Over 75% of school-aged children in Tanzania are destined to a life of poverty, living on less than AU$4.60 a day because they don’t have an education. Since 2002, The School of St Jude has been fighting poverty by providing the highest quality, free education for the country’s poorest, brightest students.
This would’ve not been possible without the help of St Jude’s supporters. Donors and sponsors have made it possible for the school to provide boarding for more than 80% of students, one million nutritious meals, school uniforms and health checks.
The School of St Jude has launched the St Jude’s Community Challenge to raise vital funds. This Australia-wide fundraising campaign invites individuals, families, schools, businesses and clubs to take part. There’s no limit to what you can do to challenge yourself; from running, walking and cycling to reading books, doing house chores and holding trivia challenges. So get creative!
St Jude’s Community Challenge falls during Children’s Week - 24 October to 1 November - St Jude’s Day is 28 October.
Share, donate and register here today to Challenge Yourself for St Jude’s to help fight poverty in Tanzania!
Maryanne began making masks when COVID-19 started to spread around Australia and generously used this initiative to fundraise for St Jude’s. Through her fundraising efforts, she raised $4,000, donating the proceeds towards ‘Feed a class for a year’ and ‘Support student welfare for a year.’
Maryanne was also part of the Health Check Team (HCT) in early February this year and returned to Australia just before countries started closing their borders. The HCT is a group of international medical specialists who volunteered for two weeks at the beginning of this year to conduct annual health checks for St Jude’s students.
“I started making masks for my family and friends and also put out the offer to everyone that was in the HCT. This kept me busy posting them out to all corners of Australia. As things got more serious in Australia, the requests from friends to buy them from me built. I didn’t feel comfortable profiting from my friends so I decided I would sell them with the profits going to The School of St Jude.”
Through a family member, Maryanne’s masks have been sold to staff and families in the Australian Parliament with members wearing them to Parliament House.
“I would like to thank Caroline Hall and Karenne Michaelides, who are both HCT Volunteers and sponsors of St Jude’s students’ academic scholarship. They have been a great help with support on the back end.”
To support Maryanne’s ‘St Jude’s Mask Charity’, email her at StJudeMaskCharity@gmail.com.
Not only have they been supporters for the past six years, but they went further earlier last year TechnologyOne officially partnered with St Jude’s to provide IT technology that has transformed the school’s operational processes. The company’s employees raised an additional $10,000 that went towards ‘Funding the salary of one of the IT teachers for an entire year.’
“TechnologyOne has enabled our Managers to now see real-time transactions which means that they no longer wait until the following month to keep track of their expenditure. We have also just rolled out the Enterprise Budgeting Module. This brings an enormous change to the budget process which has had to be completed in numerous spreadsheets in the past,” Finance Manager, Johnbosco Heshima.
Adding to the same sentiments, Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) Manager, Vivian said, “TechnologyOne has been a lifesaver, quite literally! Since the BSJ program started in 2015, we have solely depended on excel sheets for all data recording and facilitation of payments of stipends and scholarship amounts in general. While excel sheets are still great, everything is so manual, allowing a big room for error and it can be time-consuming. Thanks to TechnologyOne, all my records are accurately systemised. It is also quite centralised, allowing me to find everything about a BSJ Scholar in a few clicks! Budgeting and forecasting are also being made easy and fun to track. Thanks to Kelly and the entire TechnologyOne team, BSJ’s life has been made a whole lot easier.”
Located in Australia, TechnologyOne is a successful tech company with a heart. Their Foundation is committed to help 500,000 children out of poverty.
Andrew is gearing up to challenge himself for St Jude’s by riding Red Hill in Canberra 41 times this October. In supporting and raising funds for St Jude’s, Andrew has previously cycled alone and unsupported across Tanzania covering a distance of about 1600km.
“I was planning to come back to Tanzania in 2021 for the next great ride, but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions that is not going to happen now. As a substitute, I'm planning to ride up Red Hill in Canberra 41 times on 17 October. That will equal the elevation gain of going up Mount Kilimanjaro – unfortunately, it won't be quite the same experience as the real thing, but I will be thinking of St Jude's on the day.”
To support Andrew’s challenge for St Jude’s, visit here
You too can take a cycling challenge or physical challenge this October and raise funds for St Jude’s. REGISTER your challenge here
Andie Lowe, a long-time supporter of The School of St Jude organised a ‘Distance Dinner for St Jude’s’ intending to raise $10,000. Amazingly, Andie has already made $10,000 reaching her set target, but she has high hopes to raise even more funds.
Andie is selling dinner boxes via her website. “Everyone who purchases a dinner box will sit down on 18 October to enjoy an African inspired dinner. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we can’t all enjoy dining together, so this is a way to feel connected, from a distance! ” she explained.
She added, “I hope to have the support of Methodist Ladies' College (MLC) teachers, students and broader connections to participate. I’ll be connecting with people through social media and reaching out to friends, family and my parents and work colleagues.”
Andie visited St Jude’s last year on a school trip with MLC, thus igniting her passion to fundraise for the school when she returned home.
You too can support Andie to raise funds for St Jude’s. Click to visit her website and purchase a dinner box;
A massive thank you for all the super supporters of St Jude’s. The school couldn’t do it without the incredible support and advocacy from people like you.
Judith stands confidently before two of her trusted peers in the Visitor Centre at The School of St Jude. It’s rehearsal day for St Jude’s 2020 Australian promotional tour and Judith’s been handpicked by ‘Mama Gemma’ Sisia, St Jude’s School Founder, to accompany her on her upcoming trip Down Under.
In front of some of her peers, Judith practices telling her tale of triumph. It’s a tale that’s well-known to those in the room and will soon be shared with people across Australia. It’s the tale of how St Jude’s transforms lives.
Judith is preparing for the journey of a lifetime. This month, she is boarding her very first flight, bound for Australia. There she will meet incredible Australian supporters, who have built the school she loves – the place she calls her home – from scratch.
“When Gemma invited me to join her and help to spread the word about our school, I was so excited! I just couldn’t believe it was me going there!” Judith enthuses.
“The culture in Tanzania is very different from Australian culture. I will try to learn the differences between here and there, and I will love learning about a new part of the world.”
“Of course, I know that we share a great love for St Jude’s, so I know I will love everyone I meet!” she says.
Judith started in Standard 1 at St Jude’s and is now getting ready for university. She has benefitted from 13 years of 100% free, quality education and she believes it’s made the world of difference to her.
“Joining St Jude’s changed my life so much. I’m happy and grateful to meet our supporters. I came from a humble family and the sponsors and donors are the ones who enabled me to go to one of the best schools in Tanzania!” she shares.
“It was this golden chance that opened the door and helped me to realise that poverty could not hinder my success forever.”
While it’s been a challenging year for so many members of our international family, Judith hopes she will bring a story of joy to the people who gifted her with an education.
“I know that so many people in Australia are suffering right now, and it pains my heart. I hope Gemma and I can bring some smiles to their faces, because they really deserve to be happy.”
Would you like to hear more about Judith’s remarkable journey? Be sure to attend a public tour event in a town near you!
It’s a milestone that was envisaged when St Jude’s was founded in 2002 and became a reality when the first batch of students completed their secondary school education in 2015. Here, four Tertiary scholars give insight into the significance of the day.
It’s a sea of a thousand smiles outside the Mlimani City Conference Centre close to the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania’s largest city. The Centre is brimming with graduates, with every seat inside occupied. Relatives and friends sit outside in makeshift pavilions, with televisions at the front showing what is happening inside.
“My dream is coming true,” says former St Jude’s student Edwina, as she approaches the Centre. Edwina became the first person in her family to graduate from university, when she recently completed her Bachelor of Science with Education degree.
In fact, almost all of the 24 undergraduates from St Jude’s are the first in their family to have received a university education. It’s another significant achievement, not only for St Jude’s, but families across Arusha.
“If I wasn’t accepted into St Jude’s, I couldn’t have reached this far,” Edwina says. “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to afford to continue to study.”
Standing next to Edwina is Seraphina, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Economics, Business and Natural Resources. She made the most of her time at university, being peer- elected as Senior Secretary of her University Hall in her second year.
“If I wasn’t at St Jude’s I would have been in a government school,” Seraphina says. “There’s a big difference in the level of education you get, so the possibility of attending a top university like this one would be very low.”
“When you have an education, you have a chance at making your own life. You get choices. Graduating today makes me feel very happy,” she smiles. “I can’t explain it – it feels like a dream!”
They are joined by two more excited St Jude’s alumni, Omary and Baba. All four feel special in their black gowns and mortarboards.
“University was a wonderful experience and I had an amazing time,” says Omary, who graduated with the same degree as Seraphina. “My thanks go to The School of St Jude and my sponsors, who made sure I got this opportunity.”
Baba, who graduated from a Bachelor of Science with Education, agrees.
“Being a university graduate makes me feel proud and happy,” he says. “I’m so excited!”
Now that these 24 graduates have completed their degrees, they will take the next step in their lives and start their careers, all the while giving back to their communities.
The mission of St Jude’s is to break the cycle of poverty by providing a 100% free, quality education to the poorest and brightest students from three regions of Tanzania. Today is a tangible example of 18 years of hard work coming to fruition.
Help St Jude’s continue to make history by breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Sponsor a Beyond St Jude’s tertiary scholarship today!
A stone's throw away from The School of St Jude's original building, stands a crowd of people. They chatter quietly amongst themselves, anticipation rife.
It is the morning of the 10th of January and the crowd are gathered to officially open St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School.
The pounding of the drums begins and the school choir launches into a beautiful rendition of the Tanzanian National Anthem. Approaching up the pathway is School Founder, Gemma Sisia, accompanied by His Grace, the Archbishop of Arusha, Isaac Amani, and the Honourable Adelardus Kilangi, Attorney-General of Tanzania – who began driving at 1am in order to be the guest of honour at the ceremony.
Behind them walk parent representatives of St Jude’s students, members of the school board and academic management and their families. They are walking towards an archway decorated with white tufts of fabric made to resemble flowers. Stretching across this archway is a yellow ceremonial ribbon – the entrance to the new girls’ school.
Academic Manager, Mr Mcharo steps forward, “I would like to invite our School Founder, Gemma Sisia, to speak to you all.”
Gemma takes the microphone, gazing out at the audience.
“We opened this school back in 2002 with three kids,” she says, pausing to gain her composure, jokingly pretending to hit herself to stop the tears that are welling up. The audience laughs.
“We would never have got here without the incredible faith and generosity of our sponsors and donors, the unbelievable commitment of our staff and parents and, of course, our students.”
Archbishop Amani steps forward to bless the school and the audience, heads bowed.
Finally, the moment the crowd has eagerly been waiting for – the unveiling of the sign and the cutting of the ribbon. This historic gesture has been given to Attorney-General (and Professor) Adelardus Kilangi.
Professor Kilangi cuts the ribbon with a smile, the crowd cheers, and the school is officially open.
As the honoured guests, staff and choir walk up the new footpath and around the bend, they are greeted by the entire student and staff body of The School of St Jude – over 2,000 people in total. They sing and cheer as one.
As everyone settles into their seats, the speeches begin, Professor Kilangi steps on to the stage, invited to give a keynote address.
“When I first came here to St Jude’s I saw faces full of hope,” says Professor Kilangi to a silently attentive audience.
“Great dreams become a reality if you work hard,” he continues. “If you don’t work hard then they will only remain dreams.”
“The formation of the intellect is the most noble thing you can do. So make sure you work hard, study hard and you will achieve.”
Professor Kilangi looks at the students and pauses, before saying with the hint of a smile, “I’m talking to you kids! What did I say?”
“Work hard! Study hard! Achieve!” the students chorus in response.
The ceremony concludes, with a communal lunch next on the agenda.
Underneath the beating African sun, students, teachers, special guests, visitors, sponsors and donors sit side-by-side. Their plates are full of food and they talk about their dreams; they laugh at jokes, exchange stories and reminisce about the past.
These conversations, full of hope and laughter, are the kind of conversations that can only be had at the beginning of a new year, and the beginning of a new era.
Help St Jude’s continue to take bold steps by donating today.
It’s official!
I’ve been dreaming about this for a while and now it’s finally going to happen! The official go ahead has come through to open a new secondary school for girls – and we’re doing it in January!!!
You probably think we don’t know when to stop, I sometimes wonder that myself! This is a really important next step for St Jude’s though, a chance to make an even bigger impact than we are already.
By reconfiguring our current boarding and school facilities, we can turn part of our Sisia Primary Campus into a girls’ secondary school, which in time, will cater for nearly 600 students. More students will get a free, high-quality education at St Jude’s and we’re so excited about what this means for Tanzania.
Because of the new school we’ll be increasing the number of students who can graduate Form 6 and, in particular, increase the number of girls getting a secondary education.
Currently, when students are selected from government schools to St Jude’s at the beginning of secondary school (Form 1), at least 60% are boys and for selection to A Levels (the last two years of school), it’s more than 80%. As you go up the levels, there’s less and less girls staying in school. That means by Form 5 there are fewer girls to invite to sit our A level entrance exams and less girls being offered St Jude’s A Level scholarships.
By increasing our intake of girls into secondary school, St Jude’s can help stack the odds in their favour, in a country where girls from a poor rural background will only receive 3.7 years of schooling on average. And it’s pretty hard to argue with the mountain of research about the MANY benefits to families and communities in having educated women.
This means there’ll be more girls in secondary school, more graduates and more future leaders because of St Jude’s each year. I can’t wait to keep you updated on our progress in the next few months.
Gemma
Find out how you can support this exciting new venture.
Every year, in October, the entirety of the school gathers together to celebrate St Jude’s Day. It’s a chance for students, teachers and special guests to gather as a community and celebrate the school’s culture, with the focus being on giving and giving thanks.2,000 attendees are packed into the Sisia Primary Campus assembly hall, surrounded by make-shift pavilions holding the large student body and some of their families.
In the middle of the service of thanks, a snaking line of students ceremonially march through the centre of the assembly hall to the front stage carrying baskets filled with small toys, food, cleaning materials and much more. Small gifts, donated by students, their families and staff to go to those in even greater need.
One of the people watching in the crowd is Irene, a former student and current Community Service Year intern in the Visitor team.
“Giving is about being there for someone,” she says. “Without sponsors and donors, we wouldn’t be here – it’s all because of their giving.”
The act of giving is the cornerstone of St Jude’s culture and an important principle in creating strong moral leaders for the Tanzania of tomorrow.
“The culture at this school starts with giving to others,” says Reginald Mongi, who is the Deputy Welfare Coordinator. “This is what we learn.”
Another audience member is Parent’s Committee Representative, Elizabeth. Her daughter, Nice, is in Form 1 and she has been at St Jude’s since 2012. Nice has two older brothers and two younger sisters.
“St Jude’s has helped me by educating my child,” she says. “This means I am able to use the money I’ve saved to help my other children go to school.”
Last Saturday, the gifts were presented in person by three groups of students, to nine orphanages in the Arusha region.
One of the orphanages supports babies who are two years old and younger. St Jude’s students, including Standard 7 girl Sal, delivered three baskets filled with gifts to the babies, and spent time playing with them and their new toys.
“It’s important not to be selfish,” says Sal. “If you have something, you should share it with others.”One of the teacher’s supervising the day, Juliette, sees this as an important tradition and an opportunity for the students to gain perspective.
“They shouldn’t think that they’re from the only disadvantaged families,” says Juliette, who teaches English. “There are so many others out there also in need, they should be thankful.”
Throughout the day, Juliette’s group of students visited three different orphanages. The last of these was so excited to see the St Jude’s students that they formed a guard of honour at the gates, as the St Jude’s yellow school bus entered.
As the students exit the bus, they hand out a few teddy bears and second hand picture books.
Once all the gifts have been received, the St Jude’s students beckon the children to pose for a photo together to remember the day. The children hold up their gifts, vying for front position.
“Days like this are important,” says Elineema, a Kiswahili teacher who is supervising alongside Juliette. “We need to always instill in our hearts the act of giving.”
Sponsor a St Jude’s students’ academic scholarship to help create a leader of tomorrow.
