October 4, 2015

The school changing lives for children in Africa

A BOURNEMOUTH woman discovered the power of education for disadvantaged children during a visit to a ‘life-changing’ school in Tanzania. Louise Scott spent two nights at The School of St Jude with her partner George Spring and his daughter, Isabella. After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Louise and her group paid a visit to the school and […]

A BOURNEMOUTH woman discovered the power of education for disadvantaged children during a visit to a ‘life-changing’ school in Tanzania.

Louise Scott spent two nights at The School of St Jude with her partner George Spring and his daughter, Isabella. After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Louise and her group paid a visit to the school and met the pupils and teachers there.

She said: “From the minute we got on the bus to the moment we got off, the students sung songs to us the whole way.

“They were so happy and singing about how they wanted to be a pilot through education, or a teacher through education, or a doctor through education.

“You look at kids in the Western world today and then you see these kids who are happy, enthusiastic and have amazing attitudes. And then you watch where they get off the bus – it’s confronting and makes you realise how totally life-changing St Jude’s is to these kids.

“They have nothing, absolutely nothing, and they come here to get an education when they never would have had that opportunity in a million years otherwise, so it’s really great.”

The school opened in 2002 with one volunteer teacher and three students. It now provides a free, high-quality education to almost 2,000 of the region’s poorest yet brightest students. This year St Jude’s celebrated its first graduating Form 6 class.

Louise, who hails from Bournemouth but now lives in Australia, said the visit was particularly special as they had a chance to meet the student her partner’s parents sponsor.

“It was lovely to meet the kids, they were gorgeous,” she said. “I don’t know if George’s parents will ever make it over to Tanzania but for them to just know how their student is getting on will mean a lot."

She added it was reassuring visiting a developing country and seeing for herself where donations were going. “The wonderful thing about St Jude’s, from our perspective, is that you know your money is going to the children.”
      
She continued: “From the fact they get fed three meals a day, which they probably wouldn’t get at home, they get an education and the teachers genuinely, really care about what they do."

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