Greetings from St Judes
We just received a nice post card from the students of St Judes School in Tanzania
The school of St Jude:
This amazing school in Tanzania was started by Gemma Sisia who travelled from Australia to Uganda to volunteer as a teacher, where she taught girls science and sewing. This experience lead to a fervent belief that a free, high-quality education should be the right of all children in the world and that education is the strongest weapon in the fight against poverty, corruption and political instability.
How it came about in Tanzania
When Gemma first had the idea of starting a free private school for the
poorest children in Africa with just a $10 donation from her friend, she
knew she would need a major support system. It was at this time Gemma’s
father, Basil, introduced her to Rotary. She was given the opportunity
to speak to her local Rotary club in her hometown of Armidale, New South
Wales. The extremely generous Armidale, Tamworth and Inverell Rotary
and Inner Wheel clubs raised an estimated $20,000 by the end of that
weekend. Along with donations from schools, family and friends, Gemma’s
dream became a reality, and they had raised enough money for the first
classroom.
The Armidale Central Rotary Club were so inspired they
came forward and organised a team of a dozen volunteers to travel to
Arusha, Tanzania and help build the first three classrooms. A team of
seven couples from the Gosford North Rotary Club shortly followed to
help build another three classrooms. Following the visits from these two
teams St Jude’s opened in January 2002. By Easter of 2002 another
Rotary team from The Erina Rotary Club came to build the playground,
followed by the Brisbane Planetarium Club who built the foundations of
the primary school block.
Rotary Balgowlah and St Jude's
For many years Balgowlah Rotary have provided funds to assist the repair & maintenance of the important buses that transport many of the school children over very rough roads in the region. This not only reduces the need for many students to board at the school but also ensures they travel safely.
Gemma has spoken at many District Conferences and talked with our club members by ZOOM during the pandemic.
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