Serving a community that raised him

Ask any St Jude’s alumni who they would call in a crisis and I bet you the answer would often be, Charles.

Charles joined The School of St Jude in 2004 as a Standard 1 student. He was new to the school, yet that never showed. He made friends across every level and by the time he reached secondary school he was one of the most familiar faces on campus.

By Form 2, Charles was leading the school choir. He kept members punctual and organised and whenever someone in the group ran into a problem, he stepped in to help, asking staff for support when needed. He genuinely loved solving these small problems.

After completing Form 6 in 2017, Charles took on a bigger role as President of the Alumni Association. He wanted to keep serving the community that had shaped him, so he stepped into managing Alumni Nishike Mkono (which translates to Hold My Hand), an alumni-run initiative that supports fellow alumni during difficult times, such as severe sickness. Charles tracks contributions and follows up personally when an alum faces a medical or other serious issue, visiting where he can or collecting and delivering funds to alumni families in need.

“I make sure that all alumni who send contributions are documented and I send financial reports and reminders every month  in the Alumni WhatsApp groups,” he says.

Today, Charles works as Trips and Events Coordinator at St Constantine’s International School in Arusha. More than two decades after he first walked through St Jude’s gates as a Standard 1 student, Charles is still doing exactly what he did back then, showing up for the people around him. He also helps prepare alumni reunions and returns to school regularly to update current students on community activities and alumni news. Fellow alumni have nicknamed him “the President” because he makes sure every alumni concern reaches the school’s management. He is proof that leadership at St Jude’s is not something students wait to grow into. It is something the school teaches them to practice, one problem at a time.