Australians from volunteering program The School of St Jude are in Tanzania providing education to underprivileged children to help break the poverty cycle. Founded by Melbourne resident Gemma Sisia, St Jude’s started with only three students in 2002 and now provides education to more than 1800 children. Ms Sisia was inspired to create the […]
Two Lower Primary teachers at St Jude’s are going beyond the normal duties of teaching to help a little prep child, who is overcoming major hurdles, as he has albinism and suffers severe visual problems. Martha Dello and Anna Nnko are up for the challenge though and are doing all they can to help Sebastian […]
Zenith Media and Freudenberg show their community spirit by sponsoring the event. Two Form 4 students, Eunice and Robert, took out first prize for their unique refrigerator project in the fourth annual St Jude’s Science Fair, held on Saturday, March 29th. The students made the refrigerator out of tiles, cement, charcoal and other materials […]
St Jude’s students are notching up more awards in national essay writing competitions. Recently, Form 3 student, Joseph came 2nd in the ‘Back to School Essay Writing Competition’, conducted by Shule Direct based in Dar es Salaam. Joseph wrote an essay about sustainable tourism, looking at the importance of educating a community on environmental conservation […]
As the quality of education takes front seat in the international debate about development, and with teacher qualification ranking high in the list of priorities, the Gordon V. and Helen C. Smith Foundation points to the importance of studying success stories that could help create a list of best practices in the field. UNESCO’s 2014 EFA Global […]
A Brisbane man has turned his back on a promising career in finance and fat bank balances. Nathan Taiaroa, 26, farewelled corporate Australia, put his career on hold and travelled 12,000 kilometres to volunteer at one of Africa's largest non-profit schools, The School of St Jude in Tanzania. Read the full article here
This is part of Ethical Jobs' blog posts, which go behind the scenes to meet some of the people and organisations who are finding each other through Ethical Jobs. Today's story is from Matt Chard who found his Volunteer Grant Writer role with The School of St Jude, Tanzania, after seeing the ad on the Ethical […]
Gemma Sisia joins RN Breakfast to discuss the school she established in Tanzania over a decade ago. Beginning with just 12 pupils it now has 1,800 and is mostly funded by the donations of 4,000 Australians. But now the school has been granted 'charity status' meaning it can greatly expand its operations. Listen to RN's […]
Empowering girls and women through education is a major driving force behind St Jude’s and it’s what we were passionate about on International Women’s Day which was held on March 8. The day is a global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women in the past, present and future. As part of […]
National school exams in Tanzania are tough and often used to gauge a students’ performance. Each year, Grade 7’s, 9’s and 11’s from St Jude’s and public schools from across the country, have to pass the exam to be able to move on to the next level of secondary school. For the students in government schools […]
Traveling is one of life's biggest privileges. Adventures and experiences of a lifetime are ripe for the picking on all seven continents. Having just completed my own 2.5 year adventure across five of those continents, people often ask me how they can give back while they travel...
An associate professor at Reed College said "there's both a gentleness and a fierceness to life" in East Africa. "When you greet someone you ask them how they are, and the answer is 'important'," said Reed biologist Sarah Schaack during a Skype interview from a hostel in Uganda. It's one of her favorite aspects of […]
Four St Jude's secondary students and two teachers were given the opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in January, with our great supporter, Global Immersion. Amani, one of our Form 4 students, reached the top. Steph, our volunteer Media Officer, caught up with Amani and transcribed his reflections on the awesome feat. "As a young boy, […]
The sky’s the limit for our students who are already mapping out their careers in science, aviation, engineering, medicine, teaching, journalism and other fields. St Jude’s has equipped them with the confidence and skills to believe in themselves and plan for their futures. We have well-stocked libraries, state-of-the-art science laboratories, ICT labs, art and music […]
St Jude's offers students a number of science labs. The teachers use them to make the curriculum come to life with practical experience of scientific concepts.
Over the coming weeks we will be telling you all about the ripples that St Jude’s has been creating. Today our story is about one of our 150 new students.
Wenseslaus, a Form 3 student at St Jude's, won 3rd place in the International Youth Day Essay Competition run by the African Leadership Academy, a Johannesburg institution. He was the only Tanzanian among the winners.
The School of St Jude in Arusha has given the gift of education to 150 of the poorest children from Tanzania who will receive a completely free, high-quality education in January. It was an emotional and happy day for the parents and students this week, as they were fitted in their very own St Jude's […]
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. […]
Gemma Sisia is an Australian woman who founded The School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania. Her work fighting poverty through education has turned this private, charity-funded school into one of East Africa's most renowned educational institutions. St Jude is the patron saint of hopeless causes, which suits Gemma and her pursuit to educate the […]
Culture is the total way of life that people in the society are blessed with. Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Through culture we are governed by norms and customs, which are the pillars of any society. If these […]
Since sending out the latest newsletter we are excited to have all four water heaters purchased! This year’s Every Piece Counts appeal has gone really well, and we're so grateful for all of you who have stepped up to contribute toward a piece of St Jude’s. Often it is the smallest of ideas which make […]
The school bell sounds and hundreds of Tanzanian children pile out of their classrooms as laughter, singing and shouting fill the air. More than 1650 children from impoverished backgrounds from the Arusha region, in Northern Tanzania, are relishing in a free, high quality education at The School of St Jude. They’re now closer to realising […]
Here are the top 10 reasons to join The School of St Jude's Ultimate Kilimanjaro Challenge. 1. To have a strong excuse to get off the couch, get moving, and get in shape. 2. To stop putting off your dream of going to Africa. 3. To stand atop Africa's highest mountain, take in heart-stopping views […]
We’d like to introduce you to Catherine, mother of St Jude’s student Augustino who is in Standard 2. Catherine is a remarkable individual, a Tanzanian woman with immense compassion and resilience. Every day is a struggle for her, an upward battle against cyclical poverty. She is currently raising three children while also caring for her […]
Australia’s Rotary community crossed paths with a young woman with a big heart, $10 in her pocket, and a dream to fulfill. What they did next changed the lives of thousands of Northern Tanzanian families forever. When Gemma Sisia went back to Australia after her life-changing stay in Africa, she knew she would have to […]
The Delray Beach Rotary recently welcomed Kim Saville, Director of International Relations for The School of St Jude in Tanzania, East Africa to address the local club on the successes of the school for the impoverished children in that country.
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 […]
The School of St Jude is a charity in Africa that is providing free, quality education to more than 1,600 of the poorest children. It is located in Arusha, Tanzania
The two most important contributors to the Tanzanian economy are the agriculture and natural resource sectors. Agricultural production and the mining of natural resources have the ability to create thousands of dependable jobs. Take the recent discovery of natural gas reserves off the shores of Tanzania – this is an untapped energy source that, if facilitated properly, can provide […]
When Gemma first started building St Jude’s she searched for ways to create an identity and character that would distinguish the school from others. It had to be a school that students could feel a sense of ownership of and take pride in. One of the initiatives was to purchase a school bus, but because […]
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 […]
Today, nine people will drive from St Jude’s Sisia (Moshono) Campus and head east towards Africa’s tallest mountain and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro. Over seven days they will attempt to reach Uhuru Peak – 5,895 meters / 19,341 feet – the “rooftop” of Africa. St Jude's kanga at Uhuru Peak in 2011 […]
In a national essay competition held by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards in October, all secondary students throughout Tanzania were invited to submit an original essay between 1,000 - 1,500 words to "explore their own unique perspective on the role of standards in increasing efficiency, better results and in reducing waste." It wasn't exactly the easiest topic, but staying […]
In 2013, 150 new students will start at The School of St Jude to receive a free, high-quality education. These children have been carefully selected to ensure that they are the brightest and poorest throughout the Arusha region. Most of these children come from homes without basic necessities that are taken for granted in developed […]
This past Saturday marked another historic achievement in The School of St Jude timeline: our very first Form 4 graduation! It was a remarkable day that our oldest students will look back on years from now with great satisfaction. As St Jude's has grown over the last ten years, it has been our Form 4 […]
As the story goes, St Jude's started in 2002 with just three students, two classrooms and one volunteer teacher who packed up her bags for Tanzania, to help with a project that was barely off the ground. That volunteer, fresh out of university, was Angela Bailey, who would leave an indelible mark on the school […]
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 […]
One of the most vital, if often overlooked, aspects of any school around the globe is the library. Having a properly stocked collection of books and educational materials is essential for a student’s advancement outside of the classroom. A library is often the first opportunity for a young student to open a book and let […]
In early 2015, our oldest students – currently in Form 4 – will be graduating from The School of St Jude. They’ll be our inaugural graduating class from our Smith secondary school. It’s almost unfathomable to consider this prospect and yet, before we know it, three years will pass in the blink of an eye. […]
Every so often we are going to have guest writers contribute blog posts based upon their relevant expertise – today we have Jane Wall, the Academic Head of the School of St Jude, who provides a thorough analysis of how St Jude’s educational model is helping our students achieve astounding results in the recent Tanzanian […]
When St Jude’s introduced hot lunches in 2004 there were about 500 student and staff to feed. Fast forward to present day, and there are almost four times that amount: over 1,500 students, over 400 local staff and more than 50 international volunteers is the current St Jude's tally. That’s almost 2,000 mouths that need […]
This will be our initial audio post, in which you, the reader, are taken through an aural journey throughout a typical day at St Jude’s Lower Primary Campus. Click on the links after each paragraph to sample the sounds of St Jude’s. MOSHONO CAMPUS, LOWER PRIMARY, MONDAY The first sound you hear every morning at […]
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 […]
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 […]
When you think of The School of St Jude, what comes to mind? Is it the aesthetic attributes of the school: the distinctive multi-colored buses, the vibrant blues and greens of the lunch tables or the shades of red and orange flowers that line the campuses? Or maybe it’s the location: resting underneath the snows […]
