When St Jude’s Founder, Gemma Sisia, wrote Alex Elifas’ introductory letter to his sponsor in 2003, she already suspected his future was going to be bright. 

“I think we will be rewarded in years to come, as I have a feeling Alex wants to go VERY far with his education!” Gemma predicted. 

She wasn’t wrong. Alex has gone very far…all the way to Stanford University on a full scholarship, in fact! Stanford University is the second top-ranked university in the United States.   

The prestigious college has educated thousands of influential historical figures, including Nobel laureates and United States presidential candidates.  

Alex may have aimed high and landed among the stars, but he has never lost connection to his Tanzanian homeland and The School of St Jude. 

Alex has brought his St Jude’s journey full circle by becoming our very first graduate to sponsor an academic scholarship for one of our students!

“I decided to become a sponsor in November 2017. After I graduated from St Jude’s, I signed up to Gemma’s newsletter list. Now and then, I’d visit the School’s website and see what was happening but this day was different. I was on the website and had begun thinking about how St Jude’s changed my life.”

“Ever since I was a child, I knew I wanted to give back to the School when I became successful, but then I remembered there were high school students in Australia who sponsored St Jude’s scholarships,” Alex said. 

“I am working whilst completing my studies, so there’s no time like the present to start giving back. I am already successful – I don’t need to wait until I become a doctor.” 

Alex shares sponsorship for Standard 3 student, Abie, who, like Alex, enjoys studying mathematics and sciences. “I loved receiving my first sponsorship letter from Abie. It reminded me of times I used to write to my sponsor,” Alex fondly recalls. 

Alex will be visiting St Jude’s in July, when he is back home for his summer break, and is looking forward to meeting Abie in person.   

“The best advice I will give him is to study hard. We come from the same place and similar backgrounds. I never knew that studying hard would pay off the way it has for me,” Alex said. 

Alex is grateful to many St Jude’s teachers who instilled in him positive core beliefs and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. 

“Mr Mcharo [Acting Secondary Headmaster] was my neighbour. He used to walk home with me sometimes and once, he told me I would become one of the best students in the country. He saw my potential.”   

Another person Alex admires is Gemma Sisia, without whom, a free, high quality education would not have been possible. 

“Gemma is very strong, starting a school in Tanzania without knowing where the money would come from, keeping faith that things would work out. I am so grateful to her. She is making an incredible impact on Tanzania,” Alex believes. 

In Gemma’s book St Jude’s, published in 2005, she included a short passage about Alex. 

“Alex is a gorgeous, hard-working boy, the youngest of many children. I know that things are often tight for him at home but his ambition when he grows up isn’t to try to make his own life more comfortable, but to work with orphans whom he sees as having an even harder life than his own.” 

More than 10 years on, Gemma is seeing her dream for St Jude’s, realised through the same young boy she remembers playing on a swing set.

“It was a huge milestone for us when we found out Alex was becoming a sponsor. This is what we want to see: St Jude’s students feeling compelled to give back to their own community. I can’t wait to catch up with Alex again and tell him personally how happy and inspired I am by him,” Gemma said. 

With a Stanford degree ahead of him, it’s just the beginning for our Alex, but already, he’s left an indelible mark on St Jude’s. He’s left a legacy which, we hope, many graduates will carry forward.  

You, like Alex, can leave a legacy at St Jude’s. With our 2018 Appeal match until June 30, there’s never been a better time to fight poverty through education and sponsor or donate today.

Some quotes translated from Kiswahili 

Janelle, Clorinda, Timuana and Octavia are uniquely bonded by their shared devotion to one of our 2018 graduates, Denis.

Janelle has sponsored Denis since his first day at St Jude’s in Standard 1. She, along with her two daughters, Timuana and Clorinda, travelled from Queensland, Australia, to be by his side as he finished secondary school. 

Janelle and her husband, Peter, who passed away in 2016, were inspired to help fight poverty through education when they heard about St Jude’s through Rotary.    

Janelle decided to pay tribute to her husband by attending Denis’ graduation and bringing her two daughters with her, so they could understand their parents’ passion for our cause. 

Janelle and Denis shared an emotional reunion at Sisia Primary Campus on Monday May 21, having last seen each other in 2005, and later that day, he took them to visit his home and meet his guardian, Octavia. 

At Form 6 Graduation on May 26, Octavia joined hands with Janelle, Clorinda and Timuana, in celebration of Denis’ achievements.  

Several years ago, due to difficult circumstances in Denis’ home life, Octavia agreed to open her home to him, whilst he completed his education at St Jude’s.

“When I took in another son, I wanted him to feel secure and not lonely. Now, Denis has a family and I want him to succeed in his life. Denis has brought joy to us. He helps Alexander with his chores and I am so proud to see him graduate,” Octavia shared.     

Octavia is a dedicated member of St Jude’s Parent Committee and has been a passionate advocate for St Jude’s in the local community since her son, Alexander, earned his academic scholarship in Standard 1, nearly 16 years ago. 

Alexander graduated from Form 6 at St Jude’s in 2016. He completed his Beyond St Jude’s Community Service Year in 2017 as an intern in our Visitor team and is now studying his Bachelor in Economic Science and Communications, through Beyond St Jude’s Tertiary program, at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s top university. 

“Without help from St Jude’s, I could not have afforded to give my son the same privilege he has now. I have other children to support and I would not have been able to afford to send Alexander to university,” Octavia said. 

Janelle and her daughters were profoundly moved by Octavia’s generosity and passion for the School. 

“Octavia is a beautiful person. This lady has given Denis the gift of a family home. Denis is a special young man — a young leader — and he is so grateful for the gift of an education. My husband Peter would have been proud to meet him as the wonderful young man he has become,” Janelle revealed.   

After 13 years of sponsorship, she is passing the beacon of hope to Timuana, who has agreed to financially support Denis through his Beyond St Jude’s Community Service Year. 

“I always knew this was a special cause, but being at St Jude’s and seeing the community impact first-hand has changed mine and Clorinda’s lives. There was no way I could walk away from this without giving something back, and Denis will always mean so much to our family.”

“Meeting his guardian, Octavia, was an amazing experience. This mother is so kind and genuine. She has taken in this young man and raised him as her own. She deserves to receive so much gratitude in her own right,” Timuana said. 

Octavia, Janelle, Timuana and Clorinda may be separated by oceans, but they have joined hands to give an opportunity to one of Tanzania’s future moral and intellectual leaders. 

Will you take someone’s hand too? Share their story and sponsor a student or make a donation during our 2018 Annual Appeal.

Photo supplied by Walford Anglican School for Girls

Sasha is a student of Walford Anglican School for Girls in Adelaide, South Australia. She was recently nominated in the prestigious Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards, for her dedication to fundraising for the sponsorship of Alice, also aged 10, in Standard 3 at The School of St Jude. 

On Friday May 11, the inspiring young leader was presented with her nominee award by the Honourable Rachel Sanderson, Member of Parliament for Adelaide. 

The Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards were established to recognise, encourage and reward the positive achievements of young South Australians, up to and including 29 years of age.

“I felt so proud and happy to help Alice,” said an overjoyed Sasha. 

Sasha heard about The School of St Jude from her mother, Tamara, who had seen a segment featuring St Jude’s, on 60 Minutes Australia in 2016. 

Keen to make a difference, and wanting to know that her donated funds would directly improve someone’s life, Sasha chose to fundraise for our school by sewing headbands and selling them, under the banner of ‘Headbands for Girls’ Education’. The Walford community has supported Sasha by helping her sell the headbands in the school.

“I am lucky to go to a good school. It is not fair that just because you are a girl, in some countries, you don’t get an education. I wanted to help a girl my own age and show them that we like the same things, even though we are around the other side of the world,” Sasha said. 

Insightful and articulate, Sasha reflected upon words of wisdom from her grandmother, which helped inspire her to fight poverty through education. 

“My grandmother always says knowledge is power and work makes life sweet. The more we learn, the more we understand each other.” Sasha’s grandmother has always told Sasha to be grateful for the education she is getting and how special it is to help change one girls life.

When Sasha signed up for sponsorship of Alice’s scholarship, she was pleased to learn that their shared favourite animal is a dog, and that Alice aspires to grow up and be a business leader. 

Sasha’s mother and grandmother, couldn’t be more proud of Sasha’s efforts in helping provide opportunities for someone else’s daughter, on the other side of the world. It shows the power of kindness.

“I would like this to change one girl’s life and make a difference — everyone can make a difference if you just help a little. Education is the key to making change,” Tamara and her mother believe.  

One day, Sasha says she dreams of meeting Alice in person.

“If I got to meet Alice, I would tell her that, ‘I’m so excited that I am helping to give you an education and I hope it helps you.’ I would really like to give her a hug.”

Sasha is a moral and intellectual leader of tomorrow, who is making a difference today. Like her, you can give a helping hand to one of Tanzania’s future leaders. Sponsor or donate during our 2018 Annual Appeal.

Students in St Jude’s newly-formed Marketing Club have unearthed some special stories about 2018’s graduating class. In the first of several articles, Zulfa describes the long-term friendship between Rajabu and Izack. 

“I recall we used to board the same small blue bus…” reflected Rajabu in Form 6, describing how he met his best friend, Izack, in 2006. 

“The bus picked up Izack from his pickup point in Lemara [a village near Moshono], then later, the bus would arrive at my pickup point nearby and usually he would reserve me a seat beside him.”

“We were in the same class, with just seven students. Izack was the class monitor and we loved sitting alongside each other,” Rajabu said. 

Rajabu was once an entertainment minister at Smith Secondary Campus in 2016, always dancing and presenting and doing music. It was a big part of his life. Izack also shares Rajabu’s interests in music, cultural dance, arts and soccer.

Izack finds himself laughing whenever he is with Rajabu, and Rajabu describes Isack as being one of the most hardworking people he knows. 

When Rajabu and Izack entered Form 5, their friendship changed because they were no longer in the same class and had less time to spend together. Rajabu decided to study business and humanities subjects, while Izack studied sciences. Their different interests only complimented the friendship though, and they spend their free time doing activities together, just as it has always been.

“I am always grateful for having a friend like Izack and am proud we made it all the way from 2006 to 2018, and finally we are graduating from high school together. This is one of my greatest achievements. Together we won an interschool football competition and the best cultural club at 2011 Cultural Day.”

While Rajabu dreams of being a television journalist, Izack has high hopes of becoming a doctor. No matter where their futures lead, one thing is for certain. This friendship is here to stay. 

Donate to St Jude's 2018 Annual Appeal and help students like Rajabu and Izack fulfil their dreams.     

Robyn has been sponsoring an academic scholarship for Form 4 graduate, Zahra, since 2009. She recently came all the way from Queensland to Arusha, to attend the Form 4 Graduation in April and shared some inspiring words with our student. Read her full speech below.   

Today it is my honour to speak on behalf of all sponsors, donors and supporters.

With the free high quality education that is being provided [at St Jude's] you all have an equal opportunity to aim high and achieve your dreams.  St Jude’s vision is to educate future leaders of Tanzania and for communities to work towards self- sufficiency and independence.

This one chance in your life is made possible by the generous support of your sponsors and donors who have made a commitment to make a difference.

Sponsorship, to my mind, is an investment in your futures for improved living standards and opportunities.  Not only do you have the benefit here at StJude’s of a top class education, you have the added bonus of nutritious meals provided daily, clean water, annual medical check-ups and top class resources.

Fighting poverty through education is a two way thing. Not only is there a commitment from your sponsor, you have a responsibility as a scholarship recipient, to not take anything for granted, but see it as an opportunity to grow and bloom. Allow yourself to dream and with hard work and perseverance anything is possible.

Speaking for myself, I made a decision some 10 years ago that I wanted to make a difference and I’m here today to witness my sponsor student graduating.

Donors and supporters also play a major role in the success of St Jude’s. To sponsor a student is a financial sacrifice, but a worthwhile investment.  The gratification is to know the difference it will make for your futures, if you work hard to achieve your goals and ambitions.

Being a Form 4 Graduate here today, is the culmination of 10 years of study. The next chapter of your lives should be about giving back to your families and wider communities. I know this is already happening in part through the Beyond St Jude's program.

I wish you well with the next two years of study here at Smith Secondary Campus and I hope you will always have gratitude for your sponsors, donors and supporters who have come together to make that difference.

I congratulate you all. Please show your appreciation through acclamation.

Sponsorship changes the lives of our students and their families. Become a sponsor today.

Note: quotes have been amended in parts for clarity.

St Jude’s students are testament to what young people can accomplish when afforded strong educational foundations and the resources and tools to excel. 

Winning international awards and receiving commendations from world leaders, our students are already realising the School’s vision to educate the future leaders of Tanzania.

St Jude’s educates over 1,000 students from Form 1 through to Form 6 at the Smith Secondary Campus, all have the potential to be future leaders within their community and many dream of doing just that. 

Form 1 students are at the very beginning of their journey into secondary level education. This is itself an achievement – only an estimated 12% of the adult population (over the age of 25) in Tanzania have received a secondary education.   

Their journey is made possible through the generous and unwavering commitment of sponsors who cover the costs of a student’s academic scholarship for a minimum of three years, and ideally for a student’s entire education with St Jude’s.  

“Sponsoring an academic scholarship for a student is an incredibly rewarding experience” says St Jude’s Founder, Gemma Sisia. 

“For our students, securing an education at St Jude’s is a pivotal moment in their lives, opening up opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to."

“It’s especially crucial for the 40 or so new students who join us in Form 1 from government primary schools. Secondary school is a really fundamental time in a student’s education and development. Knowing that there is someone investing in their future has a profound and empowering effect on them." “

It’s also often a profound experience for our sponsors too. Getting to know a student, learning how different their life in Tanzania is and following their success can be very moving, and is definitely humbling.”    

Whilst all students who are offered a place at St Jude’s have the cost of their education and boarding covered, not all of them have sponsors supporting them directly. Those without sponsors have to be supported through  donations made to our Unsponsored Student Fund. Though the fund helps to give them an education, they miss out on building a relationship with a sponsor through letters and even visits, and learning about the wider world.  

Irene is one of these new Form 1 students and is looking forward to making the most of her new found opportunities at the School. She is also hoping her scholarship will soon be sponsored.

“I am a girl coming from a single parent family. My mother is constantly ill making it hard for her to provide basic needs for the family and support my siblings. Giving me a chance to study at St Jude’s opens a whole new opportunity to end poverty for my family." 

“St Jude’s has all the resources needed [for me] to excel academically.

“Sponsors enable the School to provide us with three meals a day, school uniforms, teachers, textbooks, electricity, water and a bed of my own to rest on after a long school day,” says Irene.

“Without sponsors we cannot study at this school […] being sponsored changes it all.”

Like every student at St Jude’s Irene has big dreams and plans for her future.

“St Jude’s gives me the assurance for a brighter future as I aspire to become an engineer, a career that would give me and my family financial stability.” Thanks to our supporters the sky’s the limit for Irene and the bright young students in Form 1 and they’re reaching for it.

Sponsor a Form 1 student like Irene today and give them the greatest gift you can, a good education. Who knows… you could be sponsoring the next Wangari Muta Maathai (female East African scientist and Noble Peace Prize recipient)!  Click here for more information.