Thanks Mum!

One of my sayings is “Pleasure delayed is doubled”. When we have to wait for something, our appreciation when it finally arrives is especially sweet. So, if we have waited for years to fulfill a deep need, our gratitude overflows.

Gemma Sisia, founder of St Jude’s, was overflowing with joy and gratitude this year when her mother came to visit Tanzania and see the amazing school. Gemma’s mother raised eight children – seven boys, and Gemma. Like any mother, she hoped her children would be independent in the world, but she also hoped that they would stay within reach, especially her only daughter.

So she was dismayed when Gemma decided to make her life in Tanzania, and she did not support the plan. Now, of course, time has passed and she has adapted to the idea. She is proud to encourage Gemma as she builds the School of St Jude into a network of free schools for poor children.

Earlier this year, Gemma’s mother made her first visit to the School, and was overwhelmed by the love and appreciation that flowed to her. Parents at the School queued for hours to thank her for being the mother of Gemma, who has brought such hope and goodness into their lives, by providing their children with the lifeboat of a good education.

The mothers of children at St Jude’s know what it is like to have hopes and dreams for their children. And they have a true sense of the gift Gemma’s mother has given them by raising an extraordinary person like Gemma, and now in supporting her life’s work.

You can get a taste of the joy shared by all when Gemma's mother (and some brothers) visited the School of St Jude earlier this year, in Gemma's words –

As with every visitor to the school on a Friday, Mum and the rest of my visiting family were invited up on stage at the assembly. Bibi Hans, Head of our School Board, told all the parents of our students who had gathered for this special occasion that my Mum may have had eight children but only one daughter and instead of helping her at home, she was in Africa helping their children!

It was quite extraordinary but over a 1000 parents came to the assembly to say thank you to Mum for parting with her daughter for them. They arrived with gifts of cards, African handicrafts, materials, jewelery, food and even animals! And every single person wanted to shake Mum’s and the rest of the family’s hands. It was just so overwhelming but Mum managed to be gracious to every person despite the very long morning and language barrier. I was really touched that so many people showed their appreciation to her – I guess it was Mum and Dad who made me who I am and therefore St Jude’s what it is.

Bibi Hanns, Gemma's Mum, brothers Nick, Paddy and Danny, Yvonne (Nick’s wife) and their boys – Sam and David – and Yvonne’s sister, Anne

And here is the queue of parents snaking through the assembly hall. Each one is waiting their turn to say 'thank you' to Gemma's mum and family.

This took so long that Gemma's Mum had to sit down. Look at those smiles. Imagine receiving this 1,000 times in one morning! That's a LOT of good karma!



Gemma's Mother and Father-in-law were so excited finally to meet Gemma's Mum that they killed their best goat and organised a special dinner for the whole family. Luckily Gemma's Mum is used to living on a farm and meeting her dinner before she eats it!

When you have waited a long time for something important, the arrival is doubly-sweet. Gemma's Mum took a while to get to Africa and now she has been welcomed with joy.

Thanks Gemma's Mum!



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A ship that is sailing well

"Everyone loves to be on a ship that is sailing well," says Gemma Sisia, and it is so true! Who wants to be on a rickety leaky boat with a clueless captain?

Gemma is grateful for all the people who are coming onboard the good ship St Jude, and she is especially grateful to those people who helped build the ship, right back at the beginning.

I'll never forget that my local Rotary Club gave it support when the probability of it failing was quite high.

Gemma is featured in the latest issue of Rotary Down Under, June 2007.

Gemma Sisia

In the article, she spells out the full extent of the current building program on two campuses. In the next six months she is building 26 classrooms, two food halls, boarding accommodation for 800 children, three staff rooms, four computer labs, toilets, a water tower and water tanks. All up, it is millions of dollars of investment. She has $60,000 in the bank – so money is needed!

The school sponsorship program attracts lots of people who want to sponsor a child, but the building works for a new high school to serve the kids in future years needs people who are prepared to pay for 'invisible' things like computer cable, cement, steel and timber.

Gemma says,

I've never had to turn a sponsorship away, but it is getting close.

I have a photo I keep in my wallet of a parent who has just seen her child in uniform for the first time. When times are getting really bad, I pull that out and it puts things in perspective.

Wearing the St Jude's uniform has a big reputation in our area now. It basically says you're going to have a good life. Your life is going to be different.

If you are able to help with a little, or a lot!, check out the Current Campaign page on the School of St Jude website. Why not invite some friends to afternoon tea and invite them to contribute $10 each?

Everyone wants to see this ship make a safe trip across difficult waters. The destination is a land of hope for hundreds of bright children.

What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Order of Australia

I'm totally excited to see that Gemma has been honoured in the 2007 Queens Birthday Honours.



She has been awarded the Order of Australia (AM) with the citation:

• For service to the international community through the establishment and development of The School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Australian honours system confers the Member of the Order of Australia for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.

So, congratulations to Gemma Sisia (AM)!

I hope that this high honour will help to advance the great work you are doing at the School of St Jude. One of Africa's most successful projects, this school will be the first of many that provide free education to the future leaders of Tanzania and fights poverty through education.

Upskilling and YouTube

Nothing compares with buzz of a good, meaty learning curve.

My latest venture has been to learn a bit about video editing so I can put video about the School of St Jude on Youtube. Why? Cos it will be cool if lots of people can SEE the school, LISTEN to the kids and FEEL the impact the school is making.

The kids are on a learning curve at St Jude's, and all of us who support the School are figuring it out as we go along. We take the skills we have learnt as teachers, builders, architects, business people, marketers, administrators, etc, etc, and we apply them to this amazing project. Nothing is like it used to be, so we have to adapt our skills and learn heaps. What a buzz!

Here's the first fruit of my latest self-tutorial.



This is a clip from the DVD about the school that was distributed with Gemma's book. It was made by Brian Kieran, Mary-Elaine's brother, in April 2007. He's a clever chap, isn't he?

Check it out. It's only two minutes – you'll hear the lovely clear voices of children singing the school song, see the school at the foot of Mt Meru and hear Gemma talking about the very beginning of an idea.

More to come! As time permits.




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What’s the vision?

What if you have a really, big scary vision? One so big that you can hardly dare to dream it? A dream so full of hubris that you only dare to peep at it occasionally. It glimmers at you in the darkness by the side of the road. You glance out of the corner of your eye, pretending that it isn’t really there. In good times, it shines a bit brighter, beckoning you. In bad times it fades away as though it was never real, so there is no need to be disappointed about something that was never real anyway.

Mt Everest

That’s how Gemma is with her biggest dream. In 2002, she started out with a village school with a couple of classrooms and a handful of children. Now, in 2007 she has 850 kids and she is building a second school 30 km away. She is developing curriculum and training teachers, laying the foundations for effective school management that will scale up to many schools. Because her big scary goal is not to run a village school, or two schools. Her big scary dream is to establish a network of independent schools across East Africa.

These schools will provide excellent education to bright children from the poorest households. From the basics of literacy, numeracy and English language, through to full professional qualifications, this network of schools will educate the professionals and leaders that are needed for these desperately poor African countries to climb the ladder of prosperity.

If you want to climb Mt Everest, you’ll need to dedicate several years of your life to getting fit, saving the money and organising the climb. But if you want to establish a network of independent schools that offer free education for hundreds of bright children, you’ll need to dedicate your whole life, and to inspire hundreds of others to come on board and help out.

Route climb for Mt Everest

If you want to climb Mt Everest, you need to find a guide who will take you in the footsteps of those who went before. But if you want to establish a self-sustaining network of independent schools in East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi), you have to define the path as you go, each step of the way. No one has done this before. You discover the challenges and dead-ends as you go along.

Educating bright children builds a future for individuals, families, communities and countries who are humbled by even the most modest dreams.

So, I want to encourage you not to be shy. I want to encourage you to dare to dream that this big, scary goal is achievable. The more of us who are dreaming this dream, the more brightly it will shine and the more strongly it will beckon.



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To capture hearts and minds

Nothing captures hearts and minds as much as seeing a single person take on an awesome challenge. And the whole game lifts to another level when that challenge reaches out to others. Sports people take on great physical challenges to rise to peak performance and be better than others, and that is inspiring. But when someone pours all their talents and resources into establishing an education network in East Africa, it is more than inspiring – it captures our hearts and minds.

Sydney Morning Herald feature: 5 May 2007

Gemma's mission to fight poverty through education has been in the news here in Oz because of the book launch tour for St Jude's. Radio, TV and major newspapers have featured her and given her story their support. Last Saturday, the Sydney Morning Herald presented a major feature article, Lessons of Hope. The feature is entirely positive and it is clear that St Jude's has captured the heart and mind of Linda Morris who wrote the article.

So, be prepared to lose your heart and mind to the best aid project in Africa. Send your support and be part of this inspiring challenge. Fighting poverty through education.




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Gemma talks up a storm!

Gemma is still on the talk-trail – talking up a storm!

Gemma Sisia

The ABC has an interview with her online, from their 'Conversation' program in Brisbane. Their website says....

Gemma Sisia is a woman with an outrageous amount of energy. With $10 in her bank account, the former Guyra farm girl set up a school in Tanzania for poor but bright African children. Gemma found sponsors and supporters in Australia, and literally helped build the school - brick by brick - on an idyllic piece of land at the foot of Mount Meru in Tanzania. She named the school 'St Jude's' after the patron saint of lost causes - but in fact the school is a huge success, bringing a decent modern education to 890 kids who would otherwise be doing manual labour. She's written about her amazing experiences in her book called, simply, St Jude's.

Gemma's childhood, growing up on the farm with seven brothers, equipped her well for the daily challenges she faces in Africa. "I was expected to do everything," she recalls, "from mustering sheep to land-marking to even crutching sheep. Mum and Dad brought all of us up to never give up; anything's do-able - you can start anything if you really put your mind to it, but nothing will succeed without hard work...

"Before I went to Africa originally I did this two week 'how to integrate into a third world country' course. Absolute waste of time! If anyone wants to work in Africa, they should go to TAFE and do a mechanics course, a plumbing course... Thank God I was brought up on a far! All the days I was with Dad helping with the tractor, laying down the polythene pipe pumping water... All this stuff I learned has really come in handy!"

At St Jude's, Gemma's busy day starts at 7.30am. "I go through all my emails, then the school buses start coming in. We have 18, with all the kids and teachers...

"School starts at 8.30. Then I have a spike near my desk - if anyone needs any materials, painters/electricians, hey put it on my spike. I can't talk to anyone! If they want something in town they stick it on the spike, then once or twice a week I take my spike into town... Then [I] come back... [have] meetings with teachers... I meet once a week with the head of the Masai guard and head cook, cleaner, gardener. Every three minutes probably [I wear] a different hat."

Gemma has a small army of people helping her, however. "We've got a melting pot of nationalities, religions, money backgrounds, beliefs, senses of humour. In my office alone, my sponsorship co-ordinator is German, the accountant is French... [we have an] Irish visitor co-ordinator because everyone gets along with the Irish!"

Gemma's thrilled with the school's success. "Every year [we get] 200 new kids... With that, more bus drivers, more cooks and cleaners, 12 or 13 more teachers. It sounds very romantic and really exciting but actually, it is so hard! It is by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The last five years have taken more out of me than my whole life put together, but I wouldn't do anything else. I wouldn't be able to find anything as challenging or rewarding and when you do get the wonderful academic results that we've been getting, and the knowledge that these kids are definitely going to lead Tanzania in the future - well then, it makes it all worth it."

You can listen to the program as Gemma talks with Richard Fidler by going to the ABC website and downloading the audio file.

This fantastic education project in one of the poorest countries is very well run. Gemma has a close eye on every detail, and she has a large vision for the future. Don't hold back from giving your support.




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The book launch was great!

Just as I was trying to squeeze my car into a too-small spot after circling the streets several times, the car in front moved off and I just slipped in! A good omen for the Sydney book launch for Gemma’s book St Jude’s last night. Gemma must have signed more than 300 books!

Gemma's amazing mother is helping on this book launch tour

On a wet night in Sydney (hurray!!!), about 250-300 people attended the book launch, and many of us bought several copies of St Jude’s. We got one for ourselves and one for Hal’s daughter.

Book signing went smoothly with the assistance of champagne, Pan Macmillan’s rep, and happy good will from people waiting in queues.

I introduced myself to Gemma as the crazy lady with the blog – she knew me straight away and earmarked me for a job! I couldn’t be happier.

After snacking, drinking, buying books and getting them signed, we went off to a newly painted auditorium with its heritage architectural features to listen to Gemma give an outline of current activities at the school. I’ll share bits and pieces over the next few days, as they come to me. In the meantime, check out the schmoozing, Sydney-style.

Excellent nibbles – the home-made cheesy biscuits were my favourite!

Catching up with friends getting more books signed!

Today is Anzac Day in Australia. The US equivalent is Veterans Day. Here it is a public holiday and is marked by commemorative services in every town and city. Every small town has its war memorial and every town has a service on Anzac Day.

I remember when I was a small girl living in a small country town, I was a Brownie (a junior Girl Guide) and we were involved in the commemorative service at the town war memorial. In a small-town kind of way, they rounded up anyone in uniform (Boy Scouts and Girl Guides were good!) and created a ceremony that usually involved wreath-laying, playing the last post, and a minute of silence to remember those who gave their lives in defence of their country.

In the big cities, the Anzac Day marches are huge, closing down the city centre for half a day. For hours, the veterans or their descendants, march with pipe bands or brass bands or military bands along streets lined with people waving flags and holding sprigs of rosemary – for remembrance.

So, today my gratitude is large for those who died and suffered to defend this country that I love. And, as I woke to the sound of steady, gentle rain, I can't help be glad that we have had several days of rain.



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Too many good causes

What triggers us to help a worthwhile cause? How do we choose which cause to help? I often notice that people support a cause because of a personal connection. A sister has breast cancer, so they raise funds for the Cancer Council; their child has an accident, so they support the burns unit of the hospital. Mel Gibson gave $US1mill to his old school, NIDA.


I became interested in the School of St Jude after seeing the TV program ‘Australian Story’ featuring Gemma Sisia. This was an entirely new direction for me. I had never paid much attention to Africa because India has always been the country that caught my imagination. I travelled through India in my early 20s as I went overland Katmandu to London. I enjoy Indian culture, artefacts, music and spiritual writings. And India has been poor enough to call our assistance.

A few years ago, Ross Gittins, economics editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, wrote about the ‘Africanisation’ of poverty. This opened my eyes to the shifting landscape and I became more aware of Africa. Then the Millennium Development Goals were formulated and the picture became clearer for me. So, when I became ready to give in a more substantial way, it was Africa that called me. Clearly the need is greatest there.

I am filled with hope that severe poverty can be eliminated in my lifetime. Before the Industrial Revolution, most people in the world, including today’s developed countries, lived a survival existence of short lifespans, high infant mortality, low literacy, and chronic illness. Only one hundred years ago, the British soldiers who fought WWI were so markedly under-nourished that they were inches shorter than Australians soldiers.

We forget that our developed countries have travelled this same path only very recently. If it was possible for us, it can be possible for Africa. Tanzania is working on better governance and improved infrastructure. The Tanzanian government is pouring all the resources it can get hold of from its own taxes and from aid (official and private) into health, education and infrastructure.

Your assistance of the School of St Jude will help these bright children from the poorest families and also help the country as a whole as it climbs onto the first rung of the ladder to prosperity.



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International Womens Day

March 8 is International Women’s Day, so I would like to acknowledge four women who are using their talent and energy to help others.

First, of course, there is the remarkable Gemma Sisia, visionary and founder of the School of St Jude.


Gemma was a ‘mere slip of a girl’ in her 20s when she took the first steps towards establishing the school. Under her care, it is growing by about 150 students a year. In time, it will serve 2,500 children from kindergarten to Yr 12. Just running a quality school in one of the poorest countries in the world is challenging, but this school is entirely supported by fund-raising. Last year the budget was AU$1million – a testament to her talent, determination, persuasiveness and good sense!

Michaelle Jean is the Governor General of Canada and what a remarkable voice she brings to this prominent role. For International Womens Day, she chose to travel to Afghanistan, to bring attention to the needs of women who are enduring the difficult circumstances of life in a broken country.

Michaelle Jean with President Karzai on 8 March 2007

Throughout these dark, terrible years, I often imagined the terror of their daily lives and I cried out inside with indignation for all those who could not. For me and for so many others, the hand they were dealt was unacceptable. To attack the dignity of women is to fly in the face of life itself; it is to make a mockery of humanity. Still today, Afghan women face harsh realities on a daily basis. I know that less than 10 per cent of Afghan women give birth with a qualified person present, and that these dangerous conditions are responsible for over 50 per cent of the deaths of Afghan women of child-bearing age. As a mother, it pains me to know that the infant mortality rate in Afghanistan is close to 20 per cent.

I am here, with Afghan women, to tell them myself how convinced I am that we need to take action on their behalf, while remaining respectful of their needs and aspirations.

Meryl Streep has achieved the height of her profession and become world famous in the process.


Here she is with Nancy Birdsall and Geeta Rao Gupta as a special guest at the gala event presented by the International Center for Research on Women to commemorate International Womens Day 2007. In this role she lent her name and support to causes that help women in the poorest countries. A lunch with Meryl topped the bids at the auction. The lunch will reflect Meryl’s grounded life – she said the menu will include her own home-made egg salad sandwiches. She is a great role model for women everywhere.

My fourth woman-of-note is Queen Rania of Jordan who I have mentioned before. She has taken up the fine legacy of Queen Noor to walk the world stage and speak out for the needs of women, especially poor women. She is an important voice for Islamic moderates.

Empowering women today is, perhaps, the single greatest legacy we can bestow upon our children. Our daughters, watching in admiration, will be inspired to emulate our initiatives and excel in their chosen fields. Our sons, proud of the positive changes they see not only in their families but also in society, will recognize the value of empowering women. Ultimately, we will all benefit from a more cohesive and active global community, renowned for respecting each other and proud of the strong foundations it has built, together.

..............

Countries of Africa Challenge. I did it again today and this time I got 40! Dramatic improvement, eh? This time I remembered Algeria (no way I was going to forget it again!), but I forgot Uganda! – which I got yesterday. Good thing that ‘tomorrow is another day’, to quote Scarlet O’Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’!




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Book launch in April 2007

Gemma Sisia’s book ‘St Jude’s’ tells the story of her lively childhood with seven older brothers and how she came to establish the School of St Jude.


All book shops around Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will be selling the book, however if you are not from one of these countries then you can email the School on schoolofstjude [at] habari.co.tz to order a copy. The School will sell the book for $33 and this price includes a free DVD about the school. Proceeds from the book will go directly to the school.

However, if you are from Australia, then it would be great if you could buy your book(s) from one of the many "Friends of St Jude's" functions which will be held around Australia late April/early May. If you do, then you will still receive a free DVD with each copy bought, along with the knowledge of the fact that the proceeds from the book will go directly to the school.

Sydney – Tues 24th April
Brisbane – Thurs 26th April
Melbourne – Mon 30th April
Adelaide Tues – 1St May
Perth Thurs – 3rd May

Gemma's story is as inspiring as her life! The ABC's Australian Story episode about Gemma was selected for the 'Best Of' showcase that went to air a second time. So, I expect that the book will be a good read, and a good gift for friends with a lively curiosity about the world.

Can't wait! Think I'll have to, though.



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Every day

Every year, every month, every day is a challenging new adventure at the School of St Jude. The remarkable thing is that this school is run by people who have never done this before. It is growing at such a rapid rate that Gemma and the staff stand in the face of unknowns every day.

The skills learnt in running a four classroom school a couple of years ago need to be extended and adapted to run the 30 classroom school that operates this year.

New classroom with desks and chairs ready for January 2007

Fortunately, Gemma has strong planning skills. Since starting the school, she has gradually built up the leadership team so that now, in 2007, she has little to do with day to day aspects of the academic side of the school. Every Wednesday she meets with staff and on Fridays she meets with the leaders of the school.
Other than that, the day-to-day running of the school is done by the leadership team.

2007 Leadership Team

From left we have Mr Nick (Head of Computers Department), Mr Koringo (Head of Mathematics), Sr Wanyaga (Head of Music, Art, Library, PE and RE), Sitting on the swing is the Academic Master of the entire school, Mr Nestory, and on his right is Miss Diana (Head of Kiswahili), Miss Belinda (Head of Science), Mr Sebastian (Head of Social Studies), Mr Peter (Deputy of the school), Mr Didas (Head of English), Miss Coletha (Head of the Jr School), Miss Husna (Assistant Academic Head) and squatting in the front is Mr Ben (Deputy of the school).

In the front of the picture are Mr George and Mr Rasul who are training to be leaders for the new campus at Usa River that will open in 2008. Gemma is thinking ahead so that the new campus will have the buildings and the staff to serve new classes.

Join the team of supporters and watch this amazing project grow from strength to strength. You can add your support by making a small donation through the Chipin donation tool at the top of the page. Or you can go to the School website to sponsor a child, a bus, a teacher, a computer, or anything else!



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Footprints – are yours too big?

A footprint is the mark we leave behind – a sign that we were here.

WB Yeats said, “Tread lightly because you tread on my dreams.”

The future is a dream, a possibility that is created by our actions now. We need to be intentional if we are to build the future we want, if we are to bring dreams to reality.

A bright future is not our birthright, it is just one of the many alternatives that lie in front of us and our children.

Gemma's book will be published in April

Gemma Sisia grew up with the glimmer of hope that she might live her life in Africa and contribute towards breaking the cycle of enduring poverty. She took steps into the unknown, unsure how to bring this dream to reality. Now, she find that she is living the reality in Tanzania and, with the help of world-wide hundreds of people, her footprint will be large and confident.

An environmental footprint describes how much land is required to maintain a lifestyle. People who live very simply require very few resources and their environmental footprint is small. People in the affluent West, who have plenty of food, good transport and leisure for holidays leave large footprints.

When we add up all the environmental footprints – the too-small footprints of the millions living in extreme poverty, and the too-big footprints of the millions living in comfort – we can see how much of the Earth’s resources are being used.

What if everyone lived your lifestyle? Is the planet big enough to support everyone?

You can check out the size of your footprint at Ecofoot. Their handy gadget will do the calculations for you and show how many global hectacres are needed to sustain your lifestyle. And how many planets would we need if everyone lived like you do.

Some things will need to change if we are to bring about a bright future for all of us.

I think I’ll start today, with one small thing. I’ll leave the car at home.



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Rain!

After a devastating drought in 2005-2006 that brought the country to its knees, late rains have filled the dams enough to give hope that electricity supplies will soon return to normal. It will take more rain to restore the confidence of farmers and give the country the farming production it needs for economic growth.

The drought and power cuts led the government to revise its 2006 gross domestic product growth forecast to 5.9% from an earlier 7.3%.

With the return of more certain electricity supplies, the School of St Jude won’t need to rely so heavily on its diesel generators, and will get some relief from the $8,000 per month fuel bills.

Here's Gemma with two of her constant companions – Amiri, the head groundsman in charge of all the building stores and Amani, our fulltime electrician, who has the tough job of keeping the school ‘switched on’ in a country with an atrocious power supply.

How many schools have a full-time electrician to keep things working? I guess that this is just one of the many wonderful differences about the School of St Jude.

I keep thinking about solar power. How effective is it in the Arusha district? Are there local suppliers? Can sponsorship help to provide solar power at both campuses? I need to find out more.

Amazing ability!

You should check out the December newsletter for Kim’s account of all the astonishing activities at the school in that single month!

This is a great newsletter because Kim is able to give us a picture of the remarkable capacities of Gemma to organise and encourage her large and growing team of staff, volunteers, parents, students and supporters.

Lunch for 2,400? No worries!

She certainly has a talent for running major events. The final school assembly was astonishing! 2,400 people were transported, seated, presented with awards and then fed!

School Assembly December 2006

Kim says that lists and schedules had been drawn up well in advance to include teams of workers involving every single person on the school grounds (even a chap who’d just wandered in to visit a friend for lunch) and preparations had been going on since lunchtime the day before when a thousand chairs had been placed in lines beside the hall to supplement the benches inside, a bus load of bananas was peeled, mountains of cabbages chopped, 350 kgs of meat diced, hundreds of tomatoes, capsicums, onions and carrots sliced, vats of water boiled, serving tables arranged, food bowls stacked, napkins prepared and the school grounds mowed and raked.

Gemma fosters a cooperative spirit in all the school’s activities. This is one of the core values that are transmitted by the school. There is such a good vibe about this place that people just WANT to be part of it. Kim says –

The most rewarding part of the whole procedure was watching the incredible team work as EVERY member of the staff pitched in and did his or her bit – drivers worked with heads of academic departments to chop tomatoes; the brickies served coleslaw with the security guards. And while teachers joined the gardeners to ladle out the cooked bananas, students stood with visiting Rotarians to offer soap and water for hand washing. Every person was vital to the success of the day … and it truly was a huge success. Not only did everyone have a meal within 15 minutes but there was time and enough for seconds!

The rewards of your contribution are massive. These children and their parents know through and through the life-changing value of the education offered at the school. Here is a mother of one of the 200 children who were accepted into the school in December.

A joyful mother hugs her newly-equipped daughter

What a smile! This small child is at the beginning of a wonderful journey that carries future hopes for her whole family. A lot rests on her shoulders. But with the support of her family, the school and supporters world-wide, she will realise her potential and break the cycle of grinding poverty that passes from generation to generation.

Right place for your talents

What would Winston Churchill have been without WWII? Just another ho-hum politician with a very mixed record. Who would have known that he had the ability to hold a nation together through its darkest years?

Churchill on Life cover (photo: Yousuf Karsch)

In a way, he was fortunate that his life presented the conditions that allowed his talents to flourish to their fullest extent. How many of us find that our life circumstances do not match our talents? We will never realise our full potential, and the world will not benefit from our abilities, if we don’t seek out the conditions where our talents can be used.

Gemma Sisia is one of the lucky ones. As the youngest of eight children (she has seven older brothers!) growing up on a sheep grazing property near Tamworth in NSW, it was highly likely that her talents would be used in her local community.

But, following her strong desire to help the poorest of the poor, one thing led to another and she now finds herself running a large school in Africa. What would Gemma Sisia be without the School of St Jude? Just another energetic school teacher in country NSW? It’s hard to imagine!
While it cannot be said that Churchill fostered WWII in order to exercise his talents, I can see that Gemma has created the conditions where her considerable talents can flourish. I wonder how much further they will develop? The story is still unfolding.

The result of Winston Churchill’s talents and efforts was the endurance of Britain in its finest hour – the survival of the nation and its culture.

The result of Gemma’s talents and efforts (so far!) is the excellent education provided to hundreds of bright children from poor families. Just as England may have failed without the massive talents of Churchill at the helm, so these children would be condemned to the ongoing cycle of poverty that is perpetuated when children grow up illiterate and unskilled.

Kindergarten class performance for St Jude's Day

So, if you find yourself wondering what particular field is needed for your particular talents to flourish, consider how you might lend them to the task of helping one of the poorest countries in the world climb out of the tragedy of extreme poverty.

You can find out more about Churchill at Wikipedia and The Churchill Centre.

It is not really surprising that Churchill was voted the greatest-ever Briton in the 2002 BBC poll the 100 Greatest Britons, but did you know that he won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature for his many books on English and world history!

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour." -- Speech delivered to the House of Commons on June 18, 1940 following the collapse of France.

Certificate of Excellence

In her October newsletter, Gemma described the recent government inspection of the school. It took THREE DAYS! Now that is thorough!

Heads of Department at School of St Jude

As I was eating breakfast, I got a message that there were three government school inspectors waiting outside the office! I dropped the toast and dashed to the office to be greeted by three very serious faces that dominated my life for the next few days. They had us running all over the school getting this document and that file. Bundles of lesson plans, schemes of work and logbooks were scrutinised; teachers lessons were appraised; inventories of every item in the school were demanded; assessment procedures and reports were checked and every work contract was looked at. Even the after school extra-curricular club objectives were inspected (though I don’t know what they made of the ‘Girl Guides’ report on the sleep-over in the school hall!) No folder, file or fingernail clipping was left unturned in the whole school!

It was exhausting for everyone involved but thanks to the great team effort of all the teachers, drivers, cooks, cleaners, guards, groundsmen and the administration of the school, we were able to achieve a “Grade 1 Certificate of Excellence in Performance” - the highest grade achievable! The inspectors wrote a glowing report about the school and mentioned that when they have government officials from the Ministry of Education in Dar es Salaam visiting, they would like to bring them out to see the school. It was a remarkable award for everyone involved in the school and well deserved as every worker associated with the school puts in 100% effort. And, of course, we share this with all of you who have given so much of your time, energy, money and support to help us achieve this.

I get a sense that things are coming together in Tanzania in important ways that will lay strong foundations for a better future. Schools like St Jude's, started by one skilled and dedicated person, supported by hundreds who care, can do more than give jobs and training to hundreds of locals while educating hundreds of the poorest children. A well-run school can be a model to others and encourage better practice throughout the education system.

Fantastic job Gemma! I think we're ready to go the next round with you.

School founder

Who is the driving force behind the School of St Jude? The founder who has triggered this focus of generosity from First World countries is Australian woman Gemma Sisia. She has dreamed up this project and runs it in a way that makes 100s of people just want to get behind it.



The Melbourne Age newspaper wrote this about Gemma in September 2006.

"Sisia’s journey to Africa began after she graduated from Melbourne University with degrees in science and education in the early 1990s. Instead of settling for a comfortable life as a teacher in her home country, she set off for Uganda to volunteer in a school run by nuns. After three years she came home to a teaching job and used part of her salary — along with regular monthly donations from family and friends — to pay for the education of Ugandan children who would otherwise not be able to go to school.

"Winnie, the first girl she helped, is now a lawyer who this year opened her own office in Kampala. But frustrated by the inadequacies of being involved from a distance, Sisia decided to take a more active role in these children’s lives. It wasn’t all about work. She had fallen in love with Africa, and with the man who is now her husband and father of her two young sons — Richard Sisia, the Tanzanian who led a safari she and a friend went on when she worked in Uganda. ]

"Encouraged by Richard’s father — a village chairman who offered her a small parcel of land on which to build a school — Sisia began the project that now dominates her life.

"The idea seemed so preposterous that she named it after St Jude, the patron saint of hopeless cases. "A girl from the Australian bush trying to build a school in Tanzania — that’s a serious hopeless case, isn’t it?" she says.

"Those who share her religious beliefs might say Gemma Sisia’s prayers were answered. The school, housed in solid brick buildings, now educates 700. She has mobilised squadrons of volunteers, including a team of builders from NSW who were among the first to give up their holidays to make the school a reality.

"And she’s employed and trained scores of Tanzanians, from teachers to bus drivers to cooks and builders. Even the pristine school uniforms are sewn by local women.

"Along the way, this young woman with the calm and friendly manner, who grew up with six brothers on a farm in NSW and learned early to take risks, has won respect in the region. Sisia now calls Africa home, but she says: "I’ll always be an outsider."

"She is clear-sighted enough to realise that to be really effective, St Jude’s must be an African enterprise. She’s training local teachers and administrators for leadership — all heads of department are Tanzanians — and defers to a parents’ committee when dealing with family problems."

The sidebar links to the full story.

In just four years, the school has grown from 4 students to 700. It takes in an additional 170 students each year and builds classrooms for them. Gemma is thinking ahead so she can have a secondary school for her students when they finish primary school – the oldest class is Year 5 this year.

And when you take in only kids from the poorest families, (if families have more than two rooms houses, or have electricity, or have glass windows, their kids don't qualify for St Jude's) how do you help those kids to achieve excellence in school? Well, one thing you do if you are Gemma Sisia is set up a Monday-Friday boarding house for the really vulnerable ones. A local order of nuns, the Sisters of the Oblates of the Assumption will run it in conjunction with the school.

Gemma says, "The more I spend time with them, the more I am convinced that they are just the right people to be assisting us – their care and concern and eagerness to participate show just as much as their intelligence and wisdom in this area. It’s a great relief to have these wonderful women sharing our plans. Many thanks to the Sisters for taking on this massive project with us!"

You can make a massive contribution to the Millenium Goal of ending world poverty by adding your support to this well-run school that is providing excellent education and care for 100s of the worlds poorest children.