Note: quotes have been amended in parts for clarity.
St Jude鈥檚 students are testament to what young people can accomplish when afforded strong educational foundations and the resources and tools to excel.
Winning international awards and receiving commendations from world leaders, our students are already realising the School鈥檚 vision to educate the future leaders of Tanzania.
St Jude鈥檚 educates over 1,000 students from Form 1 through to Form 6 at the Smith Secondary Campus, all have the potential to be future leaders within their community and many dream of doing just that.
Form 1 students are at the very beginning of their journey into secondary level education. This is itself an achievement 鈥� only an estimated 12% of the adult population (over the age of 25) in Tanzania have received a secondary education.
Their journey is made possible through the generous and unwavering commitment of sponsors who cover the costs of a student鈥檚 academic scholarship for a minimum of three years, and ideally for a student鈥檚 entire education with St Jude鈥檚.
鈥淪ponsoring an academic scholarship for a student is an incredibly rewarding experience鈥� says St Jude鈥檚 Founder, Gemma Sisia.
鈥淔or our students, securing an education at St Jude鈥檚 is a pivotal moment in their lives, opening up opportunities that they otherwise wouldn鈥檛 have access to."
鈥淚t鈥檚 especially crucial for the 40 or so new students who join us in Form 1 from government primary schools. Secondary school is a really fundamental time in a student鈥檚 education and development. Knowing that there is someone investing in their future has a profound and empowering effect on them." 鈥�
It鈥檚 also often a profound experience for our sponsors too. Getting to know a student, learning how different their life in Tanzania is and following their success can be very moving, and is definitely humbling.鈥�
Whilst all students who are offered a place at St Jude鈥檚 have the cost of their education and boarding covered, not all of them have sponsors supporting them directly. Those without sponsors have to be supported through donations made to our Unsponsored Student Fund. Though the fund helps to give them an education, they miss out on building a relationship with a sponsor through letters and even visits, and learning about the wider world.
Irene is one of these new Form 1 students and is looking forward to making the most of her new found opportunities at the School. She is also hoping her scholarship will soon be sponsored.
鈥淚 am a girl coming from a single parent family. My mother is constantly ill making it hard for her to provide basic needs for the family and support my siblings. Giving me a chance to study at St Jude鈥檚 opens a whole new opportunity to end poverty for my family."
鈥淪t Jude鈥檚 has all the resources needed [for me] to excel academically.
鈥淪ponsors enable the School to provide us with three meals a day, school uniforms, teachers, textbooks, electricity, water and a bed of my own to rest on after a long school day,鈥� says Irene.
鈥淲ithout sponsors we cannot study at this school [鈥 being sponsored changes it all.鈥�
Like every student at St Jude鈥檚 Irene has big dreams and plans for her future.
鈥淪t Jude鈥檚 gives me the assurance for a brighter future as I aspire to become an engineer, a career that would give me and my family financial stability.鈥� Thanks to our supporters the sky鈥檚 the limit for Irene and the bright young students in Form 1 and they鈥檙e reaching for it.
Sponsor a Form 1 student like Irene today and give them the greatest gift you can, a good education. Who knows鈥� you could be sponsoring the next Wangari Muta Maathai (female East African scientist and Noble Peace Prize recipient)! Click here for more information.
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