tables displaying a huge variety of incredible work from the students. Over in the school’s dining hall, visitors, staff, students, guests, and even a local news station gather for the official opening of St Jude’s 13th Annual Science Day.
“Today is a special day that brings together our entire community to celebrate innovation and creativity,” says Mr Tsingay, St Jude’s Secondary School Headmaster in his opening speech. “Over 50% of our secondary school students are pursuing science subjects. Today, we will see first-hand how they turn their ideas into solutions,” he adds.
Following the opening ceremony, Mr Tsingay invited everyone to explore the diverse projects and engage with the innovators. Projects included generating electricity out of potatoes, an automatic earthquake sensor, a solar-powered mower, a vacuum cleaner, and even a clever mouse trap from St Jude’s primary school students.
“What do you do with your bar of soap when it gets too small?” asks Marko, pitching his soap recycling prototype. “The most common solution is to simply throw it away. But we have developed a soap recycling machine that could save you on resources and money while conserving the environment,” he adds.
Marko then proceeds to demonstrate how his prototype works, which involves grinding the soap leftovers, followed by boiling, chemical disinfection, and eventually cooling the final product into a ‘new’ bar of soap.
Since the first Science Day 13 years ago, students have set the bar higher and higher, coming up with innovative and creative solutions to challenges that they or their communities encounter in real life. At this year’s Science Day, students have capitalised on the rise of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop customised and highly efficient prototypes.
One such project is the “Bean Sorting Machine” designed to reduce workload for farmers by automating the painstaking process of sorting and cleaning crops.
“One of the biggest challenges for farmers is maintaining the quality of their products through an efficient and consistent sorting process,” says Veronica, one of the innovators of the project. To address the challenge, Veronica and her team designed and built a machine that could efficiently sort up to 150 kilograms in an hour.
“Potential updates to our machine include incorporating AI and laser technology to improve its efficiency in removing impurities,” explains Veronica.
Another highlight of the day was the creative application of art in conserving the environment through the recycling and reusing of waste products. Students turned discarded plastics, worn-out clothes, and even wood scraps into decorative items in a beautiful “trash-to-treasure” display.
The Science Day is a platform from which our students demonstrate their keen understanding of science principles to address problems they see around them, and we have seen outstanding ideas emerge from this school event over the years. This year’s Science Day was partly sponsored by Edgar, an award-winning St Jude alum and founder of a start-up that recycles plastic waste into useful construction materials. Edgar showcased his prototype of plastic bricks at a St Jude’s Science Day as a student and continued to refine his idea to eventually launch his own company.
“When we started the Science Day competition 13 years ago, most projects were just made out of wood and glass” reflects Mr Mcharo, St Jude’s Academic Senior Manager. “Today, our students are demonstrating working models and turning their ideas to businesses. It’s a testament to the power of innovation and the opportunities brought alive by St Jude’s holistic approach to education,” he adds proudly.
One of the most enduring cultures at St Jude’s is the spirit of compassion and helping those in need. Throughout the year, students and staff support the community in various ways.
“Every other weekend, our students are out volunteering at an orphanage, cleaning the marketplace, or sharing their skills and knowledge with students from neighbouring schools,” says Focus, a staff and mentor of Interact Club at the school.
This year, St Jude’s launched another impactful initiative to support the community, particularly patients in need of blood transfusion. In March, the school introduced a bi-annual blood donation drive for eligible staff and students to voluntarily participate.
“We saw the need to step in and help local hospitals around our communities replenish their blood banks,” says Irene, who helped organise a recent blood drive at St Jude’s. “From medical emergencies and accidents, to supporting mothers during childbirths, our hospitals could always use the extra blood units,” she adds.
The first round saw 81 volunteers, including students at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School and staff participate in the blood drive. The turnout was so good that it earned St Jude’s special recognition from Arusha’s largest referral hospital as the biggest blood donation drive by a single institution in its history.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” says Irene excitedly. “We only had a few weeks to organise the drive and had initially estimated the blood drive to only take a few hours. In the end, it lasted the entire day! It was wonderful to see the St Jude’s community coming together once again in support of such an impactful program,” she adds.
The blood donation drive was a collaborative effort between St Jude's welfare and academic teams, with support from Arusha's biggest referral hospital.
"We wanted to ensure that the drive was organised efficiently," says Irene. “The hospital helped organise an information session for our students and staff ahead of the drive and the school arranged a special lunch for everyone who donated their blood,” she adds.
Fatuma, one of the talented hosts of our monthly podcast, was one of the 63 students at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School who participated in the blood drive. Beyond the podcast, she is an incredible athlete aspiring to become a P.E. teacher and understands the importance of donating blood in saving lives.
“I first learned from my sister, who is a nurse, that blood can be used to help people, particularly mothers during childbirth,” says Fatuma. “So when this opportunity arrived, I immediately volunteered,” she adds excitedly.
It’s also quite fitting that the record-setting blood drive happened at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School during a month dedicated to celebrating women. Soon, St Jude’s will conduct another blood drive at Smith Campus and continue supporting local hospitals with extra blood. It’s part of a new tradition at St Jude’s where students and staff unite to save lives.
The School of St Jude held it’s first Form 6 graduation in 2015. Eight more graduations have since followed that inaugural ceremony. Although each graduation is different and special in its own way, this year’s graduation is the first of its kind as it will feature the largest number of graduates ever! 210 graduates will celebrate this incredible milestone.
There are three key stages of school in Tanzania; seven years of primary school from Standard 1 to Standard 7, then four years of secondary school from Form 1 to Form 4 in Ordinary Level (O Level) studies, and finally the final two years of secondary school, Form 5 and 6 in Advanced Level (A Level) studies.
As we gear up towards our largest Form 6 graduation ceremony yet, let’s take a look through history at some of our earlier graduation ceremonies. A lot has changed over the years but the spirit of celebration and a feeling of accomplishment continues.
Carol and Bradley Johnson are a married couple who live in Watertown, South Dakota. They also sponsor a scholarship for a recent Form 6 graduate, coincidentally named Johnson!
The Johnsons recently made the trip to Arusha to celebrate Johnson’s Form 6 graduation. Thanks to the pandemic, the trip had been almost five years in the planning.
“Before we left, we would say to people, ‘The Johnsons are meeting Johnson!’” Carol laughs.
Because Carol’s work takes her all over South Dakota, she is a member of the Rapid City Rotary club, while Bradley belongs to the Watertown Rotary club in their hometown, 400 miles away. It was through the Rapid City Ccub that Carol first heard about St Jude’s.
“Pat Sutliff (a long-time supporter and Rotarian) shared the story about The School of St Jude to our club,” Carol recalls.
Bradley takes up the story, “Well, Carol told me what she knew about the school and asked if we wanted to sponsor a student and of course I said yes right away.”
Since 2020, the Johnsons have been sponsoring Johnson’s scholarship, sending letters back and forth and learning more about the driven student. However, it was their recent visit which really made an impact on them.
“I didn’t quite connect, yet,” shares Bradley. “Now, coming here, seeing the country and meeting the people has been extraordinary…This has definitely changed my life.”
Sponsorship has been life-changing for Johnson too, who started at St Jude’s back in 2009 when he was in his first year of primary school.
“It was great and wonderful to meet Carol and Brad,” he beams, as he stands wearing his yellow graduation sash. “It was beautiful to have them at my graduation.”
Carol agrees. “It was an amazingly beautiful ceremony,” she says.
To add to the excitement, Johnson was named ‘Best in Chemistry’ during the ceremony, which he kept secret in order to surprise Brad and Carol.
His secret to winning the highly-coveted award was, “commitment, focus and a positive mind-set.”
But the connection between Johnson and the Johnsons doesn’t end with Form 6 graduation.
“We’re going to make sure we support him through the Beyond St Jude’s Program,” Brad says.
Soon, Johnson will begin his Community Service Year (CSY) the first part of Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ), St Jude’s program for its secondary school graduates. During the CSY, Johnson and his fellow volunteers will share their time, skills and knowledge on campus at St Jude’s or in local government schools.
Already, Johnson is looking forward to giving back to the community.
“I am planning to participate in the CSY as a volunteer teacher in a government school where I hope to teach chemistry and mathematics. I want to do this so I can help many more people, especially those students who don’t have teachers,” he explains.
After the CSY, Johnson plans to study industrial engineering at university and then begin a career which will help boost Tanzania’s production capabilities, but he also nurtures a strong interest in politics.
“No matter where he goes, he’s driven, he’s bright and he understands the gifts that he’s been given,” says Bradley.
Thanks to a St Jude’s scholarship and the generosity of people like Bradley and Carol, Johnson and 106 other future leaders graduated from Form 6 this May. Without a scholarship, it’s likely that many of these students would have had to leave school early due to financial pressure.
Sponsoring a scholarship is a life-changing gift, perhaps best explained by Bradley.
“When you think about how you can change a life, you’re not just changing one student’s life, you’re changing hundreds, thousands of people’s lives through them.”
