The Lions Club in the Middle East have pledged to support the School of St Jude, an Arusha-based education centre, build a new girls secondary school for 600 students.
This was announced recently after the 16-year-old school participated in the Lions Clubs International Forum in Dubai where a special project ‘Fighting Poverty through Education’ was launched.
During the event, the school clearly stated its intention of providing women and girls with equal access to education as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number five.
Currently the co-educational school, which runs primary and secondary wings, has a total of 1,800 pupils, 1,400 of whom are boarders in its three campuses in and around Arusha.
The proposed all-girls school hopes to admit 600 girls, according to Ms. Leonie Trubshoe, the school official in charge of communication and media matters.
The Lions clubs will actively support our drive to build a new girls secondary school for 600 students, she said, adding that this would ensure opening up more chances for those from the poor families.
We love to empower our female students. We provide an equal opportunity for all students regardless of religion, tribe or gender’, she told the Citizen.
About 60 per cent of all students at the education institution established by Ms. Gemma Sisia, an Australian national in 2002, are girls.
The School’s spokesperson could not reveal the estimated cost of the new campus for the girl students. It offers free education targeting the young learners from the poor families.
It is estimated that about 90 per cent of funds used for running the education centre, which employs 300 staff members, each year is raised in Australia and other countries abroad.
The St Jude School started with a campus in Moshono, followed later by a much larger and famous campus at Usa River (near the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge) while the third one was set up at Moivaro.
The Tanzanian Citizen (read the original article here).
Gemma Sisia’s parents, Sue and Basil, fervently believed in the power of education to change the future.
The couple, who raised eight children on a sheep wool farm in New South Wales, Australia, made significant sacrifices to ensure that their seven sons and one daughter had excellent educational opportunities. They also were strong believers in community service.
“They had an open-door policy at home for people wanting to come, stay, and have someone to listen to them,” she says. “My parents constantly showed me how important it is to help others.”
So, it’s not surprising that after she graduated from the Universities of Melbourne, Northern Territory and New England at 22 years of age, she took her newly minted Bachelor of Science degree and Graduate Diploma in Education to Africa. She taught math, science, and sewing at an under-resourced private girls’ school in Uganda.
She loved the work but was aware that her students’ parents were wealthy enough to afford private school for their girls. Gemma and the local art teacher who were good friends often talked about how to break the cycle of poverty that was rampant in East Africa, particularly for underprivileged girls. They concluded that without raising the standards of education across the board in the region, no amount of foreign money could alleviate the widespread poverty.
“That’s where the seed of building a school was planted,” she said.
Then came a fateful trip to Tanzania to visit one of that nation’s beautiful wildlife parks – and Gemma fell in love with her safari guide. The two married, and while Gemma was looking forward to raising her own family (the couple has four children), she knew she also wanted to pursue her dream of a school that would provide an excellent education to Tanzania’s poorest children.
She confided her dream to a close friend in Australia, who gave her 10 dollars. Gemma promptly opened up a bank account with that first donation. Her father-in-law gifted her with two acres of land in the Arusha District of Tanzania, so she’d have a site for the school. And her father, Basil, introduced her to the Rotarians.
Gemma shared her dream with local Rotary clubs in and around New South Wales. She told them the startling statistics of how poverty wrecks havoc with education in East Africa: according to UNICEF, 70 percent of children aged 14–17 years in Tanzania are not enrolled in school. Less than 4 percent make it to the final two years of secondary education.
“Without our school, these students might not attend school at all, or if they were one of the lucky few, their schooling would have been in an under-resourced government school with a handful of teachers for every 1,000 pupils,” she says. “And without a good education, they won’t be able to gain skilled employment, and their families would continue to lead lives of perpetual economic struggle.”
Gemma was persuasive. By the end of her “speaking engagement” weekend, the Rotary clubs raised $20,000 towards the school. Not only that, teams of volunteers out of the clubs came to Arusha to build the two blocks of classrooms and a playground. The Brisbane Planetarium Club built the foundations of the school library.
Gemma named the school after the patron saint of hopeless causes, saying it is a nod to her unwavering faith in a cause that thousands of people, united by a shared dream, have worked tirelessly to support.
The School of St Jude opened in 2002 with a mere three students, but it grew quickly. Now enrollment is almost 2,000 and the school’s three campuses (one primary, one secondary and one boarding) are spread over 50 acres. All the students attend on full scholarships, which not only pay for their teachers, books and supplies, but transportation, school uniforms and at least one hot meal a day. Students old enough to board (over two-thirds of the pupils attending St Jude’s) live in dorms on campus and are provided three meals a day.
The school has a competitive and highly extensive application process.
Each year, over 3,000 candidates from government schools are invited to attend the selection process (where up to 150 places are available across first-grade, seventh-grade and ninth-grade). They complete a series of tests, with the youngest needing to show an enthusiasm for learning and some proficiency in Swahili, the native language, and the older students completing tests in math, science, and English. Ultimately, the children will be taught in English, as most universities and jobs in the key professions require fluency in English.
The students who show the most promise are then assessed as to their financial and social circumstances to make sure the family falls within the income guidelines and are truly deserving of a place at St Jude’s.
Once they are accepted, they are given a free, high-quality and varied education, plus resources to help them in their post-secondary education or training. The co-educational student body reflects a wide swath of Tanzanian society, with students representing numerous religions and tribes.
Seventeen years after opening its doors, the first few cohorts have graduated from the school. Gemma says that most of these 392 graduates have undertaken a year of community service, voluntarily teaching core subjects to thousands of children in local government schools who otherwise wouldn’t have had teachers. Many have now also gone on to study at universities in much-needed fields such as medicine, engineering, law, and education.
“A number of our students have earned international recognition for science and entrepreneurship,” she adds, “and we will soon be seeing our first university graduates!”
Throughout it all, Rotarians and other Australian-based donors have been the core of The School of St Jude supporters, with a now growing donor-base in America too. Gemma returns to Australia every year for a multi-week tour to drum up support as part of the school’s annual fundraising campaign. It’s day after day of meetings, presentation, and events to secure the millions of dollars it takes to pay for a staff of about 300 local teachers and support staff as well as food, books, supplies, and campus maintenance.
“It’s always a killer itinerary, but it’s essential,” she says. “There are hundreds of local workers and thousands of students depending on it.”
Cindy May, Cindy May Marketing (read the original article here).
Bega solicitor Andrew Warren is pumping up the tires ready for a cross-country bicycle ride – in Tanzania!
In February 2019, Mr Warren plans to ride the length of the African country, alone and unsupported, to raise funds for the School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania.
All up, the ride covers about 1600km.
“If you agree to sponsor me, you will get your money back if I do not pedal every kilometre of the way – I promise!” Mr Warren said on his GoFundMe page.
Since only launching his fundraising page on Wednesday, December 5, he has already raised more than $2500 of his $3000 stated goal.
“If I can raise $3000 from sponsors of my ride, that will pay for a student to receive an education for a year,” Mr Warren said.
Mr Warren said St Jude’s provides a free, non-demoninational, high-quality education to children who, due to poverty and social pressures, would otherwise be unlikely to complete their schooling.
“I made contact with Gemma Sisia [the school’s founder] about 15 years ago – she’s an amazing woman,” Mr Warren said this week.
“She started the school with mud bricks and three children. Now it’s three campuses with 1800 children.
“We sponsored some kids at the school years ago and then this year we visited the school on a family holiday.
“It costs only $3000 a year to sponsor a student and for they St Jude’s provides full board, uniforms, all meals, books and pencils and so on.
“Every single one of their students was chosen because they combined academic promise with a desperately poor background and a great attitude to work. They feed them, house them, educate them, and do everything possible to ensure their students’ wellbeing and future success.”
Mr Warren said he could ride anywhere in order to raise some money for the school and its students, “but it seemed more appropriate to go back to Tanzania”.
He heads out on February 8 – “it’s all booked in so I can’t back out now!”
“I’m not a competitive rider, just your typical middle aged man in lycra. I just enjoy going for a ride.”
Mr Warren said he hoped to find guest houses along the route, but given the African country’s landscape that may not always be possible.
“So I’m packing a tent but maybe I will need to hang a sign on it saying ‘Lions not welcome’,” he joked.
Bega District News (read the original article here).
Cloncurry local, Lexie Hudson, is one of seven young Australian leaders who have embarked on a three week Tanzanian Immersion trip.
yLead’s Tanzanian Immersion has focused on connecting young people through adventure, service, connection and cultural immersion, through which it is hoped these women are inspired to make a difference in their local communities.
Ms Hudson and the other leaders climbed to The Roof of Africa, at the peak of the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro, immersed themselves in the African wildlife during a safari, spent a night in a local teacher’s home on a cultural homestay and relaxed on the island of Zanzibar.
A key objective of the Immersion this year was to celebrate women supporting women, with a special visit to The School of St Jude in Arusha.
The group spent just over a week teaching English in local schools, holding an athletics carnival, planting trees, and building their cultural understanding with the people of Tanzania.
This year’s participants alone raised $8000, and were able to see the life-changing impact that this fundraising has on the school, and community of Arusha first hand.
Founded by Australian woman, Gemma Sisia in 2002, St Jude has grown from three attendees and one teacher on its opening day, to now providing an education to over 1800 local children who would otherwise be unable to get an education due to living in an impoverished community.
yLead has harvested a partnership with The School of St Jude, funding the opening of a girl’s boarding house in 2011, which now houses 80 girls. Since connecting with Gemma Sisia in 2009, yLead has donated over $230,000 to The School of St Jude.
yLead CEO, Bel Yorston, speaks passionately, saying that “it is so important that we connect young Australian women with inspiring mentors across the globe, and inspire them to use their knowledge and skills to make a difference in their own communities,”
Bel Yorston also said “we often read about these remarkable women, however, to actually see this first hand puts the impact that one strong woman can have on both her community, and other women across the globe into perspective.”
Students from the Dominican College Wicklow were blessed with some great weather as they carried out a five-hour fundraising car wash at the school.
The event on Saturday, April 21, was held to raise funds for the School of St Jude in Tanzania.
The School of St Jude educates disadvantaged, bright students in the Arusha area of Tanzania to help them become moral and intellectual leaders in their country. The school receives no State funding so depends entirely on voluntary donations.
Some Dominican students will travel over to Tanzania in the summer.
Some of the students plan on running marathons to raise money while other fundraisers were held during the week, including a cinema day. The funds raised through the car wash are still being established but €22,000 had already been raised prior to that through a series of other different events.
Bray People (read the original article here).
Ms Hart has been a sponsor at The School of St Jude for over 12 years and was at the graduation to see her academically gifted sponsor student, Erick, graduate.
According to UNICEF, in Tanzania, almost 70 per cent of children aged 14–17 years are not enrolled in secondary education, while a mere 3.2 per cent are enrolled for the final two years of schooling.
At the graduation, amidst the colourful and vibrant celebrations, speeches and traditional dance, Ms Hart took to the stage to say a word on behalf of all St Jude’s sponsors.
“You are a true example of what you can achieve when the opportunity presents itself,” Ms Hart proudly told the graduates.
“You have proved that you are all capable of applying yourselves and reaching the heights that were once so unattainable.
“You should always remember that we will always be by your side encouraging you, loving you as one of our own and taking delight in your future careers,” she said.
St Jude’s is a charity-funded school founded in 2002 by NSW humanitarian, Ms Gemma Sisia.
The School offers a free, high-quality education to over 1,800 students, and boarding to over 1,400 students.
With a predominantly Tanzanian staff and resources, and supplies bought locally, it injects over $4m Australian dollars into the local economy every year.
Unlike most schools, the students of St Jude’s are selected based on their academic potential and genuine financial need, often coming from families that live on less than US$1.90 a day.
“I first met Mama Gemma 20 years ago,” Ms Hart recalled.
“She told us of her dreams to build a school in Tanzania, such an unbelievable idea for one so young who was brought up in Australia and had no money to build a school.
“She faced many hurdles along the way but did she ever give up?
“No, she held her head up high and kept going.
“Where is she today; taking pride in all of you and knowing she has made a difference to so many lives, and has given a future to those who would never have had the opportunity that you have,” Ms Hart told the crowd.
Ms Hart played an integral role in the beginnings of the school.
After hearing Ms Sisia speak at a Rotary conference in Australia, she accompanied her fellow Erina Rotarians to Arusha and helped to build the School.
She then went on to become the chief Financial Coordinator for the School, processing charitable contributions on its behalf up until 2010.
“Monica played a massive role at the very beginning of the St Jude’s story”, Ms Sisia fondly recalls.
“She generously gave up a lot of time and effort, not only in physically building the school, but in managing and processing its Australian contributions,” she said.
After a year of great academic success for the class of 2018, almost all graduates have elected to take part in the optional Beyond St Jude’s program and undertake a Community Service Year before embarking on tertiary and further education.
Most will teach in government schools across the region as a means of giving thanks for their free, high quality education at St Jude’s.
“They are bringing to life the school’s mission of educating the moral and intellectual future leaders of Tanzania, and in turn are emulating the values and altruism of loyal supporters like Monica,” Ms Sisia concluded.
Central Coast Newspapers (read the original article here).
