Colleen O'Hara spoke on The School of St Jude in Tanzania.
Gemma Sisia graduated with a Dip. Ed. in Armidale NSW and in 1995 flew to Uganda and on safari to Tanzania. Returning home Gemma opened a bank account to pay for the education of a student, then with donations from Rotary started a East Africa Fund.
In 2002, opened The School of St Jude with 3 students and a big dream to provide a free, high quality education to children living in poverty. Today St Jude's is a pioneering leader in charitable education within Africa, educating 1,800 students across three primary and secondary campuses, achieving among the top results in the region, and support hundreds of graduates through tertiary education.
In Tanzania 74% of children will not be enrolled in secondary education, an adult averages 5.8 years of schooling.
70% of the population live on les than $2 a day with over 12 million Tanzanians living in poverty. Education can lift an entire population out of poverty, creating stable and growing economies. For every year of education a child receives, their adult earnings can increase by an average of 10%.
80% 0f St Jude's graduates' families overcome extreme poverty.
St Jude's empower their students to transform their community, challenge the status quo and find solutions for the 12 million Tanzanians living in poverty.
