Gemma Sisia grew up with six brothers on an Australian farm, riding horses and motorbikes, trout fishing, and swimming in waterfalls. Her parents passed on to her a strong sense of justice and the desire to help others.

After college, Gemma worked as a teacher in a rural school in Uganda. There, she experienced an “educational hole,” where teachers are undertrained, textbooks are scarce, and classrooms have as many as 120 students competing for desks.

For the past six years the students of one Rockhampton school have had a very special connection to a school in Tanzania.

Rockhampton Grammar School Teacher Wendy Goldston has encouraged her students to fundraise for the School of St Jude in Tanzania which was started in 2002 by Australian Gemma Sisia.

It was 13 years in the making, and it lived up to the hype.

Supporters from around the world flew to Arusha on Saturday to celebrate The School of St Jude’s first ever Form 6 graduation.The milestone event saw the 61 students, proudly draped in gowns of navy blue and canary yellow and wearing matching mortarboard hats, complete their secondary schooling.

A FEW years ago, Kim Saville was working in a high-profile job in film and television casting, finding future stars for shows including Water Rats and Murder Call.

These days you will find her in the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro,
surrounded by smiling, bright-eyed Tanzanian children from The School of
St Jude.

It’s a dramatic lifestyle change, but one which the former Sydneysider finds extremely rewarding.

Hundreds of students have decked out in colourful costumes to celebrate St Jude’s Day recently, showing their appreciation for the free, high-quality education they receive at the school.

Primary and secondary students did traditional African dances, including Maasai and other performances, which expressed their happiness at being able to study at St Jude’s and their dedication to their studies.

Awards were given out to the best group performances on the day. It is the third year that the event has been running and each year staff and students join together and dress up to demonstrate their sense of pride for their school.

During the event’s mass, students carried baskets of goods onto the stage, which they will then distribute to needy people throughout the Arusha region.

A CASINO librarian has collected enough books to fill a shipping container and is now hoping to raise $10,000 to build a library to house them in a remote Tanzanian village. 

Taryn Kelly worked at a school in Tanzania in 2005 and since her return to Australia in 2007 she has been collecting books to send back. 

"When I was there every-one was always asking me for books. They are desperate for them," she said. 

Ms Kelly described the village of Uwiro as "extremely isolated" and said most of the people there are subsistence farmers. "But there are some job opportunities if they are able to speak English, which is why they are so desperate for books," she said.