In October 2024, Rotary Camberwell proudly sponsored a ‘Tertiary School Scholarship’ to Beyond St Jude, which will provide 100% of a student’s expenses for a full year such as the cost of tuition, exams fees, accommodation, learning resources and living expenses.
The picture above is of the 2024 Beyond St Jude’s graduating class.
‘At 22 years old Gemma Sisia travelled to Uganda to volunteer as a teacher, where she taught girls science and sewing. This experience led 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.’ (Extract from https://www.schoolofstjude.org)
Following Gemma’s return to her native Australia, her fundraising campaign would start her investment in the education of East Africa’s poorest children. Along with the gift of a small plot of land in Arusha, Tanzania, Gemma began to build The School of St Jude which opened in 2002. The school has grown exponentially and today has nearly 2,000 students and 300 Tanzanian staff across 3 campuses.
The school is a pioneering leader in charitable education within Africa, providing students with everything they need for a successful education – such as uniforms, transport, boarding, meals, medical checks, etc. 100% of students are sponsored via scholarships and 97% of secondary graduates access higher education (Beyond St Jude’s).
The life changing impact the school has goes beyond the students’ secondary and higher education. It improves the family’s financial situation, nurtures leadership and life skills and ultimately the surrounding communities.