It’s eight o’clock in the morning and the air smells fresh from a night of rain. Outside the entrance of St Jude’s are dozens of eager families who’ve turned up hours early, waiting for the start of Uniform Day.

Some of the children, who will be studying in Standard 1 and 2 this year, have formed a conga line. Others cling to the hem of their mother’s dress. Newfound friendships that will last for years are already being made.

Over 1,000 hopeful applicants attended the selection day in July 2019 and today’s group of new students are the result of a rigorous process that helps ensure the limited places available go to those most in need and with the attitude and aptitude to make the most of this life-changing opportunity. 

At nine o’clock the day commences. First stop, school photos. One girl named Fauzia decides to strike a pose. With one hand on her waist, the other raised in the air, she grins audaciously.

“That’s my girl!” calls Vivian, one of the staff members helping out, “We need girls with confidence!” 

After photos, it’s time for the uniforms to be fitted. 

While adults tend to walk from place to place, children often run. Today is a day of running. The students rush towards the main school building and up the stairs, plopping down on long wooden benches. One by one their names are called out and they have their uniform fitted. For many, this uniform is the first item of new clothing they’ve ever owned.

Arriving a little preoccupied is School Founder, Gemma Sisia. She’s had a sleepless night, with one of her pet dogs giving birth to five puppies in the early hours.

As she walks past the smiling new students, she suddenly stops, recognising a girl with short hair and a toothy smile. 

“Lightness!” she says excitedly. 

As part of the application process, St Jude’s staff members visit the home of future students. It was Gemma who completed Lightness’ poverty check. While looking through a family photo album, Gemma noticed that Lightness was squinting at all the photos. Lightness needed glasses but the family couldn’t afford to buy a pair. Yet, despite being visually impaired, Lightness was among the top two in her government school for academics. When Lightness starts at St Jude’s she’ll receive an annual health check by an international team of medical professionals and will soon have the glasses she needs to see properly.

Sitting opposite Lightness, on a separate bench, is Fauzia, quietly waiting her turn. Out of the door strides Vivian. She crouches down in front of Fauzia, taking her hand. 

“Fauzia – come with me!” 

Vivian and Fauzia walk inside the room. Tables have been set that are creaking under the weight of newly stitched sky and navy-blue uniforms. 

Fauzia begins trying on different dresses, finding her size. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asks Vivian, watching on. 

“A teacher,” says Fauzia. “

What subjects will you teach?” “

All the subjects.” “

That’s my girl!” laughs Vivian. 

Once all the students have been fitted, a blue wave of students sprint toward their families to show off their new uniforms. A father picks up his son, placing him on his shoulders, bouncing up and down. A mother smothers her daughter with kisses. A grandmother buries her face in her hands, the moment too much. All the while a group of St Jude’s students have congregated, each of them armed with a drum and encouraging the children to dance. 

Fauzia looks around and spots her teenage brother. The boy drops to one knee, welcoming his little sister into his arms 

“This feels great,” her brother, Yassin says, looking down at his sister in her new uniform. “I’m lost for words, I’m just so happy!” 

Support new students, like Fauzia, by sponsoring an academic scholarship today.

A smoky mist hangs over the school grounds, as often seen after a fireworks display, only this particular mist is coming from a busy kitchen. The air is humid, carrying extra weight.

This morning is the first day of classes at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School.

Hundreds of students begin filing in, walking along the footpath leading into their new school, heads swiveling as they drink in their new surroundings. Some hold hands, and all are smiling. 

The girls line up outside the kitchens, where a group of men are cooking beans and rice. 

In front of them is Ms Yukunda, who will begin the day. 

“Morning girls,” she says, stretching her arms in welcome. “What is the name of this new school?” 

“New Girls,” the students respond. 

“Pardon?” says Ms Yukunda, hand to ear. 

“New Girls!” say the students, their strong voices echoing around the grounds. 

“This is a new school, a new culture,” says Ms Yukunda. “You are here to walk majestically. Are we together?” 

“Yes!”

St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School is the only one of its kind in Tanzania, offering a 100% free, high-quality education to hundreds of girls. 

In Tanzania, females receive an average of four and a half years of education. This means that by the age of 12, most girls will have left school.

Instead of being in school, teenage girls will face pressures to marry early and remain at home, raising children and caring for the home. 

More than 1 in 4 Tanzanian girls will have a baby before the age of 19.

Education is the key to changing this current reality and breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations. 

Educated women are less likely to marry early, less likely to die in childbirth; more likely to have babies that are healthy; and, importantly, more likely to send and keep their own children in school.

Standing before Ms Yukunda, tall and proud, are a gathering of girls who have aspirations that extend beyond the confines of their home. 

Among these girls, at the front, stands Nasabi who wants to be a doctor and Sara who wants to study law. At the back is Yunis who wants to be an accountant, Brenda who wants to study business and Gift who wants to be a nurse. A crowd of girls, a collection of dreams. 

At their disposal is a school with brand new science labs, sports grounds, computers and a library filled with hundreds and hundreds of books.

After a brief run-down of the new campus the students are dismissed and the day begins in earnest.  

Today, these girls will sit in chemistry labs and study elements and compounds; they will sit in classrooms and learn about algebra and trigonometry; they will find some quiet time in the library and read Jane Austen and Louisa M. Alcott, or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Buchi Emecheta.

And in all of these classrooms, these girls will be forging their futures. Futures that will help ensure the prosperity of their families, communities and of Tanzania. 

Help St Jude’s provide an education to the female lawyers, accountants, doctors and nurses of tomorrow by donating to St Jude’s today.

Madam Irene closes the door of her office and climbs the stairs. She is on her way to teach her first ever class at St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School. 

One of the youngest teachers at St Jude’s, Madam Irene is charismatic and popular amongst her students. She has a quick wit and a wisdom beyond her years. 

“I’m looking forward to teaching in the new school,” she says, drinking in her surroundings. “When girls are supported, you are supporting the whole community.” 

Madam Irene walks into her pristine classroom, sitting down at freshly burnished desks are 25 Form 4 girls. The walls are freshly painted, the blackboard is untouched and through the open windows is the sound of a lawn mower, chugging away. 

“Welcome back from the holidays girls,” says Madam Irene. “It’s the start of a New Year! I hope you had a good rest.” 

When Madam Irene was in Form 6, her year level had 480 students. Only two of these students achieved Division One exam results (the highest grade) and Madam Irene was one of them. 

When she graduated from Form 6, the school asked her to come back and help out with their students. Madam Irene quickly learnt that she had a talent for teaching and went on to study at Makumira University in Arusha. 

Growing up, both of Madam Irene’s parents played a pivotal role in supporting her throughout her life, with her mother being an important figure in her education. 

“She brought me up to be a responsible person,” says Madam Irene. “To be confident, and to work hard, to earn what I’m supposed to earn, not to expect things to happen.” 

These are lessons she hands on to her students, lessons that tie in nicely with today’s class topic.

“Today we will be studying a new topic,” says Madam Irene. “Culture!”

“So, what is culture?”

The students raise their hands and offer answers.

“Culture is the way you dress.”

“Culture is the language you speak.” 

“Culture is the food you eat.” 

For Madam Irene and her fellow teachers, teaching at the new girls’ school is an opportunity to establish a new culture and a new beginning for these students. 

There have been times in Madam Irene’s career when she has been the only woman in a room filled with men. 

“Being a woman in the midst of men can be challenging,” says Madam Irene. “If I speak things, then some men will think I’m too emotional, or sometimes I’m expected to wait for men to speak first - it’s challenging.”

But Madam Irene is seeing a lot of change and women are now contributing to society in a diverse range of roles - as political leaders, in business and even driving cars, something that in the past was uncommon. 

“I know there are other women behind me who are supporting me and when men see a balance of 50-50 in a room they will not look down upon me, they will see an equal.” 

As a civics teacher, there will be many opportunities for Madam Irene to discuss equality with her students.

“They will get to know their rights,” she says. “For example, our constitution does not differentiate men and women – we are all equal!”

As the class moves on, the students begin talking about their tribes, comparing different handshakes. Madam Irene approaches one of the students, Susie, who is sitting by the wall. 

“Susie,” says Madam Irene. “Come and show me how a woman would greet a man in your tribe.”

Madam Irene poses as a man, and Susie curtsies in front of her, offering a handshake. 

“You know,” says Madam Irene. “In some tribes a woman has to kneel before reaching a man.”

As Madam Irene speaks she moves to the front of the classroom and stands proudly, knowing that she is in the privileged position of showing these students what an independent, capable woman can achieve. 

Sponsor a student’s academic scholarship and support them in reaching their full potential.

Lina can still remember student selection day in late 2006, when she was first told she’d got into St Jude’s. 

“It was the happiest day of my life,” says Lina. “I will never forget it.”  Now 20-years-old, Lina has been doing her Community Service Year internship at Moivaro Boarding Campus, giving back to the boarding house she called home for four years.

For Lina, Moivaro is still the same as she remembers. The smell of the food, the sound of students preparing for a day at school and the building that became her home.

Now, the boarding campus has become Lina’s second home once again, after choosing to spend her Community Service Year as a St Jude’s boarding parent. The Community Service Program is a way for graduates to give back to St Jude’s and the community in the spirit they received and ‘pay forward’ to those following in their footsteps.

“The biggest thing I have learnt at St Jude’s is the importance of volunteering,” says Lina. “Because I had someone who gave so much to help me and sponsor my scholarship.”

For 12 months Lina will look after the wellbeing of St Jude’s primary students from Standard 5 to Standard7; fostering their life skills and providing valuable advice on study techniques.

“I have been volunteering on my own initiative outside of school since Form 4, teaching a few classes in government schools in my area and helping adults to improve their English,” says Lina. “I’m looking forward to being around St Jude’s students who are in the same situation that I once was.”

It’s been a whirlwind year since Lina graduated from Form 6 in May.

“Finishing exams and secondary school is a breakthrough in my life,” says Lina. “I cried singing our school song on Graduation Day - I was the first person in my family to graduate from secondary school.”

Lina’s education at St Jude’s has also had a big impact on her family, with her parents saving the money they would have spent on her education to afford an upgrade from their rented one-roomed structure built from mud, to a three-bedroomed brick home in a higher social-economic area just outside of Arusha city.

“My education has motivated my mum and dad to work harder,” says Lina. “I remember we sometimes didn’t have meals during my childhood as my father was unemployed, but they are in a much better situation now.”

On average, Tanzanian girls from a poor rural background, will only receive 3.7 years of schooling.For Lina, most of her childhood friends are married with children, while she feels that she is now free to determine her own future. 

“I am treated better than other girls in my community because I am educated,” says Lina. “I am proud to be an educated woman.”

But the hard work, doesn’t stop there. On completion of her Community Service Year, Lina will continue being supported by the Beyond St Jude’s program in her first higher education qualification.

Lina hopes to study Community Development at university, with dreams to one day start her own not-for-profit organisation. In the meantime, she will be supporting students on the same journey that has helped her get to where she is today.

Help a young adult like Lina take the next step in their career and give back to the community after graduating. Contact our Beyond St Jude’s team at info@schoolofstjude.co.tz and find out how you can support one of our graduates.

Grace is sitting in the back of a St Jude’s shuttle bus, tumbling across the flats of Arusha, towards Smith Secondary Campus. To her left looms Mount Meru, it’s summit shrouded in cloud.Since 2008, Grace, who is visiting from Scotland, has been sponsoring the scholarship of a Form 5 girl by the name of Rahima. Today, she will meet Rahima for the first time. 

“I’m excited,” says Grace, whose eyes remain fixed on the Arushan landscape. “We’ve been exchanging letters for eleven years.”

Grace lives in Shetland, an island off the north coast of Scotland. Her distinguished career in theatre has included being associate director of the acclaimed ‘War Horse’ production, when it toured Australia.

“Directing is about interpreting a story, and providing depth to that story,” says Grace.

The story she sees in Tanzania is the effect education can have on a community.

“Education can change not just one person’s life,” she says. “But also the lives of their family, even their community.”

On arriving at Smith Secondary Campus, Grace walks across the green lawns, and inside the Visitor Centre, waiting for Rahima.

“It’s like a university,” she says, looking outside, at the surrounding buildings with students teeming up and down the long, winding staircases.

After a short while, Rahima walks into the room, visibly excited to see Grace for the first time. 

“I remember when you were little,” says Grace, looking disbelievingly at 19-year-old Rahima. “You would send me drawings of rainbows with stickers.”

The two leave the room, side by side. Outside, a group of Rahima’s friends are waving excitedly.

“They are happy for me that I am meeting my sponsor,” says Rahima, with a smile.

Together, Rahima and Grace, with a teacher accompanying them, hop into the school bus as it takes off towards a remote suburb called Olasiti, where Rahima’s mother lives. The drive will take an hour and a half - this doesn’t bother the pair though as they begin to talk in earnest. 

Rahima chats about her favourite writer, Adam Shafi Adam, while Grace shows pictures of Scotland on her phone.  

Grace can’t stop looking at Rahima, seemingly mesmerised by the fact that the girl she has been sending letters to since the age of seven is now sitting next to her, on the cusp of womanhood. 

As the bus moves closer to Olasiti, the roads shift from asphalt to dirt. Fields of maize and beans extend as far as the eye can see. As the bus bounces over rocks and dodges potholes, it becomes hard to maintain conversation.

Rather than sit in silence, Grace and Rahima begin singing songs together, over the racket of the road.

Eventually, the bus turns left down a street filled with playing children and dust covered dwellings.

Out steps a woman from behind a rusted tin fence, bearing a big smile and wearing a long grey dress littered with blue polka dots.

The woman’s name is Margaret, and she is Rahima’s mother.

When Rahima and her brother were young, their father walked out on them. He took all their belongings with him.

Margaret didn’t have a job at the time – she was left with no furniture, and no money. A friend of hers, a woman from the neighbourhood, heard about Margaret’s predicament and decided to pay the bills.

Eventually, Margaret got a job as a housekeeper, slowly piecing her life back together, before her life took another turn – this time for the better.

One day, Margaret was at the market when an announcement was made about a school named St Jude’s that was accepting applications. On a whim, Margaret decided to have her daughter sit the exam, joining thousands of other applicants from around Arusha.

In August of 2007, Margaret was visited by St Jude’s – her seven-year-old daughter had got a place.

Now, Margaret is proudly welcoming her guest into her home – filled with the furniture she bought, and the daughter she raised.

Inside the one-room house, everything is blue – the couches, the walls, even the curtains.

Margaret presents Grace with a bright red ‘kikoi’, a traditional African woven cloth, to say thank you for sponsoring her daughter’s education. 

“In Scotland, I will put this on my wall,” says a grateful Grace.

“Come back again,” says Margaret. “And I will get you another one.”

The two women begin to talk about Rahima, and her bright future.

“She will be a minister in our government,” says Margaret, absent mindedly stroking her daughter’s shoulder. “Maybe even the President!”

“I want to be a lawyer,” laughs Rahima.

“What would you do if you were President?” asks Grace.

“I would change everything,” jokes Rahima.

The three women step outside to take photos. The summit of Mount Meru is now clear, its contours rippling in a brilliant blend of orange and yellow, that can only be found during an African sunset.

Standing on the front step of the house, Grace and Margaret grin at the St Jude’s photographer, Onesmo, while Rahima is filled with teenage embarrassment from all the attention.

“Smile, Madam President!” says Onesmo, capturing the moment.

Share in the growth of one of our students and see them flourish. Sponsor an academic scholarship today.

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.