Conference Charity - The School of St Judes, Tanzania

The Conference raised $8,000 to support  boarding places for The School of St Judes in Northern Tanzania. The school was founded by an enterprising young Australian woman, Gemma Rice (now Gemma Sisia) who grew up near Guyra in northern NSW.  St Judes provides education to orphaned and vulnerable children from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds. It blends the best of Western and Tanzanian instructional methods to instill critical thinking and high moral Christian values in students who will later become the leaders and builders of Tanzania.

What started with only a handful of children and one teacher is now in 2009 a thriving school of almost 1200 children, 130 teachers and 200 staff. In January 2008 another free primary school with an initial enrollment of over 550 children opened. These schools really have the potential to influence the quality of Tanzania's future leaders.

Over 90% of the children at the school receive a totally free education as local and international sponsors individually cover the costs of not only the educational fees but also the uniform, stationery, transport, hot meal, snacks and drinks of each child. What makes this school even more special is the fact that this success comes about due to the group effort of thousands of ordinary people from all over the world coming together to do something quite extraordinary. Individuals, families, schools, church groups and service clubs are joining forces by supporting the school's various sponsorship programs.

Each Friday, around 3000 hopeful students arrives outside the school hoping to get a scholarship - many having walked hundreds of miles with their parents for a chance to get into the school. Less than one percent of applicants are successful each week.

Every day staff and students work hard to fulfil the school's philosophy of "Fighting Poverty through Education" helping students break the cycle of poverty that has gripped their families for generations. If this is what such a team effort can achieve in six short years, then imagine what could be achieved in ten years!

The "Bus PLUS Boarding Room for 8 Students" Scholarship Package

All staff and children in Standard/Class 3 and younger travel to and from school on one of st Judes 20 colourful buses. In Tanzania, there is no government assistance for school transport and poor public transport, so St Jude's relies on sponsorship and donation funds to purchase and maintain its buses. As a bus sponsor, your contribution goes directly towards the cost of diesel, maintenance, insurance and employment of reliable and responsible drivers. Operating these buses is an expensive cost to the school, but a necessary one for the students (over US$3,500 a week in diesel alone!).

In 2008, St Judes opened its first boarding school from Sunday evening to Friday for Standard/Class 4 students and above. Children's parents had been requesting boarding school facilities for years, but St Judes had been reluctant to do so, because of lack of human and financial resources. However, various welfare, educational and nutritional benefits prompted the school to grant them their wish.

The boarding facilities have been a huge success so far. Children don't have to wake up at 4:30am and walk down mountains to their bus stop, they don't have to do their homework by candlelight, they don't have to go to bed hungry and they don’t have to share a bed with five other relatives. The school has seen a tremendous improvement in its students' health, concentration and academic performance.

To help cover the costs of the nutritious meals, building maintenance, electricity, water, boarding staff wages, and basic medical needs, St Judes introduced a "Sponsor a Boarding Room" program. Your sponsorship will provide water, food, electricity and adult mentoring and supervision for 14 boarders.

Website: http://www.schoolofstjude.co.tz/