Leah joined The School of St Jude in 2010 as a Form 1student, with her school fees being sponsored by someone she has never met and likely never will. This was something that would change the direction of her life.

Watching how the school cared for its students, not only academically but as whole people, planted something in Leah, too. If a supporter’s belief could change her life, she reasoned, she could also do the same for children in her own community.

Today, Leah, Class of 2016, runs the LEA Foundation, a name drawn from Kiswahili meaning to nurture or to raise. Through it, she supports more than 50 children facing hardship with school supplies, emotional support, spiritual guidance or simply someone to listen.

“Every child around me is my responsibility, and every child deserves an opportunity to smile, dream and thrive,” she says.

When she cannot help a child directly, she connects them with someone who can. When even that fails, she prays.

“When everything else fails, and I run out of options, I realise that the only thing left for me to do is pray for the children,” she explains.

Leah credits the St Jude’s values, Respect, Honesty, Kindness and Responsibility, for shaping this path.

“I am so grateful to God and to the people who shaped my journey, particularly The School of St Jude, and I believe that the best way to express gratitude is by giving service to others,” she says.

Looking ahead, she wants to grow LEA Foundation into a structured system that empowers young girls to become confident leaders. Her advice to others is, “Start with what you have and where you are. Consistency and compassion matter more than resources”

Ask any St Jude’s alumni who they would call in a crisis and I bet you the answer would often be, Charles.

Charles joined The School of St Jude in 2004 as a Standard 1 student. He was new to the school, yet that never showed. He made friends across every level and by the time he reached secondary school he was one of the most familiar faces on campus.

By Form 2, Charles was leading the school choir. He kept members punctual and organised and whenever someone in the group ran into a problem, he stepped in to help, asking staff for support when needed. He genuinely loved solving these small problems.

After completing Form 6 in 2017, Charles took on a bigger role as President of the Alumni Association. He wanted to keep serving the community that had shaped him, so he stepped into managing Alumni Nishike Mkono (which translates to Hold My Hand), an alumni-run initiative that supports fellow alumni during difficult times, such as severe sickness. Charles tracks contributions and follows up personally when an alum faces a medical or other serious issue, visiting where he can or collecting and delivering funds to alumni families in need.

“I make sure that all alumni who send contributions are documented and I send financial reports and reminders every month  in the Alumni WhatsApp groups,” he says.

Today, Charles works as Trips and Events Coordinator at St Constantine’s International School in Arusha. More than two decades after he first walked through St Jude’s gates as a Standard 1 student, Charles is still doing exactly what he did back then, showing up for the people around him. He also helps prepare alumni reunions and returns to school regularly to update current students on community activities and alumni news. Fellow alumni have nicknamed him “the President” because he makes sure every alumni concern reaches the school’s management. He is proof that leadership at St Jude’s is not something students wait to grow into. It is something the school teaches them to practice, one problem at a time.

For Semu, learning to communicate confidently was not simply part of his education, it became the foundation of his career and the inspiration behind an organisation now helping young Tanzanians find their own voices.

Semu, a 2022 graduate of The School of St Jude, completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Public Relations at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha in 2027. However, his journey into communication, leadership and public speaking began much earlier at St Jude’s, where learning has always gone beyond the classroom.

During his years at St Jude’s, Semu participated in debates, public-speaking competitions, career days, leadership activities and mentorship program. These experiences helped him develop the confidence to express his ideas, engage with different audiences and recognise communication as a powerful tool for creating opportunities. Over time, Semu moved from being a student participating in these programs to becoming a mentor and judge at national and regional public-speaking competitions.

In August 2024, Semu founded Nena Hub after observing a clear gap in leadership development in Tanzania’s education system, particularly in access to practical communication and public speaking skills. These are skills that strongly influence education, employment, entrepreneurship, leadership and confidence, yet many students, especially in government schools, have few structured opportunities to develop them. Based in Arusha, Nena Hub works to equip young people with communication and public speaking skills that strengthen their employability, entrepreneurship and self-expression.

Semu leads the organisation alongside Program Director Gloria, a St Jude’s alum from the Class of 2023. Their small team also includes St Jude’s alumni Ramadhani, Athumani, Mary and Mwanahawa, who are currently pursuing their college studies.

In less than two years, Nena Hub has reached students at 11 schools across Arusha. Its programs are delivered free of charge to government schools, giving students who might otherwise have limited access to these opportunities the chance to develop valuable communication skills.

Now, Nena Hub has reached an important milestone after being selected for the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship and receiving a US$70,000 grant. The fellowship provides more than funding. It places the initiative within a wider ecosystem of innovators working to transform how young people learn and prepare for the future.

“St Jude’s played a bigger role in my journey by providing opportunities to develop public speaking skills through teachers, career days, and different school activities,” says Semu.

“The computer skills I gained at school have also been very useful in today’s world as well as the strong alumni support system that helped shape my approach to education, leadership and problem-solving,” Semu explains.

For Semu, communication is not an optional or secondary skill. He believes it determines whether young people can explain their ideas, succeed in interviews, pitch businesses, participate in leadership opportunities and advocate for themselves.

What began as one student discovering his voice at St Jude’s has grown into a movement helping hundreds of young people discover theirs.

When Lembris, a 2015 St Jude’s Form 6 graduate, dreamed of starting a school, he didn’t have much. What he did have was a 2.2-acre plot of land in Moshono, Arusha, gifted by his father. That land became the foundation for what would become Bright Lands School.

Lembris’ motivation to start a school comes from what he saw during his Community Service Year, when he taught mathematics and physics at a local government school in Arusha. There, he experienced overcrowded classrooms, limited resources and students with different learning needs being taught the same way. That experience stayed with him.

To raise the first capital, Lembris sold a piece of land he owned in Dodoma, which he bought during his Community Service Year. he began construction of two classrooms in July 2023. By the following year, he had completed the first classroom, along with essential facilities including two toilets, a kitchen, security and store huts and front entrance walls. However, he soon realised that one classroom was not enough to get him approval to open his gates. He needed three.

Rather than giving up, Lembris found another way forward.

As a civil engineer by profession and owner of an engineering company, he reinvested profits from his company to add more classrooms, buying learning resources and strengthening the school’s operations. Step by step, Bright Lands grew from an idea into a functioning learning centre. By July 2025, he managed to complete the three classrooms and was approved to open the gates with his first two students.

Today, the school has 64 students, three teachers, a cook, a security guard and a manager.

Through a low-fee model, Lembris is building a school that gives more families access to quality education while focusing on understanding, creativity, discipline and practical learning.

Now part of the third cohort of St Jude’s Next Frontier Incubator and Small Grants Program, Lembris is developing the business skills needed to grow Bright Lands School sustainably. He hopes to expand the school into a fully registered primary school in the coming years, bringing quality education to even more students in Tanzania.

From welcoming just two students to educating 64 in its first year, Lembris is proving that impact does not always begin with perfect conditions. Sometimes, it begins with one piece of land, one bold decision and the discipline to keep building.

His journey is a powerful reminder of why The School of St Jude exists: to educate young people who will go on to lift their families, serve their communities and create opportunities for others.

The impact of your support can continue long after a student graduates from St Jude’s. By investing in education, you are helping young people build the skills, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures and make a difference in their communities.

When Theresia and Irene joined St Jude’s as Standard 1 students in 2013, the library quickly became their favourite place.

“I didn’t know a school could have so many books,” Irene recalls.

They spent their free time reading, exchanging recommendations and sharing stories with classmates. Before long, they began writing stories of their own. Their first three books, Next to My Mommy, Secret of Colors and I Love Spaghetti became so popular among students that some pages went missing from being passed around so often.

By Form 3, the young writers wanted to create something with a deeper purpose. The idea for their next book, Uzuri (which means beauty in Kiswahili) was born: a story encouraging young girls to embrace their identity, believe in themselves and know they are enough.

The idea was strong, but after writing four pages, they became stuck. Support came through St Jude’s alumni network, which connected the girls with Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) Special Programs Senior Manager Ms Vivian and Beyond St Jude’s and Career Development Programs Manager Mr Mussa. Together, they reached out to one of our supporters, Ms Cathy, who mentored the girls and helped them push through their writer’s block

In 2025, Theresia and Irene rewrote Uzuri from scratch. They fitted writing around classes, examinations and extracurricular activities, working in quiet library corners and empty classrooms whenever they found time.

“It took us a full year to bring all the ideas together,” Irene says. “Sometimes we experienced writer’s block, but we kept going.”

Currently, the pair are completing their Community Service Year (CSY) at St Jude's, with Theresia in the Marketing Department and Irene in the Alumni Office and hope their story will inspire other students to pursue their own creative ambitions.

Uzuri is proof of what can happen when students are given access to books, encouragement and people who believe in their ideas. One day, another young St Jude’s student may pick it up from the library shelf and realise that they too, can become an author.

For Rogers, Class of 2024, the inspiration to make a difference came shortly after finishing high school. As he spent time with younger siblings, friends and students in local government schools, he noticed a challenge many young people silently face. Students were struggling with examinations, uncertain about career paths and lacking confidence when speaking in front of others. It was not because they lacked intelligence or potential. What they lacked was guidance, exposure, and encouragement.

Rogers is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Governance and Development at MS TCDC but joined forces with fellow St Jude’s alum James in 2024 to establish an NGO called We All Can Africa. Although James is currently in Mauritius pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Leadership, the two continue working together toward one shared vision to create a future where every student, regardless of background, has access to the skills, confidence and support needed to succeed both academically and personally.

“What pushed me most was seeing students who are capable but lack guidance and confidence,” Rogers explains. “Sometimes a student just needs someone to explain things differently and remind them that they are capable of succeeding.”

Through We All Can Africa, the team visits local government schools to conduct interactive sessions on public speaking, gender awareness, career guidance and exam preparation. Their mission goes beyond delivering motivational talks for a single afternoon. They want students to walk away feeling seen, informed, empowered and more confident about their future.

So far, the organisation has reached more than 200 students from three different local government schools around Arusha. For many students, it was the first time having open conversations about careers, confidence and practical study and exam techniques that can significantly improve performance.

What makes their initiative especially impactful is how authentic and relatable it is. They understand the realities these students face because they have witnessed them closely in their own communities.

Rogers credits much of their inspiration and confidence to the environment they experienced at The School of St Jude.

“St Jude’s gave us exposure and taught us how to approach challenges with confidence,” Rogers says. “The support we received made us realise that we can also return and help others in a meaningful way.”

There is something deeply inspiring about young alumni who choose to return to their communities and build solutions instead of simply talking about the problems. Rogers and James could have focused solely on their personal journeys after graduation, but instead, they chose impact. They chose service. They chose to create opportunities for others.

Although their work is still growing, their vision is already clear. In early June, Rogers and the We All Can Africa team plan to host another session at a local secondary school, continuing their mission of reaching more students and opening more doors through awareness, guidance and encouragement.