When Angel first walked through the gates of The School of St Jude, she was a bright student with big dreams but few resources. Thanks to the generosity of donors and sponsors, she gained not just a quality education but the confidence and tools to lead change.

Her journey began in 2017, when she and her friend Sharon shared a love for science and innovation. Their first major creation, a simple yet life-changing electric stick for the visually impaired, took them to the Project Inspire boot camp in Dodoma. That experience sparked a lifelong commitment to using innovation for good.

A year later, their banana peel fertilizer project took them to Science Week at the Nelson Mandela Institute of Science and Technology, where future African scientists, engineers and leaders learn to solve local challenges and drive progress across the region. By the time they reached A Level, Angel and Sharon were leading environmental initiatives on campus, from maintaining green spaces to inspiring fellow students to think sustainably.

Out of this passion, Angel founded ECHO Elevating Climate Harmony Ontime, a youth-led non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on tackling climate change. In 2024, ECHO made history by winning the prestigious Humanitarian Excellence Award from the I CAN Foundation, triumphing over entries from all 28 Indian states and more than 80 competitors worldwide.

The award recognized ECHO’s tangible impact on:

• Tree Planting Initiative, growing from 100 to 500 members, each planting 10 trees annually, with a goal of 20,000 trees by 2026
• Water Bodies Cleaning Initiative, restoring rivers and lakes to protect biodiversity and support local communities.

Now back in Tanzania after completing her studies in India, Angel is determined to bring her expertise home and is designing solar-powered cooling systems for farmers, developing sustainable irrigation, and building climate resilience in vulnerable communities.

Angel’s story is your story too. Without your generosity, this young leader might never have had the chance to dream this big, let alone inspire change on a global stage. Your support is not just educating students. It is equipping them to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

When Joseph joined St Jude’s in 2018 as a Form 1 student, he never predicted that a simple break-time conversation with friends would spark a passion that would shape his future.

“A group of students were talking about Java, a programming tool I’d never heard of. I’m the kind of person who looks things up if I don’t understand them. So, I went to the library and started reading everything I could about computers,” recalls Joseph, who graduated in the Class of 2024.

Before joining St Jude’s, Joseph completed his primary education at a local government school in Arusha, where computers were something he’d only ever seen from afar.

“I had never even touched a computer before coming to St Jude’s. I’d only seen them in movies and on screens, where they looked really cool. I just fell in love with them,” he says.

Eager to learn more, Joseph began teaching himself the basics of programming, using every resource he could find in the school library.

“The books I was reading were all in English, and I was still learning the language at that time. But I just kept going. I really fell in love with it and continued to teach myself,” he says.

Fast forward to today, and Joseph’s passion has come full circle. As part of his Community Service Year (CSY) - where Form 6 graduates have the opportunity to take part in a year of community service - he is volunteering in St Jude’s Corporate Applications team, using his skills to tackle real-world challenges and help improve internal systems at the school.

One of his most impressive contributions has been the development of an automatic system that tracks and manages government parking fees; a crucial task for St Jude’s, which operates a fleet of more than 30 vehicles.

“When the school buses park outside the school, the government charges a parking fee. Previously, staff had to manually check each plate number online to calculate the monthly charges. This was a time-consuming job, especially with so many vehicles to manage,” explains Joseph.

Now, thanks to his innovation, the system now automatically retrieves all St Jude’s bus plate numbers from the government portal and generates a report – saving valuable time and reducing the risk of errors.

 “We’ve been improving it based on feedback. I keep refining it with input from the team. I’m now working on how to store the data for the records,” adds Joseph.

With his CSY wrapping up in July, Joseph has his sights set on tertiary studies in computer science or financial technology, with plans to eventually merge the two fields.

 “The CSY program has been amazing. I’m learning so much, and it’s opened up a lot of opportunities," he says.

“Doing CSY at the place where my passion for computers began, and being able to give back using the skills I’ve developed from my time here, is very rewarding. I’m excited for what the future will bring.”

A group of St Jude’s students and alumni recently participated in Arusha Innovation Week, joining changemakers across the region to tackle real-world challenges with bold ideas. Among them was David, an alum who won first place in the event’s prestigious pitching competition for his award-winning innovation - organic fertilisers made from human hair - earning him a spot at the national finals in Dar es Salaam this month.

• How did it feel to win first place at the pitching at Arusha Innovation Week?

Really great! I was very happy when they announced I had won. I love what I’m doing and I’m always thinking about ways I can share it with more people. There were 13 people in the pitching competition. We each did a two-minute pitch in front of the panel. I prepared a pitch deck the day before. The same event also happened in many regions across Tanzania, and all the regional winners will meet in Dar es Salaam for the final competition on 12 May. 

• What do you think is the key to delivering a successful pitch? 

Make sure you connect with both the audience and the panel. You can do this by having a strong opening that makes your pitch stand out. I do this by starting with a question or coming up with an engaging opening line. This gets their attention immediately. I also talk about the most important thing first as time is limited. The rest of the information can always be put into the Q&A.

• What was the most exciting and memorable part of the competition experience?

 
So many things!I loved seeing everybody’s different ideas. The audience was full of innovation experts, and I got to meet them all afterwards. I was also so happy to see people supporting young innovators. Young people need a platform to show their ideas.

• What are you most looking forward to about the next stage in Dar es Salaam?

There is going to be a big space to exhibit everyone’s ideas, and we will get to meet lots of people from different organisations and institutions. It’s also being held in the same place where, seven years ago, we competed in a national science competition after showcasing this very project at St Jude’s Science Fair. There, we came second among secondary schools from across Tanzania. So, it’s going to be a very full-circle moment.

• We recently had St Jude’s Science Fair in April. What advice would you give to young aspiring innovators? 

As a young mind, you have to think of future problems. Try to identify the problems that people might face in the future, not just the ones we see today. And keep going! You’ll always be happy waking up to something you love doing.

From a young age, Zacharia aspired to work hard so that one day, he could support his mother and siblings. He put a lot of effort into his studies and greatly improved his academic performance until he became one of the top students in class. His hard work eventually paid off and Zacharia was invited to apply for a scholarship at St Jude’s. 

“And the rest was history,” says Zacharia with a smile. “St Jude’s was like no other school I had seen before. I immediately knew this place would have a lasting impact on me,” he adds.  

Zacharia completed his primary school education at a government school and joined St Jude’s for secondary school. Coming from a government school, he was initially fascinated by the resources and opportunities available at St Jude’s. Zacharia continued his hardworking spirit at St Jude’s where he spent the next six years. In his free time, he tried his hand at different sports and extracurricular activities.

“I have plenty of good memories from my time at St Jude,” says Zacharia. “Some of my best experiences were serving as the Entertainment Prefect and participating in career and science fairs,” he adds enthusiastically. 

After six years at St Jude’s, Zacharia graduated Form 6 with St Jude’s inaugural class of 2015.

In Tanzania, secondary school education is divided into two levels: the first four years are called Ordinary Level (O Level) studies; from Form 1 to Form 4, and the final two years of Advanced Level (A Level) studies; Form 5 and 6. According to a 2017 UNESCO report, only 12% of students who start secondary school in Form 1 complete Form 4, with poverty being one of the main factors for the high dropouts. At St Jude’s, on the other hand, 100% of students who start secondary school in Form 1 complete Form 4, and 100% of the students that choose to continue onto A Level completeing Form 6. 

“Graduating Form 6 was a proud moment for me and my family,” reflects Zacharia. “In addition to my academic qualification, I have acquired valuable connections, practical skills and knowledge that are useful to this day,” he adds. 

Zacharia was one of the first students to join the Beyond St Jude’s Scholarship Program (BSJSP) for Form 6 students. As part of the BSJSP, graduates participate in a year of community service, volunteering to teach at understaffed government schools or at various non-teaching placements within St Jude’s. Those who successfully complete their community service placement are then eligible to receive a Tertiary scholarship to pursue their first higher education qualification; enabling them to become the future professionals that their country needs.

“I spent the next year after my graduation volunteering at one of the public schools in Arusha,” shares Zacharia. “It was a fulfilling experience that enabled me to share the skills and experience that I acquired at St Jude’s,” he adds passionately. 

Zacharia now holds a bachelor’s degree in building economics from one of Tanzania’s top universities. He is also an aspiring entrepreneur who is currently building his real estate business. Zacharia has fulfilled his lifelong dream of supporting his family: he has renovated his home, pays for his siblings’ tuition fees, and routinely supports his mother financially. He is living proof of our alumni fighting poverty through education.

Every year, St Jude’s conducts health checks for all 1,800 students across its three schools. Health checks help the school identify any health issues of our students and any special adjustments they may need, ultimately, enhancing their overall school experience, well-being, and academic excellence.

Guiding this process is a team of international volunteers who spend two weeks each year at St Jude’s conducting various checks on students. With diverse backgrounds and expertise, these volunteers bring fresh and valuable experience and knowledge to improve students’ health.

We recently caught up with Omega, a St Jude’s alum who volunteered for this year’s health checks. Omega currently works as a radiologist at one of Arusha’s largest hospitals.

What inspired you to join the Health Check team?

One day, I met Gemma at the hospital where I work. We talked and she asked if I was interested in volunteering as part of a health team that was coming to St Jude’s. I was excited at the opportunity and promptly applied for it.   

How did it feel coming back to St Jude’s as part of the Health Check team?

It was a wonderful experience. I had the opportunity to work alongside a diverse team of medical professionals. We had plenty of meaningful conversations and I got to know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes during the health checks.

What did you enjoy most from health checks as a student?

The whole experience was great and a lot of fun. We would ask the team lots of questions and sometimes they brought us treats such as candy.

Did you always want to get into the medical field?

My childhood dream was to join the military. I began exploring other interests as I grew older and ultimately settled for a career in the medical field. It’s been a fulfilling journey ever since.

How would you describe your experience in one word?

Amazing! I’d love to do it again in the future! 

In Tanzania, only approximately 30% of adolescent girls are enrolled in secondary education. The dropout rate is due to a complex set of circumstances, so, to do our part in supporting girls’ choices, St Jude’s introduced a clear strategy to encourage the education and empowerment of girls at the school and tertiary levels.

St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School

The biggest milestone of St Jude’s strategic plan, to encourage women in education, was opening St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary School in January 2020. The purpose of opening this new facility was to grant even more females the opportunity for free, quality education. The new school particularly encourages female students to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects for it’s recognized that more Tanzanian women leaders are needed in these fields.

By opening the girls’ secondary school, St Jude’s was able to offer more scholarships to female students in Form 1.

In Tanzania’s schooling system, there are three key stages. The first is primary school which comprises of seven years education from Standard 1 to 7. Then there is secondary school, with Ordinary Level (O Level) studies going from Form 1 to Form 4, and Advanced Level (A-Level) studies from Form 5 to 6.

As of 2022, the Standard 1 and 2 intake of girls was 75% which is a milestone to celebrate. Also, when it comes to national figures for women in tertiary education, the female-to-male ratio is approximately 1-to-28. However, at St Jude’s the ratio is equal to one female for every male studying at university.

Female Empowerment

At St Jude’s, females are encouraged to participate in healthy competition with their male counterparts. This can be seen with the National Examination results of 2022 where the females outperformed their male counterparts. Female students are also actively participating in extracurricular activities where they can develop 21st-century soft-skills.

One such female student, Even Ernest Mbise, participated in the Mathlete competition hosted by Strathmore University in Kenya. The team comprised of herself and five other male students. Up against many other schools, the St Jude’s team came first in the competition, with Even coming in sixth place for the individual scoring. This inspirational story of female empowerment is one of many at The School of St Jude.

At St Jude’s, education is seen as the key to a promising future for students and in creating the future leaders of tomorrow for the community. The focus on empowering females to receive an education and pursue their ambitions has a far-reaching impact throughout the entire country.

At The School of St Jude, the significant impact entrepreneurship has on a community and a nation is widely acknowledged. Students that show potential in either innovative or social entrepreneurship are encouraged and nurtured by the school. This is demonstrated by the statistical data that tell a story of how the entrepreneurial graduates of St Jude’s have contributed to the economic development and growth of their communities.

Over the last four years, 30 businesses have been successfully established by St Jude’s alumni, which has led to the creation of over 250 new employment opportunities and the mentorship of more than 2,000 people nationwide.

How does entrepreneurship benefit a nation?

St Jude’s recognizes that the significance of entrepreneurship extends beyond the business world. The three main roles entrepreneurship plays in society include accelerating economic growth, promoting innovation, and cultivating societal change.

1. Accelerating Economic Growth

At St Jude’s, it is understood that entrepreneurship ventures can act as the wheel of the nation’s economic growth. The acceleration of economic development results from the conception of new products or services that stimulate new employment opportunities. These new jobs are generally entry-level positions that are valuable to unskilled job searchers. It provides new opportunities for these members of the community to become skilled professionals which has a ripple effect on the economic growth of the entire nation.

2. Promoting Innovation

St Jude’s also has initiatives that encourage innovation at the school including the Science Day where students showcase the innovative projects they have been working on. It is important to stimulate innovation as it plays a major role in solving either technological or societal problems the community faces

3. Cultivating societal change

By introducing new or improved products or services, entrepreneurs have the potential to leverage underutilized resources in effective and beneficial ways while bettering the welfare of their communities.

The Green Venture

In December 2015, St Jude’s alumni Edmund Tarimo founded Green Venture. This initiative aims to address the problem of plastic waste by using innovative technologies to turn the waste into durable building materials. Hence the fitting slogan Transforming Trash Into Treasure.

Edmund first had his idea and presented it to the St Jude’s Science Day and the idea blossomed into a successful, impactful business it is today. He began this initiative in Arusha, Tanzania. He was motivated by the complex societal issues of displacement and plastic waste that resulted from his witnessing floods in Dar Es Salaam when he was fifteen years old. The floods destroyed 700 mud houses and displaced all the residents. His entrepreneurial mindset led him to solving both the societal issues of plastic waste and displacement due to nondurable building materials. He achieved this by creating high-quality building products from plastic lumber, that is termite and water-resistant with higher tensile strength than typical wood. His entrepreneurial contribution to Tanzania won his initiative the “Best Circular Economy Business” title at the world’s largest green business challenge Climate Launch Pad in 2020.

All in all, St Jude’s supports and encourages entrepreneurship in students for it is recognized as having a positive impact on Tanzania’s economic development and societal growth. What’s more, social entrepreneurship finds innovative solutions to complex global societal challenges which ripple positive change extending beyond the Tanzanian borders and into the world.

After the students of St Jude’s have finished their schooling, they have the opportunity to either continue their studies at the tertiary or college level or opt to find jobs in their chosen professions. The school also developed the Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) Scholarship Program to assist students with pursuing their future aspirations. So where are they now?

Beyond St Jude’s

The Beyond St Jude’s Scholarship Program (BSJSP) has two main components; community service and higher education.  Graduates have the opportunity to apply for the BSJSP in Form or Form 6.

There are three key stages of schooling in Tanzania. It starts with seven years of primary school from Standard 1 to 7. Then four years of secondary school from Form 1 to Form 4 in Ordinary Level (O Level) studies. Lastly, students complete two more years of secondary school from Form 5 to 6 in Advanced Level (A Level) studies.

The first chance graduates can apply for BSJSP is the Alternative Path Program, which is an initiative that was created for Form 4 graduates who wish to take an alternative path to finishing their final two years of schooling. They participate in a Community Service Semester, before joining higher education in college to pursue diploma or certificate courses.

Our Form 6 graduates can apply for BSJSP and must successfully complete a Community Service Year (CSY) before they go on to access higher education through a Tertiary scholarship.

During community service component of the program, our graduates have the option of either giving back to their communities by teaching at government schools or they can volunteer to work with one of St Jude’s internal Head Office teams.

If students choose to volunteer internally with St Jude’s, they’ll gain valuable skills in areas such as marketing, communications and data analytics. The soft and hard skillsets they attain will prepare them for real-world professional settings and increase their chances of employability.

The students that volunteer to teach at government schools play a vital role in addressing the country’s problem of teacher shortages. On average, government school classes have 65 students to one teacher.

Since the inception of the community service initiative, over 100,000 government school students across 70 schools have experienced the far-reaching rippling effect of St Jude’s. It has also saved government schools over $1.3M in teachers' salaries.

Students at University or College

Since 2015, over 400 St Jude’s graduates have attended either university or college supported by the BSJSP. Those students that do not get a scholarship through Beyond St Jude’s will typically apply for external scholarships or government loans that will help support their pathway into tertiary education. In a country where only 8% of tertiary-aged young adults go to higher education, 97% of St Jude’s alumni that go on to study at the tertiary level; that is twelve times the national rate.

Since 2015, St Jude’s alumni have studied at 45 different universities within Tanzania and in 13 different countries spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Currently, alumni are studying in countries such as the United States, Botswana, Mauritius, Russia, Germany, Malaysia, Costa Rica and more. The fields of study include business, STEM, medicine, and agriculture.

The students abroad demonstrate high adaptability and tenacity in the face of adversity, such as Elibariki Ngitoria, who graduated from St Jude’s in 2015. Driven by his future aspiration of becoming a Doctor, Elibariki has been studying at Tula University in Russia where he had to learn Russian to be able to undertake a Bachelor of General Medicine. It is student stories such as his that inspire hope