In 2002, Australian educator Gemma Sisia started a school in Arusha, Tanzania, with just three students and a vision: to fight poverty through education. More than two decades later, The School of St Jude has grown into three schools supporting 1,800 students from poor backgrounds across three regions of northern Tanzania.
Every student receives a full, donor-funded scholarship, so no child pays school fees. The support continues after secondary school too, with more than 400 graduates receiving assistance through their tertiary studies.
Gemma has always believed that educating one student can make a difference well beyond the classroom, opening up opportunities for their family and the wider community.
‘Education is about more than helping a student graduate,’ she says. ‘It’s about creating opportunities for families, strengthening communities and building the next generation of leaders in Tanzania. That’s how we can help break the cycle of poverty.’
That ripple reaches Tanzanian workers and businesses, too. Ninety- nine per cent of the school’s roughly 350 staff are Tanzanian and it partners with more than 250 local suppliers, whose businesses support a further 3,000 Tanzanians each year through their own operations and employment.
The results speak for themselves, with St Jude’s consistently ranking in the top 10% of schools nationally and previously placing first in the country for advanced mathematics.
For St Jude’s alum Anna, the opportunity to receive an education changed the course of her life. She graduated in 2015 as part of the school’s inaugural class and went on to earn a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting. She later returned to work in St Jude’s
Accounts team before moving into a new role with Toyota. Anna credits St Jude’s with preparing her for more than academic success, particularly through its Community Service Year program.
Before beginning higher education, the school’s Form 6 graduates spend a year volunteering at government secondary schools as a form of giving back. Each year, St Jude’s graduates teach an estimated 20,000 students across more than 70 schools helping to fill gaps in teacher shortages.
‘We weren’t only taught subjects like physics, chemistry and mathematics, but also things like entrepreneurship and the importance of giving back to our communities,’ she says.
‘St Jude’s shaped me in a way that I was ready to face the world not only with academic skills but with life skills too, which is really important.’
Anna’s connection to St Jude’s has come full circle. Having experienced the impact of a St Jude’s scholarship herself, Anna is now paying it forward by sponsoring the education of Careen, a Standard 2 student at the school.
‘When I was a student, there were people who were generous enough to sponsor my education, and now I have the chance to do it for somebody else,’ Anna says.
‘It’s more than financial support; it’s holding someone’s hand on the path to becoming like myself, and even more.’
Anna’s story is one of many. St Jude’s estimates that 88 per cent of its Form 6 graduates’ families rise out of poverty. Around 97 per cent of secondary school graduates progress to higher education and more than 91 per cent of tertiary graduates are employed within the first year of graduating, building careers and supporting their families.
As the school prepares to celebrate 25 years in January 2027, Gemma is looking to the future supported by her Tanzanian-led leadership team.
‘Today, St Jude’s alumni are building careers, supporting their families and making a difference in communities across Tanzania,’ she says.
‘Twenty-five years on, we’re more determined than ever to open doors for the next generation. Every scholarship starts with a story like Anna’s and every graduate has the potential to make a difference in their community.
‘Our Tanzanian supporters are vital to this mission. Every donation helps us create opportunities that reach far beyond the classroom and help more young people shape their own futures.’