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Long term member David Rush (he was inducted by Vic Burns in 1983) is a regular traveler overseas, often pursing a holiday but frequently mixing that with planned special contact with some community focused charitable institute. Such was the case on a recent trip to South Africa when he and a friend sought out The School of St Jude in Tanzania.
After a brief recount of the holiday experiences in Cape Town and South Africa, and on safari in the Serengeti, his recent address got to the heart of the matter as he told of the above school and his experience there. Prompted by the opportunity for his friend Brian to "check on" a lad who he had been sponsoring for many years at the school David described the sheer joy and emotion of seeing the two meet.
Gemma Sisia was a teacher working in Uganda and became the drive to establish a school in Tanzania following her experiences in teaching the children of the poor. Based in north east Tanzania in the Arusha region in 2002 there were 3 students. The numbers expanded between 2003-2006 to over 600. Subsequent expansion saw it incorporate a secondary school wing which now has about 1400 boarders.
Funded in part by Rotary and various benefactors the school now rivals the best in the country with its facilities and educational excellence. In an odd mix of selection criteria students must have an appropriate level of aptitude but also satisfy certain poverty rules. Such is the attraction and reputation of the school David explained that screening on the latter point is diligently done so as to ensure that applicants and or their families have no disguised or hidden relative wealth!
A key feature and on going success comes from the practice where the high quality graduates (young adults) of a given year return the following year and provided teaching support for the next year.
The ongoing drive and commitment of Gemma is amazing. Perhaps thought of as the Mother Teresa of Tanzania she is a highly skilled manager and has established a organizational structure capable of sustaining the school beyond her involvement. Still key always will be the fund raising (the annual budget is about $5 Million) and so ongoing child sponsorships and general philanthropic contributions will be needed. Rotary is involved in part both via the organization and via individual member inputs. The various contact points are www.schoolofstjude.org and the email gemma.s@schoolofstjude.co.tz Child sponsorship approaches about $125 per month.
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