Welcome to The School of St Jude

A charity-funded school providing over 1500 students with a free, high quality education

Sadly not everyone gets into St Judes. The weekly student selection numbers demonstrate how desperate people are for a good education

With thousands of applicants annually, less than 1% will become St Jude’s students.

Without an education children face a continuing cycle of poverty, hard labour and sickness.

A young woman called Gemma Rice (now Sisia), from a sheep farm in Australia, believed that a good education should be a right and NOT a privilege. She believed in “Fighting Poverty Through Education”

After university Gemma travelled to Uganda to work as a volunteer teacher.

After receiving a piece of land from her now Father-in-law Gemma promised to build a small school in Arusha, Tanzania - East Africa.

Founded with the assistance and dedication of Rotary Clubs and friends, the building of St Jude’s began in 2002.

From humble beginnings, one teacher and three students, St Jude’s began to grow…

…and grow and grow…

Gemma also believed that regardless of skin colour, country of birth, religion or tribe, every child deserves the best.

Good classrooms were built, qualified local teachers employed, adequate education resources purchased and a safe school environment developed so that both students and staff could thrive.

St Jude’s now provides a free quality education for over 1,500 of the poorest children, with boarding rooms provided for over 1000.

Take a few moments to imagine how you would feel if you were unable to provide for your child as you had hoped to.

….you feel helpless and hopeless.

In % of the Tanzanian population received a primary education with this percentage falling to just 12.9% receiving a secondary education. In Tanzania, the total number of schooling years is expected to be nine at most, compared with 21 in the west. (Source: The World Bank – Education Statistics)

Imagine having to send your children to your local government school… 7 teachers for 772 students 3 textbooks per 100 students Water can be up to 5kms away No food provided Annual school budget $200 (excluding teachers salaries)

A school with no teaching resources…

A school with no food or water.

And then you hear about The School of St Jude!

A school where your child will not only receive a free, quality education, but also…

nourishing food and fresh water…

annual medical checks…

a fleet of 20 allowing even more students and staff to come to and from the school every day as they now don’t have to walk before the sun rises...

grounds that are safe and classrooms with the resources to learn with…

an opportunity for increasing knowledge and understanding…

boarding houses that provide safe, hygienic places to live, study and play……

A school where passion and desire to challenge yourself are celebrated!

Imagine receiving the news that your child has a place in St Judes. A school which gives a completely free yet quality primary, secondary and tertiary education…

...a school where your child will be encouraged every step of the way on their journey to becoming a responsible and caring citizen of Tanzania.

Students qualify for entry to St Jude’s by living in poverty and possessing strong academic potential.

St Jude’s blends the best of Tanzanian and international teaching methodologies to enable St Jude’s students to develop critical thinking abilities and high moral values.

Although The School of St Jude does not receive any funding from the Tanzanian Government, St Jude’s enjoys a positive and supportive relationship with Ministry staff. President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete Ministry of Education Staff

St Jude’s is a Christian based school, however students and staff of all faiths are welcome.

St Jude’s does not discriminate on gender during our student selection process.

St Jude’s students are encouraged to celebrate their cultural richness and diversity.

St Jude’s is educating future community leaders; all students are exposed to positive male and female leadership role models in an environment of mutual respect.

Respect, responsibility, honesty and kindness are highly valued and embedded into the education process.

St Jude’s now also provides employment for over 340 Tanzanians, who are becoming leaders in their own right: the academics, cleaners, cooks, gardeners, admin staff, bus drivers, and maintenance and support staff.

St Jude’s purchases the essential goods required to run the school everyday from local people. The positive economic ripple effect is wide spread.

We Love Visitors at St Jude’s!

We have 30 comfortable rooms waiting for you!

You will receive the warmest of welcomes when you journey to the heart of the world’s most diverse and richly cultured continent by joining one of our Tour Groups.

This is a truly unique experience and gives you the opportunity to meet our Students and Staff plus get to know the real Tanzania.

Arusha is a colourful, bustling and constantly evolving hub for tourists seeking the thrill of a safari to the Serengeti or Ngorongoro Crater.

Arusha is also the entry point for a trek up Mt Kilimanjaro or Mt Meru before heading to the exotic Tanzanian island paradise of Zanzibar.

What does the future hold? The School of St Jude currently provides a free, quality education from Standard One through to Form Three (Year 9) in Secondary.

However there are still three more years of students to accommodate!

In 2014 the first group of St Jude’s students will finally complete their Secondary education

We need to continue to build well set-up classrooms, and finance appropriate teacher/student numbers. Sound learning outcomes must continue as St Jude’s increases student numbers.

We need to ensure that our 150 (and growing) local Tanzanian Teachers continue to be assisted by international Teacher Mentors and ESL Specialists.

We must also ensure our students not only complete Secondary school, but also continue onto Tertiary education/training within Africa as well……

So that St Jude’s will enable both current and future students to experience the joys of living as productive and responsible adults – everyday for many years to come.

What does it take just to run St Jude’s each year and open the doors everyday? AU$283,586 for over 900,000 meals AU$ 104,211 for education resources AU$ 61,819 in maintenance costs AU$ 38,797 for power/gas/water AU$136,872 for fuel for generators AU$ 49,212 for fuel for buses AU$52,010 other costs for buses AU$2,700,000 for construction and maintenance **Approximately 2% of money raised is allocated to fundraising expenses. In 2011 the running and construction costs for The School of St Jude will be over AU$5,000,000 and rising every year!

Our generous supporters allow hope, imagination and dreams for a much better future to re-enter the hearts and minds of these amazingly bright and deserving students.

St Jude’s donors, sponsors, fundraisers and supporters come in all shapes and sizes: from schools, community groups, service clubs, neighbourhood friends, businesses and individuals. The one thing they share is the desire to see a better future for the students of St Jude’s.

OUR CHALLENGES NOW We need funds for additional construction Finding sponsors for the 150 new students arriving each year Finding sponsors for the 109 students currently not sponsored Increasing the number of fundraisers Raising awareness by spreading the word about The School of St Jude

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Personally sponsor a ‘student and boarding room’ package for $120 per month

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Personally sponsor a ‘Student and Teacher’ package for $110 per month

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Make a donation of any amount….. $10 will buy a textbook or a basket of carrots!

OTHER CURRENCY? The School of St Jude is operated by an Australian-based charity, The East Africa Fund Incorporated (CFN 16123). Our donation and sponsorship programs are based on Australian dollars (AUD). For an approximate guide to your currency's exchange rate against the Australian dollar, visit

We ask for an ongoing commitment (preferably for at least 3 years) for our sponsorship programs. If you are unable to make such a commitment, we ask that you please consider making a one-off general donation. TAX DEDUCTIONS! For Australia: All donation and sponsorship contributions over AUD $2.00 are tax deductible when payment is made via St Jude’s website or to tax-deductible bank accounts advised by us. For America: US-based donors and sponsors can support our activities in a tax-efficient way through payment to The School of St Jude – American Fund at the King Baudouin Foundation United States (KBFUS). For New Zealand: NZ-based donors and sponsors can support our activities in a tax-efficient way through Rotary New Zealand World Community Services (RNZWCS). For United Kingdom: UK-based donors and sponsors can make their contribution eligible for Gift Aid through Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS).

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Fundraise for one of these five areas: School Uniforms Food Bus Maintenance General Maintenance Teacher Resources

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Raise awareness………..

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Visit Us…. Sponsors, Donors and Rotarians can stay at St Jude’s for a week for free.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Become a Volunteer? Have a look at our job vacancies section on our website.

If you can help please visit us… Website

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Together the St Jude’s Family can and is making a difference in the lives of so many of the children of Tanzania, their families and communities and we all say a huge…