Fresh off running a grueling 5kms with some steep climbs and rocky terrain, Form 4 student Baraka couldn’t believe he finished in the top 30 at the international contest.
The 17-year-old proudly spoke of his Kilimanjaro Marathon run, where he was met with cheering crowds in a packed out stadium as he crossed the line in 22nd place, ahead of 678 other competitors. “It was really tough; I’ve never run such a long distance but it was a really good experience. I was able to see some of the professional athletes compete, they are very inspiring. Some of the winners even sprinted most of the way. We have been training hard but the hills and mountains today were particularly challenging,” Baraka explained, punctuated by heavy breaths.
13 secondary students from St Jude’s rose before dawn to pound the pavement, with the massive mountain making for the perfect backdrop to test their limits. Competing alongside their teachers and against the best from across Africa, their impressive results are a credit to their commitment and training.
Form 2 student Lucas crossed the line in 13th position, Baraka was the 22nd arrival and Form 1 student Jenipher secured the 31st spot.
Each student competitor credited their extensive training in the lead up to the event, where they trained for an hour a day, with no excuses!
For Form 4 student, Happiness, running 5km would have only been a dream if not for the specialised training program.
“We are used to doing smaller races, metres instead of kilometres, 100m or 200m for example. We need to work on speed more. It’s teaching us about determination and hard work,” Happiness said red-cheeked from her run.
Students also praised the adrenaline from the crowd, who cheered them through some tough conditions that even challenged the most advanced runners.
“The steep hills and mountains were definitely the hardest part. We also had to dodge a lot of runners competing over different distances but the cheering crowds made you forget about the pain,” Happiness shared.
The marathon event, which also has a 21km and 5km distance, is part of the school’s Vocational Skills program that includes athletics, basketball, football and volleyball programs run by the Vocational Skills department teachers. All are part of helping St Jude’s students achieve outside the classroom, as well as inside it.
“I really hope to continue with my running and it can complement my studies,” a beaming Baraka added.
The school’s staff also tried their luck at the brutal half marathon, completing 21kms around the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.
St Jude's Photographer, Onesmo Daniel, was amongst them and crossed the finishing line in just under three hours.
“We didn’t do as much training as last year, so I was getting a little tired, but I am proud. We actually started late so the biggest challenge was catching up to other competitors, but with my final position I overtook 1,000 people. It was so nice to see our students there and I hope next year they can run the 21kms for the extra challenge,” Onesmo smiled.
Tanzanian Athlete, Emmanuel Giniki, won the overall half marathon gold medal finishing the course in an incredible 1hr 3mins, in front of the home crowd.
But after a champion effort by our secondary students and staff, could Emmanuel have a future fierce competitor in someone from St Jude’s?
“I don’t see myself quitting my day job and becoming a professional but for the students I can see that because they are strong competitors, they have big futures ahead,” Onesmo laughed.
Thanks to the generosity of our school’s supporters, our students will continue to achieve in all kinds of arenas. You can help expand their opportunities by making a donation!
Students and staff have entered one of the most testing times of the school year this month, putting pen to paper for the midterm exams.
National Examinations in Tanzania are tough and all students across the country are required to be assessed at multiple stages of their schooling. Exams in Standard 7, Form 1 and Form 6 are particularly crucial as they will have to reach a standardised level to be able to move on to the next stage of their education.
The midterm assessments are designed to identify students’ progress so far and enable teachers to give students who might be struggling additional support. They also contribute to the student’s all important report card, sent home to their parents and to their sponsors.
For primary student Theresia, her five exams are helping her to thrive in high pressure environments, something she’ll very much need to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor.
“This year I think I improved because I got more time for revision and boarding has contributed a lot to my performance because we get time to exchange ideas and we get more time to revise. This year I think I am going to improve more than any other year,” Theresia beamed.
Students will sit up to eight exams over the two-week period, testing their nerve, as well as their learning.
“Sometimes we get nervous but we advise each other before and after the exam. One thing that helps me is when you get the exam you first settle and read the questions twice,” Theresia said taking a deep breath as she speaks of her exams.
St Jude’s Primary Headteacher, Mr George ensures all his teachers help prepare the students psychologically and intellectually, especially for those where exams on this scale are a new challenge.
“At a primary level we have students who are doing the new curriculum which was introduced by the government from 2016. With the new curriculum we have a new subject called “Civic and Moral”, so that is something we are all still having to adjust to,” Mr George reported.
For Secondary Headmaster, Mr Mcharo, who oversees students at the opposite end of their schooling, the exams are a tool to see if his senior students are reaching the benchmark for further education.
“We have those who want to apply for scholarships to higher education which have conditions, universities need to know if students continually perform well. Students up to Form 4 are expected to have a minimum Grade B in performance and A level students need to have a Grade C,” Mr Mcharo explained.
Sharing his vision for The School of St Jude, Mr Mcharo says that while the school has a history of performing well in the National Examinations he has aspirations to see the school firmly placed in the top five performing schools in Tanzania.
“We hope the performance of our school is improving because we’ve been a bit more strategic on how we approach assessment. We help create a similar environment and pressures to when they take their exams for real, this helps them be prepared and helps them to study consistently across the year by being assessed regularly.”
School Prefect and Form 5 student, Silvia, knows these exams are one of the key steps in her St Jude’s education journey. The knowledge she’s learnt ahead of her maths and science exams are giving her the best chance to become a pharmacist.
“My best subject is chemistry and I want to perform high. For me at the start of the exam, I check the questions that I can get the most marks and I start doing them first. I think studying, exercising and sleeping in the lead up to the exams helps a lot,” Silvia revealed.
But perhaps the best advice comes from the aspirational secondary school leader.
“Work hard is twentieth century vocabulary; we encourage students now to also work smart,” Mr Mcharo smiled while observing his students studying hard in the Smith library.
Turning one of the most testing times, into the most rewarding.
Each year on March 8, International Women’s Day is commemorated globally. It presents an opportunity for people to celebrate the contribution females make to society, to stand in solidarity with females in need, and to raise awareness of gender equality issues which inhibit the advancement of women.
The theme for this year’s celebration, declared by the United Nations, was ‘Press For Progress’. St Jude’s students and staff were more than willing to raise the roof with words of wisdom and empowering songs at the inaugural International Women’s Day assembly.
Curated by founding members of St Jude’s new Marketing Club, with the support of Ms Pendo, Assistant Deputy of School Values and Welfare at Smith Secondary Campus, students were encouraged to reflect on inspiring females in their own lives, without whom they could not become strong, moral and intellectual leaders.
Zulfa, a Form 5 student, opened the ceremony with a stirring speech entitled My Voice is my Strength.
“With my voice, I am able to spread the word of equality, justice and liberty. I can decrease the rate of poverty by speaking against violence. I can make those who feel low, stand and rise again. It takes a voice to bring back life in areas where oppression has dominated.”
Following Zulfa’s emotive declaration, Yasintha, also in Form 5, took to the podium with a recitation of her original poem, The Conqueror.
“…She rises above her pain, her sorrow, brushes down her worry, gets herself in check, always ready for tomorrow. She is a burning fire. No way is she going to be stifled, left to wither like a rose. They call her ‘Prey’, they call her ‘Nothing’…but I call her ‘The Conqueror’.”
The assembly concluded with a spontaneous eruption of solidarity. Students in Forms 1 and 5 entertained the crowd with songs written by African women. To conclude, they beckoned staff, students and visitors to the stage. More than a hundred people jumped to their feet and joined the choir, raising their voices in collective celebration.
Inspired by the unique event, Mr Emanuel, School Registrar at Smith Secondary Campus, offered an impromptu vote of thanks to students and staff involved with organising the assembly, and some food for thought.
“It is impossible to imagine a world without women. They bring life. To all students, I pose this challenge: what will you do to change this world for the better? How will you make it possible for all females to thrive?”
Form 5 student and Marketing Club President, Lina, quoting her role model, Marianne Williamson, had the perfect response.
“’Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond all measure…we ask ourselves, ‘who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world.’”
You can help our inspiring change-makers reach their highest potential by sponsoring a student today!
Eager new secondary student Thobali has a very personal reason to study hard after joining The School of St Jude this year.
“When I was very young my father told me my uncle was going to be a pilot but he got in an accident and died. I want to do my family proud by following in his footsteps,” Thobali said quietly.
The 13-year-old has moved from sharing a single room home with his family of five to living and studying at St Jude’s Smith Secondary Campus and boarding house.
His new learning environment is also a world away from his previous
government school where he was only educated in Kiswahili, had to contend with class numbers of over 60 students and walk long distances to attend school every day.
“There are many more facilities to learn here, at my old school there wasn’t a library and there weren’t many classes,” Thobali reflected.
For the first time Thobali will now have the chance to become fluent in English, while studying twelve subjects over the next two years, before narrowing down his subjects to help him fulfil his dream of becoming a pilot.
“To get into university and study aviation I need to do well in mathematics, geography and physics so the lab here will become my third home,” Thobali laughed.
Joining him is fellow classmate Beatrice, who until this year lived in the expanding poverty-stricken area of Pekas, on the outskirts of Arusha city.
To support the family, Beatrice’s mother works as a cleaner and her step-father works as a causal in a local beer company.
Like many Tanzanian families Beatrice’s family rents their one-room, cement block home which has no internal plumbing. Instead, clean water needs to be collected from a nearby well multiple times a day. The power supply at the family’s home is also very unreliable so their meals are prepared indoors over a basic kerosene-fueled stove or charcoal.
“We always used to walk past the The School of St Jude and dream that I would go there one day. We used to hear about how well all of the students are looked after, so when I was invited into the school my parents were so, so happy,” Beatrice shared.
Beatrice is flourishing in her studies but has also jumped at the chance of participating in the extra-curricular activities, like netball, something all students are required to undertake in order to further their develop their skills and interests.
With the door to higher education and a more diverse life now well and truly open, Beatrice now has every hope of securing her dream job of becoming a doctor.
With wisdom and insight beyond her years, Beatrice spoke of her ultimate goal.
“I love physics, chemistry and biology because they will all help me become a doctor. I want to help people but right now I feel so happy. I like to read books in the library, I like my classes and I like the playground, I love everything,” Beatrice explained with an infectious smile.
Even getting to this point and starting secondary school is a high achievement in itself for Thobali, Beatrice and all of the Forms 1s.
Passing their Standard 7 national exam at the end of primary school is not the norm for many Tanzanian children. It is estimated that only 30% of secondary school aged Tanzanians are receiving an education.
A free, private education at The School of St Jude however, gives this duo the chance to skyrocket into their bright futures in aviation and medicine.
“We want to say thank you to all the people who help keep St Jude’s running and God Bless,” the two Form 1s echoed.
Help St Jude’s fight poverty through education so that students like Thobali and Beatrice can achieve their dreams: become a Form 1 sponsor today.
Fifth grade is a big year for St Jude’s student Justina, her year level has just started living at the school’s boarding house.
She may only be 12 years old but she already she knows she wants to be a doctor.
“I want to work in Tanzania to help people with different diseases and problems,” Justina explained.
And since her move to the Moivaro Boarding Campus, just a ten-minute walk from the Sisia Primary Campus, boarding is bringing out her brilliance.
Students start boarding in their fifth year at St Jude’s, so for the first time Justina has a solid roof over her head, a cosy bed of her own, reliable water, three nutritious meals a day and electricity for studying, all giving her every opportunity to succeed.
“I love studying, playing, cooking and eating with friends. Before I lived with my father and three sisters in a one bedroomed home. They are proud of me for coming here and studying hard. I want to help them live better in the future.”
It is also the first year of boarding at Moivaro for enthusiastic basketball fan Baraka.
“I love all things about boarding, because we get time to study, play and we are getting good meals. Of course I always find time for basketball too.” Baraka shared.
Baraka has big dreams, a bright mind and now with a bed to call his own, he wants to do his family and his community proud.
“When I grow up I want to be a solider. I want to help my country and my family. I want to stop people doing bad things, and rescue those in trouble in our country and other places.”
Justina and Baraka are just two of the students settling into the Moivaro Campus for the first time in 2019. They’ll join almost 1,400 St Jude’s students benefiting from boarding facilities, over two campuses this year.
The Moivaro campus is a bustling, refuge for students, all coming from the poorest of communities.
Sister Zawadi, the Head of the Moivaro Boarding Campus, says her new student’s transition to boarding life has been a smooth one, with the main challenges for her team often to help students ease the burdens of their home life and focus on fulfilling their potential.
“They are very happy as it’s the first time they can be with their friends, spend the nights together and they are sure to get their meals,” Sister Zawadi explained.
As part of that routine, students also have a better opportunity to complete homework with guidance and to learn English. St Jude’s teachers are on hand each night for academic and emotional support during evening group study sessions, as well as leading extracurricular activities like dancing, music and sport.
“For most of them, life before was very difficult, so when they are here they finally feel secure. They are sure they will also have water, electricity and everything they need.”
Each day when Justina and Baraka return back to their home away from home after school, it’s increasing their chances of reaching secondary school in just a few years, achievement milestone that less than one in three children achieve in Tanzania.
They are also a step closer, for the first time, to their dreams of serving their community and country.
An academic scholarship allows our students to have access to the benefits of boarding. Support boarding students like Justina and Baraka today.
Einoti started at St Jude’s just one month ago, while Christina, after 14 years at the school is preparing to complete her Community Service Year internship and apply for higher education.
We invited Christina and Einoti to meet and tell each other, and us, more about themselves. Glimpse into Einoti’s bright future and take a trip down memory lane with Christina. See the impact of fighting poverty through education.
1. How did your families react when they found out you were accepted into St Jude’s?
Einoti: My mother cried, she kept saying ‘thank you’ and she hugged me so tight. She threw me up to the sky!
Christina: I will never forget how overwhelmed my mum was. The first time I applied to St Jude’s, I did not pass the entrance test. I was determined to try a second time, and when I passed, it was the happiest moment for Mum. We held onto each other for so long. Having a chance at St Jude’s is amazing, and any family would want their child to have that chance.
2. What do you want to become in the future?
Einoti: I would love to be a teacher because I enjoy learning very much.
Christina: I dream to be a social worker. I love people, and I want to help empower youth and girls.
3. Who are the people you admire most?
Einoti: I love my dad, because he teaches me things all the time.
Christina: Gemma [Sisia, school Founder]. She is an example of a woman who is strong and daring. I am sure most girls admire her and would love to accomplish something like she has. It is very challenging to start a school with only $10! It should be known by everyone that if you try something, you can get through and succeed.
4. Describe a little about your family.
Einoti: I just know that my mother cooks small bites on the side of the road. They are very long days for her. When I go home from school, I help her wash the dishes. I do not have any brothers or sisters, but I like to play with my neighbours.
Christina: Attending St Jude’s has helped improved my whole family. I taught my young brother, who was not taught English in a government primary school. It was easy for me to teach him English because I learnt it through my entire schooling. Therefore, it was not so hard for him when he started at secondary school. My free education meant that Mum did not have to struggle so much to pay my brother’s school fees.
5. Einoti, why do you like coming to school at St Jude’s?
Einoti: Because I love to learn, especially mathematics. And I enjoy eating the school lunches, rice with vegetables is my favourite!
6. Christina, how does it make you feel to see students like Einoti, who are just beginning their St Jude’s journey?
Christina: It is emotional. It helps me reflect on my own journey, it makes me feel that there is progress and hope. Now, I can do anything I want with my life. Like Einoti, when I started school, I was quiet and shy. I never thought I could be a leader and yet in Form 5 I was elected as Head Girl to be our year’s lead representative. St Jude’s gives students the confidence and self-esteem to see challenges in the community, and find solutions. I hope that students like Einoti will have the same journey and positive outcomes as I have.
