I came to St Jude’s for my first enrolment test 12 years ago, and I remember it as though it were yesterday. The year was 2006. I dreamt of wearing the beautiful navy blue school uniform and visualised the excitement of stepping onto a St Jude’s school bus.
At student selection testing, we were instructed to read a story about two people named Peter and Jane. I recall nervously sharpening my pencil for a writing and mathematics test. I was determined to succeed. I remember exiting the school gates with one hand holding a letter of my acceptance and the other waving in the air as I cheered, while scanning the crowd outside for my mother, who was overjoyed. I knew I had to strive for success to maintain my academic scholarship.
Walking for the first time through St Jude’s school gates as one of the students, I knew from that point my life had changed. The school buildings stood as tall as my dreams.
At St Jude’s, I completed five years of primary school instead of seven because of my good academic performance. My teachers had enough faith in my abilities that they promoted me from Standard 2 to Standard 3 in 2007, and in 2009, I was promoted from Standard 5 to Standard 6. I graduated from primary school in 2010, much earlier than my fellow students that I was enrolled in with. This process validated my abilities and helped me to become resilient.
An unforgettable experience was when I had to write a letter to my sponsor to introduce myself. I was so young, not so fluent in English, but I wrote from the heart as well as possible. I explained my love for biology and my aspiration of putting a smile on people’s face as a medical professional one day. I added to my text with a drawing of a bicycle.
I couldn’t believe it when my sponsor wrote back! I was so excited to learn he was a doctor too. He was a unique inspiration for me to fight poverty through education. He nourished my dreams and motivated me by giving me the chance to receive a free, high quality formal schooling.
I passed Standard 7 and continued into secondary school at St Jude’s in 2011. School became tougher that year, and so did I.
I spent my free time reading novels and drawing cartoons. Reading improved my writing, speaking and conversational skills. We had access to so many resources that government school students do not have.
It was in 2017, the year I graduated from St Jude’s, when I developed a keen interest in joining the Beyond St Jude’s program as a way to give back through the Community Service Year.
I was lucky enough to be accepted, and after completing three months of national service, a mandatory requirement for some Form 6 graduates in Tanzania, I commenced my Community Service Year as an interning chemistry teacher in an underprivileged government school.
I had two goals; creating self-awareness among the students and doing my best to help them succeed academically.
Halfway through my government school internship, I decided to try professional development of a different kind and joined St Jude’s Marketing team as an intern. This gave me a glimpse of the broader St Jude’s community. I know so much more about the efforts people make to financially support St Jude’s, and I also know more about how we influence change through education.
During this time, the Beyond St Jude’s staff empowered me every day. I applied for a number of scholarships and was accepted into the Mastercard Foundation-African Leadership Academy Scholars program. This month, I will commence my studies at the American University of Beirut in Radiology, fulfilling my dream of making a difference to people’s lives as a health professional.
St Jude’s has given me an invaluable reward: my education, for which I am forever grateful. This school is more than a school. It is a family that I am proud to be a member of.
Would you like to support a member of the St Jude’s family? Sponsor a young leader today!
Jill is a long-time supporter of St Jude’s who has used her skills to address a local challenge, serve the environment and raise funds for St Jude’s.
Recently, the Queensland state government announced a ban on plastic bags in supermarkets, in a bid to promote eco-friendly habits.
Jill, a Toowoomba resident, turned her hand to sewing reusable shopping bags and selling them. Inside each bag, she places St Jude’s brochures and fact sheets, so buyers are well-informed about who their money is supporting.
So far, Jill has raised an impressive $2200 from selling the bags!
“I actually see the work of educating students at St Jude’s as another form of sustainability,” Jill said.
“Without sponsorship, these bright young minds would never have the opportunity to reach their full potential and go on to be shining lights for Tanzania in the future.”
Jill feels that the Queensland government’s new regulations has offered a new opportunity to raise awareness for the cause she and her husband, John, have passionately supported since 2009, when they met Gemma at a fundraising event in their hometown.
“I have enjoyed sewing most of my life and was taught growing up that it’s valuable to share one’s talent with others. With the decision by our State Government to introduce a ban on single use plastic bags in all supermarkets and department stores, I could see a ready market for a simple but attractive alternative shopping bag. Now, I simply can’t keep up with the demand!” Jill said.
Jill’s environmentally-friendly project comes at an apt time. Recently, Rahel in Form 3 won an internal essay competition for Smith Secondary Campus students, exploring, ‘how environmental conservation can enhance development in developing countries.’
Rahel concluded her winning essay by imploring readers to use their creativity to address environmental concerns.
“If conservation of the environment goes wrong, nothing else will go right. Environmental issues cannot be addressed without widespread participation, so people need to be informed that conservation is not a burden, but a source of innovation, job creation, creativity, economic development and sustainability, benefiting us today and in the future,” Rahel wrote.
St Jude’s Founder, Gemma Sisia, was thrilled to hear of Jill’s contribution!
“Supporters like Jill never cease to amaze me with their efforts to raise money for our school. I am sure her story will inspire others to use their skills in such a way that makes a difference in the world!” Gemma said.
“It really is easy to promote the wonderful work of St Jude’s, the staff and students. If I can sit at my sewing machine doing what I love for such a good cause, knowing every cent is being spent wisely, others should try it too!” Jill explained.
Like Jill, you can make a difference to the lives of young Tanzanians. Make a donation today!
Cindy Skarbek first visited Tanzania during a family safari in 2004. More than 14 years later, the journey continues!
Cindy, now President of the American Friends of The School of St Jude, our American-based fundraising arm, is the daughter of Helen and Gordon Smith, who contributed millions of dollars towards the construction of Smith Secondary Campus.
“During our first safari, the tour guide showed us a number of projects in Tanzania that could use some extra support. We visited tilapia farms, maasai bomas and severely under-resourced schools. We knew immediately that we wanted to support something relating to education here. We were on the airplane and Dad put the big question out to all of us: ‘What are we going to do?’” Cindy recalled.
“I offered to explore some opportunities for us to help out in Tanzania. The thing is, there were some limitations on us because we are just one American family. We wanted to support a project that already had good teachers, resources and strong leadership, yet needed further contributions. So when we heard about St Jude’s, it came out as the clear winner!”
Today, growing support from our American Friends, means St Jude’s impact is recognised more widely than ever before.
It means our graduates studying in the USA have a ready-made network of friends, eager to support their transition into a new country.
It means potentially thousands more people joining us to fight poverty through education, through a partnership spanning three nationalities: Tanzanians, Australians and Americans.
The partnership began with the construction of Smith Secondary Campus. Australians donated funds to purchasing land through St Jude’s fundraising campaign, and the Smith family provided funds for the construction of buildings.
“A great thing is that Smith Secondary Campus was designed by both American and Tanzanian architects, sharing skills and knowledge and creating the beautiful school ground students enjoy today,” Cindy said.
The 2014 launch of American Friends of The School of St Jude, our USA-based fundraising body, further advanced the School’s relationship with international supporters.
“We wanted Americans’ donations to be tax-deductible – an incentive for more people to give – and a legitimate way for board members to raise awareness for St Jude’s. Currently, we have four extremely dedicated board members, and we hope our numbers continue to grow in years to come.”
With a growing cluster of St Jude’s graduates studying in the United States on MasterCard Foundation scholarships, through a partnership with African Leadership Academy, the School’s connection with supporters based in the United States is destined to strengthen.
“Almost 15 years ago when we decided to partner with St Jude’s, we only dreamed about prospects for the School’s future graduates. Back then, the first Form 6 graduating class was in Grade 3. Now, we have Alex Elifas studying through the MasterCard Foundation at Stanford University.”
“Alex is also the first graduate from St Jude’s to open a sponsorship for another student. This kind of outcome demonstrates our ethos to create community-minded leaders.”
“If you can get students to qualify for international scholarships, while maintaining a connection to their homeland and giving back to their community, you’re doing something right, and the answer to the question, ‘why invest in education for Tanzanians?’ is rather simple. If you love humanity, and you value an education for your children, why not value it for every child in the world?”
Thinking about your next holiday or adventure? Visit St Jude’s so you can see our beautiful Smith Secondary Campus and spend time with inspiring students like Alex Elifas. Contact our Visitor team at visitor@schoolofstjude.org for more information.
Laura joined St Jude’s as our new Rotary Specialist in March, guiding the School’s EarlyAct, Interact and Rotaract clubs, which were founded by former Rotary Specialist, Sebastian, in 2016.
Already, Laura has made her mark on our school and community. Almost as soon as she stepped off the plane, she literally landed herself in the mud – planting fruit trees at a local community school with the Rotaract Club of St Jude’s, just two days after her arrival in Tanzania.
The tree-planting initiative is inspired by Rotary District 9211’s Mission Green, which promotes environmental awareness and sustainability.
“Everyone involved with St Jude’s Rotary programs is passionate about the environment and they see the value in taking care of their home. Mission Green is an avenue for them to act on that passion. They care about waste management and Rotary is the vehicle they use to realise that passion. It’s a synergy,” Laura said.
The synergy between St Jude’s and Rotary has brought the School’s vision to life, and through the efforts of young leaders like Laura and Sebastian, it continues to grow.
Laura has embraced her role at St Jude’s with sheer determination, embarking on the exciting challenge of nurturing community relationships that were initiated by Sebastian.
Sebastian has returned to Tanzania for two months to reconnect with his friends at St Jude’s and within Rotary.
“I’m really happy to be back here and to see the amazing work Laura has already done to ensure Rotary’s sustainability at St Jude’s. There so much room for expansion and I know she’s the right person to lead the way,” Sebastian said.
Laura is equally grateful for the opportunity to learn from the man himself!
“Having Seb here for a month has given me the chance to ask important questions and learn more about the relationship between Rotary and St Jude’s. You really need that foundational understanding,” she said.
“Seb has taught me a lot about persistence. He simply walked around any brick wall he encountered during his time here as Rotary Specialist, and found a different solution. It’s been very encouraging,” Laura added.
Reflecting on his time as Rotary Specialist, Sebastian recalls an achievement that sets a high standard for projects to come.
“In January, I nominated the Rotaract Club of St Jude’s Vijana Poa (Youth is Cool in Swahili) youth employment program in the 2018 Rotaract Outstanding Project Awards. To our club’s amazement, we won for the Sub-Saharan Africa region!” Sebastian explained.
“Coming back to Tanzania and seeing the progress of Vijana Poa participants has been a highlight. One participant, Carlos, started 2017 unemployed. We helped him secure an internship and by the end of the year, he was awarded Customer Service Assistant of the Year for the organisation.”
“Seb and I are both looking with anticipation towards the future. There is always more to be done. Rotary is a way for St Jude’s students to develop leadership and networking skills, and it complements what they are already taught in class about citizenship and society. We hope that Rotarians and Rotaractors from around the world will come to Arusha and see how our clubs are making a difference!” Laura said.
Spread the word about St Jude’s at your local Rotary or Rotaract club, and encourage them to visit us!
St Jude’s supporters never cease to amaze nor inspire us with their creative means of raising awareness and funds for our cause.
Just when we thought we’d heard every bold and brilliant idea in the book, two of our recent visitors, Alana and Natasha, surprised us with the phenomenal news that they were taking St Jude’s story to Wakakiri — Australia’s largest performing arts events for schools.
The inspiring teachers, from Our Lady Help of Christians in Rosemeadow, have mobilised 58 students, who are practicing hard during lunch breaks and arriving to school early to rehearse for their big performance on August 11.
“From this performance, we hope people see the difference that education can make to a child’s life and that one person can make a difference in the lives of others. It’s never too late to follow your dreams and set yourself a challenge,” Alana and Natasha said.
The idea to transform the inspirational tale of our Founder, Gemma Sisia, and The School of St Jude in to a stage performance evolved last year.
“We heard about St Jude’s when we were looking for a story for our students to perform [at Wakakiri]. My Mum suggested we do the story of Australian woman, Gemma Sisia, who was changing lives through education,” Natasha shared.
This suggestion fell like a drop in a pond, spreading a ripple effect that resulted in a visit by the pair to the School in April and whole-school fundraisers hosted by Our Lady Help of Christians.
Their generous school community have raised upwards of $800 this year alone to help us fight poverty through education, with more funds still to come!
Alana and Natasha’s life-changing visit to St Jude’s has helped them spread the ripple effect even further. Curious students, the same age as those they are helping to gift a free education, often ask their intrepid teachers about The School and Tanzanian life.
“The best part of our journey to Tanzania was returning home and sharing our experience with our school community. The students got to experience Tanzanian culture through us. They have been amazed and captivated by the stories we have shared with them,” Alana and Natasha enthused.”
“One little boy told me, “Miss Ferderer I am going to go to Tanzania on the weekend and give all of my clothes away.” The students have been inspired to reach out and help others less fortunate than themselves,” Natasha added.
Perhaps the most profound story Alana and Natasha shared with their students was about their visit to Aziada’s home.
Aziada, a seven-year-old girl in Standard 2, started school at St Jude’s this year, and lives in a two-room house with her Mama. Every day, she catches one of St Jude’s yellow school buses to and from her home, easing the journey along bumpy roads.
“Students were amazed by the difference in education opportunities and understood the distances that some students have to travel to go to school. Our students have become more appreciative of the opportunities that they are given.”
It is this appreciation and empathy that has fuelled hundreds of young Australian students to spread the word about St Jude’s and raise much-needed funds, to support their Tanzanian peers.
Wakakiri night is just eight short weeks away and is being held at the Win Entertainment Stadium in Wollongong! If you can, be sure to attend the event and give students and staff from Our Lady Help of Christians and extra loud cheer. Tickets are available at: http://www.wakakirri.com/tickets-merch/tickets/
Spread the word about St Jude’s and you may ignite an idea as creative as Alana and Natasha’s. Our Appeal ends on June 30 — encourage a friend or family member to donate.
In the early hours of a blustery Thursday morning, flash flooding at Usa River, the site of St Jude’s Smith Secondary Campus, swept away huge parts of the School’s main boundary walls.
Standing 2.7 metres high, the wall crumbled in two large sections beneath the weight of recent heavy rains. The total length of wall damage is 250 metres — the length of a football field, and then some — and will cost almost AU$49,000 to repair.
The School of St Jude Facilities Manager, Laurian, is overseeing the repairs and explained the toll it has taken on our school community, infrastructure and budget.
“When the askari (guards) heard the wall collapsing before the sun rose, they immediately contacted the Smith Secondary Campus leadership to inform them.”
“It was clear we would need to employ more askari to patrol the destroyed sections of the boundary wall. We employed six new guards — three for during the day and three overnight,” Laurian said.
In addition to six new guards, it will take 18 local construction workers almost two months to restore the wall to tip-top condition.
“To prevent this from happening again, we are increasing the depth of the passages which allow water to flow under the wall from 60 centimetres to 90 centimetres. The problem with flash flooding is that the water quickly blocks the passages. The weather we have had in Arusha this year has been unusual and unpredictable,” Laurian remarked.
“It is difficult to explain this year’s weather scenario,” Laurian said.
“We are putting in place more preventative measures so we are best prepared if this happens again. The emergency response from everyone on the ground, from the askari, to the maintenance team and the workers, was impressive under the circumstances,” he added.
“We face unique challenges as a school and not-for-profit organisation based in Africa. Unpredictable events like this occasionally crop up and cause us to reconsider strategies and goals. On top of that, it means, from time to time, we must call upon our friends around the world for some extra support,” Gemma said.
Day by day, our wall is being restored to its original condition, but we still need all hands on deck! Will you give us a hand? Your money will be doubled, thanks to our Appeal match. Donate today to our Area of Greatest Need.
