Hosiana began at St Jude鈥檚 in 2003, shy but determined.
Her favourite subject was Science and she wanted to be a doctor.
Hosiana grew and changed in many ways during her years at St Jude's, but her goal never did.
Today, the confident and capable young woman is studying at the best medical school in the country!
Hosiana attributes her self-confidence and success at university, so far, to her Community Service Year. After graduating in 2015 she volunteered to teach Chemistry and Physics at Losirway Secondary School.
This month during her university holidays, the inaugural graduate came back to Arusha to visit her former students and her old stomping ground.聽
鈥淪t Jude鈥檚 and my community service prepared me really well for university.聽Since I was really young, St Jude鈥檚 taught me a lot of things apart from academics鈥� also about attitude, manners, different ways that I can behave when I am with my fellows.鈥澛犅� 聽
Hosiana is already showing her leadership skills as a class representative, which makes her a Member of Parliament at her university.
鈥淢y duties are to organise lectures which are taking place, communicate with the lecturers and other leaders, as well as my fellow scholars, so that we can make learning effective.鈥�
Being the first of her family to attend university, Hosiana often communicates with her family when she is away from them.
鈥淭hey are so very happy and proud of me, for making it to university.鈥�
Late last year, our Beyond St Jude鈥檚 intern, Amani, was lucky enough to visit Hosiana at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science in Dar es Saalam, to check on how she was settling in.聽
鈥淗osiana is the type of woman that truly believes in what she does. When she decides studying hard is what she should do, she will do it,鈥� Amani said.
鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 let the pressure of other people get to her. She is fair, she is determined and a visionary person.鈥�
Amani knows the future is Hosiana鈥檚 for the taking and so does she.聽
"What will make Hosiana a good doctor is that she is real; she won鈥檛 just go with what everyone else does, she isn鈥檛 afraid to question the reason people are doing something,鈥� Amani said.
鈥淪t Jude鈥檚 gave me a strong enough character to get me through whatever comes in life. When I imagine myself in the future, I see myself sitting in a big hospital with so many patients surrounding me and me and I am making the best for all of them,鈥� Hosiana said.
You can help another student like Hosiana reach their dreams!聽Sponsor a student today.
It was a cool, grey morning and all was quiet in the St Jude鈥檚 lower primary library.
All but the clear, steady voice of 15-year-old Edgar, as he read a carefully chosen tale aloud to an eager, captivated Grade 2 class.聽
The beloved adventures of Frog and Toad, brimming with lessons for children to understand and appreciate their individuality, was chosen by Edgar as he wants to see these students reach their potential.
鈥淲hen we read to the students, it鈥檚 different from a teacher. They鈥檙e comfortable and can express their feelings,鈥� Edgar, who is in Form 3 at St Jude鈥檚, said.
鈥淲e are in the middle of teachers and students, and the students see us as brothers,鈥� fellow storyteller Praise said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good helping and it鈥檚 full of fun.鈥澛�
The children鈥檚 silence was only broken by the interactive part of the lesson, where they were asked questions about the book.
鈥淲e ask questions when we鈥檙e reading to make sure they鈥檙e on track,鈥�
Edgar explained. 鈥淢aybe someone was not listening, so next time they know they should be listening to answer the question.鈥�
The enchanting scene, which saw Edgar and fellow Interactors shared the magic of a good book, was more than just a tale.
Numerous Interactors gave their June secondary school break to volunteer at our primary school.
The Interactors said it was vital that students learn early on to pay attention to the material, and that is why they each chose to read books with a lesson to learn.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e reading a book, you need to know what the implication of the book is, gain some knowledge. It鈥檚 not just for leisure,鈥� Edgar said.聽
鈥淲hen they come to secondary (school), and come to a reading in an exam, they鈥檒l have to analyse the theme so reading like this is helpful.鈥�
鈥淓very book in the library has a lesson. They have meaning,鈥� Praise chimed in.
鈥淲hen they reach secondary (the work) will be much easier for students who think like this. You need to be able to analyze critically - think big.鈥�
Praise, Erasto and Edgar also spoke about the importance of ensuring children become comfortable with, and make a habit of reading, the English language early on.
鈥淒id you see the girl who was reading the story there?,鈥� Edgar said, gesturing towards a young girl who volunteered to tell a story to the class at the end of the lesson. 鈥淚 know that story, it鈥檚 a Swahili story. She was translating it, and it was very good.鈥澛�
Numerous Interact students came to the primary school campus during their holidays to help in various areas, from the library to the kitchen and helping with exams in upper primary.聽
Daudi, one of four students helping with exams, said the experience was a 鈥済ood鈥� one and he chose to help in that area because there was a specific need for it.聽
鈥淭he teachers need a lot of assistance at this time, and are grateful for the help,鈥� he said.
St Jude鈥檚 Interact club, made up of 80 secondary students between the ages of 12 and 18, have been working on increasing projects such as this to help their community.
They are aided by coordinator Seb Cox, a 21-year-old education student and Rotaractor from Canberra.
Stay tuned to find out about the progress our Interactors are making, or聽聽about helping St Jude鈥檚.
Dr Louise Crossley was a scientific, academic and political pioneer; she was also an early and treasured supporter of mini传媒.
Her passing last year was profoundly felt by two of our most senior academic staff, who she both sponsored and inspired.
The first of those sponsorships was for now Secondary Headmaster Nestory Msoffe, who caught Louise鈥檚 eye back in 2006 when he was a Kiswahili teacher.
鈥淲e became very close. She was a very special person to me and my family,鈥� Nestory said.
鈥淭o us, Louise was a gift from God and I will always remember her positive influence on my life.鈥�
When Nestory took leave from teaching to pursue higher education, he said she continued her much-appreciated correspondence and support.聽
Nestory was the first St Jude鈥檚 individual to benefit from Louise鈥檚 generosity, after she was taken with our school and its mission more than a decade ago.
In our school鈥檚 infancy, Louise camped out on the lawns of our office with a group of study abroad students from America.聽
She was so encouraged by Nestory鈥檚 development that she began sponsoring then science teacher, Nzinyangwa Mcharo, in 2012. Louise had a keen eye for talent, as Mcharo has since been promoted to head of physics and assistant academic master.聽
鈥淢y sponsor was an exceptional woman, an outstanding leader with a passion for adventures and teamwork,鈥� Mcharo said.聽
鈥淚 will always be motivated by her trust in me and support, her leadership qualities, readiness to learn, ways she approached challenges and the meaningful life she lived for others.鈥�
With her knack for scouting talent, it鈥檚 no surprise Louise was a professionally impressive person herself. Born in Johannesburg, she obtained a degree in science from Cambridge and in 1980 earned her doctorate from the University of New South Wales.
In 1991, she became the second woman ever to a lead a scientific station in the Antarctic and the very next year was appointed the first convener of the Greens Party in Tasmania.
It was on a trip to Antarctica in 2011 that she was diagnosed with cancer.
Her passing in September last year was mourned by students, colleagues, friends and family around the world, and tribute was paid to her in the Australian Senate.
In her will, Louise made provisions to continue supporting Mcharo in his professional development at St Jude鈥檚. A further part of her generous, $10,000 bequest was set aside to support projects at St Jude鈥檚 that enhance science and information technology.聽
Join Dr Louise and St Jude鈥檚 in fighting poverty through education. Find out more by downloading our聽Wills and Bequests Information pack, or by making a聽donation.
Winnie was Rebel Wilson鈥檚 first fan in Tanzania.
Before the Pitch Perfect star became a household name, she was a hero to Winnie, an 11 year-old, living in a mud house with no electricity, let alone a TV.
鈥淚 was just happy that my sponsor sent me very beautiful letters and a gift and I feel lucky because I had a sponsor,鈥� Winnie said.
鈥淚n our letters we talked about very many things, and I always look forward to her letters.聽
鈥淲hen I was older I started learning about her, that she is a great actress and a very nice funny woman.
鈥淪ome of my friends were jealous, others say, you are so lucky, all I could think was, 'why me, why does she care about me, why am I so lucky?'.鈥�
In the 10 years since Rebel started sponsoring Winnie, both of their lives have changed for the better.
Rebel has become one of Hollywood鈥檚 most recognisable faces, a star of the hit franchise Pitch Perfect and a frequent guest on US talk show, Ellen.
Winnie just became the first woman in her family to graduate high school and she will use her education to lift her family out of poverty.
Rebel was prevented by a busy work schedule from attending the graduation ceremony.
Winnie is also half sponsored by a group of wonderful women from Western Australia.聽
The grateful graduate said that as she dressed for Saturday's ceremony she stopped to think, "wow, all these women supporting me in my life, my mother, my teachers, my sponsors, I am so glad I made it to here, for them."聽
One of Winnie鈥檚 favourite memories from school was her first face-to-face meeting with Rebel in 2014.
鈥淚 was sitting with my mum on a bench when I saw her coming. When I saw her, I really ran to her and I hugged her and she was really happy, we were so excited to see each other. Mum hugged her too,鈥� Winnie said.
St Jude鈥檚 has transformed Winnie鈥檚 life. Coming from a poor family, in a country where most girls don鈥檛 even make it to Year 5, Winnie would never have had a chance at a high-quality education.
Now Winnie is preparing to give back by spending her gap year volunteering in the Beyond St Jude鈥檚 program.
鈥淔rom my heart, the school and my sponsor have provided me so much, much more than I expected in my life, so I want to give thanks, give back,鈥� she said.
鈥淚f I wasn鈥檛 at St Jude鈥檚, I don鈥檛 think I would be graduating, I would maybe be doing odd jobs and selling things in the streets.
鈥淎nd I鈥檓 sure I would not be friends with a movie star.鈥澛�
People who give are happier - just ask our supporters!
Copious studies have shown generosity leads to a happy, healthy life, so we鈥檙e delighted to know our wonderful supporters get as much out of it as we do!
The variety of creative and thoughtful ways people have helped us 鈥榮pread the word鈥� of St Jude鈥檚 while fundraising show you can pursue your passion while doing good.
We鈥檙e motivated and inspired by their generosity, and think you will be too, so here are some examples of how easy it can be to support an educated future in Tanzania:
1.What better place to start than the classroom?!
Lovely Luella Green, a student at All Hallows Catholic School in Sydney, recently chose school founder Gemma Sisia as her 鈥淣otable鈥� person to focus a project on.
Dressed as Gemma, she made a presentation about her achievements before the audience of 60 families, to raise awareness and money. Good on you Luella, love your work!
Find out how your school can support St Jude鈥檚 by going to our聽At Your School听辫补驳别.
2.聽A healthy way to grow interest
Student sponsor Denis McKercher has supported St Jude鈥檚 for many years through his tomato plant fundraising.
The generous green thumb lovingly tended to about 1600 plants (about 40 varieties of tomatoes!) in his Tasmanian backyard this past year, and has developed a good network of buyers throughout the years.
His hard work in just this past year has raised more than $5000 that will go towards educating Tanzania鈥檚 poorest and most promising students.
Thanks for using your passion to please so many Denis!
Get your organisation involved by starting a聽workplace fundraiser!
3. Spreading the word, a page at a time
Student sponsor Margo Salmon has been busy recently with her annual book fundraiser at Monaghan鈥檚 Pharmacy in Warrnambool, Victoria.
While donations for the second-hand and donated books may be as little as a gold coin, Margo has already raised more than $1000 and pages of awareness. Keep up the great work Margo!
Have an idea for an event that will raise money for St Jude鈥檚? Register in online聽here.
4. Brisbane practice makes perfect
In March, Dr Gordon Mor will journey to Arusha for the fifth consecutive year as a dedicated member of our international medical check team.
Dr Mor and his Brisbane practice team have also, for numerous years, held a special Christmas appeal for St Jude鈥檚. Staff members promoted the most recent one by wearing our Shanga necklaces and graduation polo shirts, and displaying a school signage in the waiting room.
We look forward to thanking Dr Mor in person in March!
See the important work the Medical Check team are doing at St Jude鈥檚 in this聽.
Don鈥檛 have the time to arrange an event? Support St Jude鈥檚 by聽making a donation.
A desire to travel and help others led Angela Black to the other side of the world and on the doorstep of the marketing team at mini传媒.
She never envisioned it would be three years before she left, let alone with such a cherished swag of memories, accomplishments and friends.
鈥淚 was working in Japan, teaching English, but I really did want to live in Africa. I asked around because I wanted to come over here and do something in my profession so that I was adding value,鈥� the former marketing manager recently explained, as she packed her bags for a new job near Hong Kong.
鈥淭hen my sister, who works for a travel company in Australia, told me about St Jude鈥檚 because they have tour groups come through here. I went on the website and found there was a marketing job, and obviously the school sells itself in a lot of ways and it鈥檚 something you鈥檇 want to be part of.鈥�
Angela initially agreed to a year-long contract as our marketing assistant, but found it difficult to consider leaving as the 12 month mark neared.
鈥淲hen I arrived, I started as marketing assistant and it just evolved. There was a need for someone to step in and do the appeals and videos, so I sort of took that on as my project. I guess the good thing about working on the marketing team is you get to be an all-rounder. You get to help out in a lot of different areas,鈥� she said.
鈥淵ou learn a lot as you go, especially working in an NGO, as we have limited resources. I鈥檝e come away with a lot more skills than what I arrived with. Even though you鈥檙e not earning as much as you could in other places, it鈥檚 a really cool project to be a part of. I鈥檝e become really close with the team and we鈥檝e all been on this journey together. It鈥檚 a really great place to be creative and come up with ideas and try new things. There鈥檚 definitely good energy about working here, and there鈥檚 something quite special about being able to hear the students when you鈥檙e working.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not about healing Africa, it鈥檚 about giving a group of people a really great opportunity and knowing that those people, because this project鈥檚 so successful, will have a better opportunity for the future, and at the moment a lot of people do have quite hard lives.鈥�
Not only was her volunteer role fulfilling and rewarding, Angela found plenty to enjoy about living in Arusha.
鈥淎rusha鈥檚 a really fun town, I鈥檝e loved living here. It鈥檚 definitely a quieter life than living in Melbourne (Australia), and has a bit of a small, country town feel. It鈥檚 a bit rough around the edges but it鈥檚 really charming and the location鈥檚 fantastic, near Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti, so it鈥檚 a really cool part of the world and it鈥檚 a pretty easy place to adjust to. You can live a pretty good life here and be quite happy,鈥� she said.
鈥淚鈥檝e gotten so much out of it I don鈥檛 see myself as a volunteer at all. This has become just like home.鈥�
However, Angela is excited to take the next step in her career as the marketing manager of a 3D printing company.
鈥淚 hear a lot of people who leave here have great career opportunities. (Volunteering at St Jude鈥檚 does) make you quite employable. It definitely shows a lot of skills, and employers like people who are adaptable and versatile, and especially all-rounders, which is a big bonus for people who have worked in the not-for-profit sector.鈥�
While Angela鈥檚 vacated marketing manager role has been filled, the marketing team at mini传媒 is currently looking for a volunteer Marketing and Graphics Designer. See more about the position聽here.
