»¤Ê¿É«ÇéƬ

Tuesday 19 March | 7.00 – 8.30pm
Bunjil Creation Centre, »¤Ê¿É«ÇéƬ
35 Charles Street Mt Waverley

»¤Ê¿É«ÇéƬ is honoured to welcome founder Gemma Sisia (AM) and two incredible alumni, Dr Suleiman Mohammed and Winnie Nemes from the School of St Jude in Tanzania to share first-hand their inspiring stories, experiences and challenges. In Tanzania, a staggering 72% of school aged students are not in secondary school, yet the School of St Jude provides free, quality education to 1,800 primary and secondary students and supports hundreds of tertiary scholars every year.

Australian born Gemma firmly believes that education is the right of all children and the strongest weapon in fighting poverty. Join us for an evening of inspiration and transformation as we hear from a woman who had the courage to care and alleviate poverty through education.

The School of St Jude, Tanzania

In 2002 Gemma Sisia opened , a 100% charity-funded school in Arusha, Tanzania to bring the opportunity of a free, quality education to children experiencing poverty. A St Jude’s scholarship provides everything our students need for a successful education, including nutritious meals, boarding, transport and much more. Students academic success is supported through a robust, holistic curriculum including clubs, arts, and sports programs to foster skills development. By January 2020, St Jude’s had grown to three schools with 1,800 students including a girls only secondary school. By opening up the opportunities for girls, the school directly tackles the imbalance seen in Tanzanian education, where girls from disadvantaged backgrounds typically receive only four years of schooling.

St Jude’s support for students also expanded into tertiary scholarships through the Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) Program that supports 100’s of scholars every year in university. Since the graduation of the first Form 6 (final year of secondary school) cohort in 2015, St Jude’s has celebrated over 1,000 alumni. From 2018, over 400 St Jude’s alumni have graduated from tertiary studies. They are now entering or in the workforce as Tanzania’s doctors, engineers, tradespeople, entrepreneurs, and teachers. Soon to join them is a cohort of over 360 scholars supported through the BSJ Program who are currently studying in 45 higher education institutions within Tanzania and internationally.