We can’t tell the story of The School of St Jude without telling the story of a young woman with a big heart, $10 in her pocket and a dream to fulfill.
That woman is Gemma, born to the Rice family on a sheep farm in Guyra, about a six-hour drive north of Sydney, Australia.
She grew up riding horses and motorbikes, trout fishing, swimming in waterfalls, doing hard chores, and surrounded by her seven brothers. She was the only girl in the family.
At 22 years of age, fresh out of college, Gemma set off to Africa to teach in Kalungu, a rural village in the middle of Uganda.
The Kalungu experience became a turning point in her life. There, she saw children, families and communities crippled by poverty. She developed a strong desire to help break this cycle. To her, the challenge of giving future generations a chance to build a better future for themselves and their families had everything to do with education.
On her return to Australia, Gemma decided that this was the work she was destined to do, and she started a small group effort to fund education for the poor in East Africa.
She had another, more personal, reason that pulled her to Africa: Richard, the Tanzanian boyfriend she had met while on a safari. She eventually answered her heart’s call, returned to Africa, married Richard and started a family in Moshono, a village near Arusha.
Richard’s father, the chairman of Moshono, gave Gemma the encouragement she needed to start fulfilling her dream of starting an education revolution in her neighborhood. He offered Gemma some land and made her see how Tanzanians craved a good education. She could see that people from the villages and poor semi-rural communities wanted the opportunity to learn just as much as anyone else.
It seemed an impossible dream, but Gemma’s conscience would not allow her to wash her hands of the problem.
“When you are determined to achieve something, the universe conspires in your favor,” she says.
Friends and family in Australia pulled together to raise money. A number of Australian Rotary clubs joined the cause, not only raising funds and donating money, but actually coming to Tanzania to help build the school. Without their support, St Jude’s might not exist today.
In January 2002, The School of St Jude opened with only three students.
With the overwhelming generosity of donors, sponsors and volunteers, the school kept growing year after year, to the point where Gemma wasn’t teaching anymore, but acting as fundraiser-in-chief to feed the growing operation of buildings, teachers, teacher mentors, hot meals, school buses, libraries, computers, science labs, boarding houses, free uniforms and school supplies.
In 2004, another turning point: an American family traveling on a safari visited a public school and went back home determined to help improve education in Tanzania through the family’s foundation. They came back a couple of months later, visited a number of educational institutions in Arusha, and chose St Jude’s as a partner in their mission to help education initiatives in the U.S. and beyond.
The Gordon V and Helen C Smith Foundation generously donated the land and necessary funds to build a separate campus in order to house the secondary school St Jude’s so desperately needed for its students, who were advancing to higher grades. The Smith Campus opened in 2008.
All eyes and hearts at St Jude’s are now tuned to 2015, when the school’s first class of students will graduate from secondary school. It will be an important milestone for the whole community: the first group of students coming full circle in a generational leap out of poverty, with the help of st Jude’s.
“If I can help Anna, who started out as a frightened, abused young girl from the Kenyan border, achieve her dream of becoming a teacher, then that will make my day,” says Gemma.
“And if one day I hop on a plane and the captain’s voice is Athumani’s, I’ll be ecstatic.”
We’ve been emailing with St Jude’s new School Director, Jon Ford, to give our supporters, staff and students a better picture of who will be the school’s next leader. Read our Q&A to see what Jon is all about!
The School of St Jude: Karibu to The School of St Jude, Jon! We’re thrilled you’ll be joining us in our fight against poverty through education. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself so our supporters get a sense of who you are?
Jon Ford: Asante. I am 52 years old and married to Sandra for more than 30 years; she is also a teacher but we met at Southampton University in 1978. Sandra and I are excited about joining the team at St Jude’s. When we heard of the school and its mission we immediately felt to apply to become a part of it – we want to help make a difference to the lives of the children and to Tanzania.
We have two children, Rachel and Andrew. My Christian faith is important to me and we have been part of St Andrew’s Church in Crawley, West Sussex for more than 20 years. Professionally, I started teaching in 1981 in the East End of London and I am now in my third school, Imberhorne School in West Sussex, England, which I joined in 1996 as Head of Science. I was promoted to Deputy Head in 2001 and have been the Headteacher since November 2003.
SOSJ: You’ve been an educator in England for more than 30 years – how do you think your experience will prepare you for St Jude’s?
JF: St Jude’s has developed rapidly over the last 11 years and has a large number of students over the three campuses. At Imberhorne we have two campuses and a similar number of students.
As the Headteacher my priority has always been to maximize the learning of the students and provide the best educational experience possible for the students so that each of them can fulfill their potential. At the same time I have gained a lot of experience of managing what is inevitably a complex organisation with all the practical issues associated with buildings, staffing, budgets, kitchens and personnel issues. All of this experience will be invaluable but there will be many new challenges working within the Tanzanian national curriculum and culture, which I think I will have a lot to learn from the three campus Headmasters of St Jude’s, and it will only be by working together that we will help lead the school through its next phase of development.
SOSJ: St Jude’s very first Form 5 class began their A Level studies this year and in 2015 will become our first graduating class from secondary. Your school recently had the largest number of A Level students in its history – what lessons can you draw upon so our students make the most of their A Level experience?
JF: The key difference for students as they start A Levels is the need for them to develop their independent learning skills. At ‘O’ level (GCSE in England) students have lessons throughout the day and no private study time and teachers largely direct the learning. The very best A Level teaching encourages students to think for themselves and involves much more discussion and debate.
A Level students need to learn how to manage their private study time and develop and balance their other interests. Form 6 students can learn an enormous amount through helping younger students and contributing to their community and through other enrichment activities. However, we must remember that the core purpose of Form 6 is the educational outcomes so that the students can go on to University to complete their studies. Based on my experience visiting and working with students at Minaki High School near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I think the challenges for Form 6 are very similar for students at St Jude’s and at Imberhorne.
SOSJ: Your school fundraised for a new sports hall in 2012 and you did your part by climbing a mountain. Because St Jude’s is a charity-funded school, what will your approach be in maintaining the school’s successful fundraising record?
JF: As Imberhorne is a fully funded state school, my task as far as marketing has mostly been about explaining our vision and ethos to parents who are choosing which school to send their children to. The School of St Jude is therefore very different as far as funding is concerned where every penny spent has been donated by one of the schools generous sponsors or donors.
When I persuaded the School Governors that we must have a sports hall for our students at Imberhorne, it was clear that there was no money available to fund what I estimated would cost £2 million so we started a fundraising campaign.
My two Deputy Heads and I decided to simultaneously climb the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales (Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon respectively) in July 2011 when we expected it to be warm and sunny, British summer’s day. We raised £11,000 through this and attracted a good deal of publicity. We were able to attract the funding we needed and the sports hall is due to open at the end of May 2013. We really enjoyed the challenge and although Mt Kilimanjaro is about 4 times higher, Sandra and I would love to have a go when we are settled in Arusha.
My initial approach to the marketing challenge will be to learn a lot more about it from the experts we have in the volunteer team and follow their advice. I will also listen to Gemma and Kim and try to learn from those who have been there and done it. The mission of St Jude’s is compelling and if we continue to tell the story I believe that people will be generous and ensure all of our students continue to get the great education they receive at St Jude’s.
SOSJ: What are your hobbies and what do you like to do on your spare time?
JF: I have a particular love of sport – football (soccer) and golf are my top two but I am interested in most sports. Andrew and I have season tickets for Chelsea for the past 12 years. I have been organising a regular Saturday morning group of golfers since 1992 and also a summer tour which I have arranged since 1996. I enjoy time with the family, reading fiction, especially science fiction, which probably comes from my fascination for Physics which is my degree subject and also my main teaching subject. Sandra and I have also been part of a pub quiz team for the last three years.
SOSJ: You’ve been to Tanzania before to work with a secondary school. Tell us about that experience and what did you learn from it?
JF: Minaki High School is a selective school for Form 5 and 6 students who achieved Division 1 in Form 4, and Imberhorne has developed an exchange programme with Minaki. Each October, 12 Imberhorne Form 6 students and two teachers travel to Dar es Salaam for two weeks. They live in the homes of the teachers, attend lessons in the school and get involved with a range of other activities including working with an orphanage in Kisarawe, the nearby town. They work with a group of partner Minaki students.
The following March, 5 months later, the partner group come to visit Imberhorne which is paid for by the fundraising activities of the Imberhorne students. They stay with the students’ families and follow a similar programme of lessons and other activities and trips.
I went to Minaki in 2007 and 2010 as part of this exchange and every year since 2005 I have hosted a Tanzanian teacher in my home. These experiences have given me some insights into Tanzanian culture and the education system. I have seen from this that young people from very different cultures and backgrounds nevertheless have a great deal in common. I have seen the value and importance of education to young, bright Tanzanian students. It has made me want to do more so that the young people of Tanzania get the opportunity to receive a top quality education.
SOSJ: What do you expect from the new culture, people and lifestyle? St Jude’s welcomes visitors and volunteers from around the world – have you much experience travelling and interacting with different cultures?
JF: Tanzania has always seemed to be a welcoming and friendly place. I hope to make new friends and experience some of the richness of the African culture. I have started to learn Swahili and hope to become reasonably proficient while I am in Tanzania. “Mimi niinasema Kiswahili kidogo”. I have travelled to a number of countries as part of my work including Russia with the British Council and Sweden with a different exchange programme. I have also travelled to North America and extensively around Europe in vacations.
SOSJ: What has your family said about your decision to join St Jude’s and live in Tanzania?
JF: Rachel and Andrew have been very supportive of our decision and hope to visit us at St Jude’s. They are aware of our interest in Africa (although Sandra has worked in Uganda, she has not been to Tanzania yet).
SOSJ: What do you think you’ll miss most about home?
JF: It is people we will miss the most, especially my family, but the wonders of Skype will help us keep in contact and the family will be able to visit. I will miss going to Chelsea games with Andrew as this is something we have done as he has grown up. I will also miss playing golf with a great group of friends each Saturday – this has been a great way to unwind and get some exercise. I hope to be able to play some golf in Arusha as there are one or two courses around and I will look into that when we are settled.
I will miss Imberhorne School enormously – it has been such a big part of my life since 1996 and especially the last ten years since I’ve been the Headteacher. There are so many special people there that I have shared highs and lows with. l will miss them a great deal and I wish the school, staff and students every success under its new leadership.
One thing I don’t think I’ll miss is the unpredictable, cold, rainy British weather.
SOSJ: Anything you want to add?
JF: I feel humbled by the faith the St Jude’s Ltd Board has shown in me and privileged to be given the opportunity to help lead this amazing school. We are both looking forward to what will be for us an adventure and a big change. We just hope we will be able to make a difference for some children and young people in Arusha and we can make a useful contribution to the next chapter of the amazing story of The School of St Jude.
It’s the start of a new academic year at The School of St Jude. The students are either embarking on or continuing their St Jude’s journey that we believe will prepare them with the necessary knowledge and critical-thinking skills to tackle life’s ever-evolving challenges. It is the school’s mission to educate and mentor well-rounded students who are ready to elevate themselves, their community and their country to a level free from poverty.
In a mere two years our oldest students will become the inaugural graduating class from the secondary school. By 2014 St Jude’s will have a full primary and secondary campus, educating close to 2,000 students from Year 1 to Year 12. It’s an extraordinary accomplishment that has only been made possible by donors, sponsors and supporters from around the world. The staff should also take immense pride of the difference they’ve made in these young lives and continue to make. This school has given a lifeline to a fortunate few who needed it most.
But we’re not done. Not by a mile. Not when only a pithy 41 percent of Tanzanian school children advance to secondary school. Not when one teacher in a government school classroom has to teach 51 students with only a few battered textbooks. Not when half of Tanzanian girls drop out of school because of poor water supply and sanitation. Not when bribery and corruption are still the norm. Not when the national poverty rate is 33 percent of the population (in 2007). Not when life expectancy is just 58 years old.
It’s exhausting thinking about all the people suffering in Tanzania, in East Africa, on the African continent and everywhere else. Families and communities plagued by civil unrest, terrorism, oppression, slavery, natural and economic disasters – the list is endless.
This is why The School of St Jude is now more important than ever. Education is our contribution to the world, that through education we can solve the difficult, complex problems. Open a child’s eyes to the world and its possibilities, and see where it takes them – we hope further and farther than they ever dreamed possible.
St Jude’s has always thought long-term about the future, and we thank everyone who has stood by us, supported us and sang our school song. We thank all the new people who have yet to join us, to wave the St Jude’s flag and believe that an education given to a determined, hard-working individual is the first step in making this world a better, safer place.
With the Kilimanjaro winds behind our sails, St Jude’s pushes further on in 2013.
Fighting poverty through education – this is our motto, our belief. We’ve been saying this since St Jude’s opened way back in 2002. It’s the first thing you see upon entering our gates and it’s written on our buses that drive all over Arusha. It’s recited during school assemblies and spoken about during celebrations. We preach this creed to every visitor, sponsor, donor and supporter who asks about The School of St Jude.
But what does it mean? Why do we keep telling you this and why do we believe in it so fervently?
Poverty is an all-encompassing term that’s gauged by a “poverty line” where if you live below $1.25 per day, you are effectively living in poverty. Think of trying to live on $1.25 per day. Think about trying to feed a family of four on that amount of money. Where would you go? Who do you turn to? How do you will yourself to keep going, when the emotional and physical strains mount with each passing day of unemployment? How do you look your children in the eye when you can’t feed them or clothe them or house them?
And now think about other factors you don’t immediately associate with poverty, like education, health care, disease, social and economic mobility. Imagine that none of these existed because you couldn’t justify spending the little money you do have on pencils for your son or yearly medical checkups for your daughter.
It’s scary, but millions of people throughout the world live with such circumstances. It’s unfathomable to consider this prospect in the 21st Century, where technological innovation and an interconnected global economy can’t feed people who need it the most. But this is the world we live in and what we have to work with. As individuals, we can’t help everyone in the world, but we can certainly do our part in our local community. Ours is Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa.
The School of St Jude chooses to fight poverty through education. We believe the most effective means to help the most underprivileged children, and by extension their family, is to provide them with an education. Teach them how to read and write, conduct science experiments, solve equations and challenge themselves not just academically but physically and mentally. Give them extracurricular activities for them to explore their artistic side or grow their sporting skills. Educate them on the wider world. Equip them with skills and knowledge to give them the best opportunity to land that great job or help their community.
Through educating one family member, that student will go home and teach his brothers, sisters and even his parents what they’ve learned in school. In a country where children can’t attend crowded government schools because their family can afford a uniform or pencils or books, it’s invigorating to be able to provide a free, high-quality education to children who have a universal right to sit in a classroom and learn, regardless of financial situation.
Fundamentally, our academic staff is facilitating the learning process for the students, and we are seeing results in all different areas. Our students are confident and engaging, unafraid to challenge the status quo. St Jude’s eldest students are passing national exams not only with remarkable scores, but with thoughtfully and critically constructed responses to questions. Schools and educators from around Tanzania are beginning to notice us, inquiring about our teaching methods and practices.
By fighting poverty through education, we hope to raise the education standards so that the poor and uneducated will eventually be on an equal playing field with the rich and educated, dissolving all inequality. We are focusing on our own community in Arusha, but who says we can’t be ambitious? Why shouldn’t we expect our students to become model citizens and exemplary individuals who will be community leaders, heads of government or even world leaders? Why can’t we envision a St Jude’s graduate one day solving some of Tanzania’s toughest problems? We believe in our students and have no reason to doubt them.
On this day, 17 October, a day designated by the United Nations as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, St Jude’s is doing its part, not just today but everyday, in fighting poverty through education.
One of the challenging aspects of describing The School of St Jude's success is portraying it as so much more than just the images of smiling children in the classroom and playgrounds. Yes, the students are the face of the school and it’s important to remind supporters why they dedicate their time and resources in the first place. But the school, as an operation with thousands of moving parts across three campuses, is just as astonishing as the +1,500 students themselves. It can be easy to overlook who exactly is turning the day-to-day gears of St Jude’s.
Working here everyday as a volunteer, we have an unambiguous view of who and what makes this entire operation tick. If you asked any of the 50 international volunteers currently at St Jude’s, they would tell you forthrightly that the 400 local staff is what makes this place buzz with activity.
They are the staff opening the gates every morning for the buses full of bright-eyed students. They are the ones preparing the thousands of hot, nutritious meals every week, cooking the ugali on Thursdays and serving the rice and beans on Mondays. They are the ones cleaning the chalkboards, counter-tops, bathrooms and buildings, refreshing what can become very dusty surfaces during the hot months. They are the ones working in Accounting, Sponsorship, IT, Donor Relations and Purchasing. They are the askari (guards) who keep the children safe during the day, and the volunteers safe at night. They are the fundi (laborers) building all the furniture, painting the classrooms and maintaining the gardens.
Most importantly, they are the ones teaching the students to become the future leaders of Tanzania, instilling a verve and desire in them to be more than anybody ever thought they could be.
It’s because of the local workers that we can turn on the lights in the morning, and we owe it to them to give as much room for advancement as possible. Ultimately at some point down the road, we envision St Jude’s to be run by an entirely local staff. Through our Professional Development initiatives, we are training the teachers, cooks, fundi, askari and anybody who shows the desire and dedication to advance through the ranks, by teaching them English and relevant skills needed in the professional world. And as much as we’d like all of our workers to stay here forever, we want St Jude’s to be a stepping stone professionally for them, so they can take the skills they’ve learned here to work on their own projects and contribute to their country in the fight against poverty.
Here are two people who have benefited tremendously from Professional Development programs run by the school:
Reginald is the Deputy Academic Head of our Lower Primary Moshono Campus. He’s been at St Jude’s since June 2006, where he started as a religion teacher. Along the way, slowly yet surely, he motivated and dedicated himself to handle more responsibilities. In 2008, he added two more duties to his daily teaching job: BDMM (Birth Death Marriage and Medical support) Coordinator, where he organizes home visits to every staff member’s home who has a baby, loses a close relative or is getting married, and SJWA (Saint Jude Worker’s Alliance) Chairperson, which is where local staff members deposit share contributions every month so he can oversee the loans and grants to staff members who wish to start a project (a credit system really doesn’t exist in Tanzania for people to take out loans). Then in 2011, he became in charge of Deputy Welfare, where he supports students and staff with complicated welfare issues. Reginald is in his final year at the Open University of Tanzania, where he will graduate with his B.A. in Education.
Ester started at St Jude’s in 2009 as a boarding teacher, and in just two short years became an Assistant Accountant in the Accounts Receivable team. When she joined St Jude’s, she was in her third year at the University of Arusha studying Business Administration – Accounting. It takes a dedicated person to attend classes and hold down a job, but Ester handled it remarkably. During the evenings she stayed at the boarding houses helping students with their homework, teaching science and maths for Standard Six and Seven students. She then moved to the secondary students, where she organized the girls soccer and netball teams for the end of term house competitions. Now, Ester plays a vital role in the processing of all incoming funds, and makes sure all the money and budgets are being accounted for and distributed properly.
Ester and Reginald are just two examples of people who have benefited enormously from Professional Development training, as many staff members are also making incredible progress. It’s this type of determination that St Jude’s is encouraging, not just in our students, but our staff as well. We’re really proud to call them our colleagues and friends, to share in their joys and successes here at St Jude’s.
In Goldman Sachs’ 32-page March 2012 report, the word “investment” appears 119 times and “growth” appears 88 times.
“Education” shows up a mere 16 times – which is fine. After all, this is a financial report churned out from the Goldman Sachs “Equity Research” department. They know who this report is targeting and what the bottom line is.
The report spells out to investors that, in short, now is the time for multi-nationals to be investing in Africa or working on their long-term strategy. The continent is flush with commodities ready for export: oil, gold, diamonds, copper, nickel and iron. Growth across the continent is demonstrated by, “14 African countries that grew their GDP by more than 6% pa on average over the last 5 years,” with “improved governmental competence and stability…fewer wars and skirmishes…and some signs of a reversing of the diaspora that saw talent leave.” Goldman Sachs predicts that by 2050 Africa will have the world’s largest workforce, and the United Nations forecasts the African population will expand from one billion people today to three billion by that time.
Again, “education” appears just 16 times, but let’s look at the context in some ways it’s being discussed (all bolded quotes in this post are of our own highlighting):
“But, they have to improve their governance, infrastructure and education (among other factors) to be able to improve their per capita GDP.”
Translation: The countries Goldman Sachs expects to drive African growth potential over the next decade can only do so through improved education (among other factors).
“Solving all of this will take time, patience, education and capital.”
Translation: In order for Africa to take advantage of its agricultural exports, it needs to focus on education.
“The classical development curve for emerging economies sees them exploiting natural resources to grow GDP, bring in foreign currency, educate the population, start low-level manufacturing and work towards developing a virtuous cycle – improved education and higher-value jobs leading to further GDP expansion…For Africa, this virtuous cycle has proved elusive.”
Translation: There isn’t enough focus on education.
“Over the short term talent in-flow can form part of the solution, but over the longer term systemic investment in education is the answer.”
Translation: Education is the answer.
As we can see, education is the necessary foundation that will usher in millions of Africans currently living below the poverty line – defined by living on $1.25 per day – to the middle class. As more students enrol in primary education – 124 million Africans enroled in 2007 versus 82 million in 1999 – this generation should conceivably drive economic growth throughout the continent within the next 20 years.
However, there are a few hitches. The 42 million expansion between ’99 – ’07 is due to the 2000 United Nations Millennium Development Goals initiative, designed to “free people from extreme poverty and multiple deprivations.” Goal #2 was “Achieve universal primary education for boys and girls.” In 2010, the UN realized their initiatives wouldn’t be reached by their target date of 2015, so they reconvened to retool the MDG plan and analyse what needed improvement.
Among the positives and negatives currently listed on the UN MDG website:
“In Tanzania, the enrolment ratio had doubled to 99.6 percent by 2008, compared to 1999 rates (due to abolishing school fees at primary school levels). But the surge in enrolment in developing regions has brought a few set of challenges in providing enough teachers and classrooms.
And Tanzania has embarked on an ambitious programme of education reform, building 54,000 classrooms between 2002 and 2006, as well as hiring 18,000 additional teachers.
In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 30 percent of primary school students drop out before reaching a final grade.”
From these stats alone, Tanzania appears on the right track with its education overhaul. But deeper, systemic problems lie just below the surface. Most students attending government school are crammed next to two and three students on a single, rickety bench with one textbook to share amongst themselves, in a classroom with one teacher and more than 60 students. Unfortunately, most government schools fail to provide meals or water, and teacher attendance is a rampant problem. 54,000 classrooms is a feel good stat on paper, but if you don’t have capable, dedicated teachers to instruct lessons – as most schools in Tanzanian don’t – what’s the real bottom line? If a child miraculously makes it to secondary school – an ordeal within itself – the results aren’t pretty: the 2011 National Form Four (10th Grade) Examination results showed that less than ten percent of the candidates scored satisfactory good grades.
So Goldman Sachs is keeping a close eye on the education progress in Africa as they advise investors to pool money into Tanzanian mining, Angolan oil, South African telecommunications, etc. In order to improve education levels – where the farthest reaching effort for reform lies within the UN’s Millennium Development Goals – there needs to be more effective reform than simply “build more classrooms and they will come.” Just because there are more schools, it doesn’t mean the quality of learning inside the classroom is up to par.
Let’s make it clear that the goal shouldn’t be educating students so foreign investors can swoop in to reap the benefits of the locals’ hard work. St Jude’s goal is “fighting poverty through education” – teaching the children so they can go on to improve the lacking infrastructure or open a hospital to battle rampant diseases or choose any of the million opportunities that they’ve worked so hard for, all in the name of lifting Tanzania to a higher level of prosperity and away from the doldrums of extreme poverty.
And yet, let’s return to the Goldman Sachs March Report:
“By 2030, c. 10% of the African population is expected to be in the middle class (our economists define this as those who earn US$6-30k pa), similar to how India is expected to look like in five years, or how China looked ten years ago. Supporting that consumption will be the world’s best demographics; Africa could have the world’s largest workforce by the middle of this century. Who could make money from that? We would argue that US and European consumer companies have plenty of advantages enabling them to take a meaningful slice of that revenue. But if they don’t, others will, with Indian companies making serious inroads, particularly on the East coast. There is very likely a huge amount of unmet demand; it’s not just people wanting to upgrade to better products, the products themselves aren’t currently available.
What are the barriers to entry?”
It’s hard not to be cynical about Goldman Sachs’ intentions, and we’re not the only ones who have noticed. In the Africa Progress Report (APP) 2012, Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel laureate, chair of the APP, writes in his foreword:
“There has also been encouraging progress towards some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Many countries have registered gains in education, child survival and the fights against killer diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. None of this is cause for complacency. It cannot be said often enough, that overall progress remains too slow and too uneven; that too many Africans remain caught in downward spirals of poverty, insecurity and marginalisation; that too few people benefit from the continent’s growth trend and rising geo-strategic importance; that too much of Africa’s enormous resource wealth remains in the hands of narrow elites and, increasingly, foreign investors without being turned into tangible benefits for its people.”
Goldman Sachs may be correct in declaring Africa ripe for investment, but they sorely overlook the incredible difficulty in distributing high-quality education, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The School of St Jude is educating its students to become the future leaders of Tanzania and more broadly, Africa. Ultimately, it will be them making the decisions in fifteen, twenty years time as to whether they want to deal with foreign investors. It’s our job now to teach them how to make the ethical, moral and informative decisions they’ll encounter later on in life. We aim to build a cyclical pattern where our students use the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired in the classroom to give back to their community, their region and their country.
This is a fight against poverty, and that is our bottom line.
