School of St Jude

Growth path

2010-12-22T08:26:00.002+10:00

Here's a handy graph that shows how enrolments have grown since the School of St Jude started in 2002.

That's a steep growth path! What a lot of work there has been to give all these bright children an excellent education.

Supporters of School of St Jude

2010-12-20T10:56:00.002+10:00

The historian Stanley Payne talks about the different roles in the making of a revolutionary uprising and I thought that these types might apply to supporters of the School of St Jude. Here goes!

Ideological revolutionaries who have been pushing for revolution “forever” and provide the sparks, which only catch fire under certain conditions. This would be Gemma who worked away at the concept when it was still just an idea.
Sophisticated types who come around to accepting the need for revolutionary change and provide a critical level of intellectual ability. These would be Rotary and professionals who provided business and technical advice in the early years.
Those seeking adventure who leap on the opportunity for actualization and provide the force. These would be the hundreds of supporters who have volunteered at the school and the supporters who have taken on all the different fund-raising challenges.
Those who are eventually compelled to side with the revolution adding to the force. This would be the thousands of supporters who recognise that the School of St Jude is a well-managed project that is highly effective.
Those who jump on board opportunistically if the revolution picks up steam moving the revolution toward ultimate success. Perhaps this role doesn't transfer from revolutionary uprisings to projects like St Judes. I don't see many opportunists among St Jude's supporters.

Here's a photo from the 2010 Winter Wonderland Charity Ball in Perth that raised $18,000 for the School. What a great challenge for the organisers.

Winter Wonderland Ball 2010

Stanley Payne says that all these roles and types are necessary for revolutionary change to occur, and that each is activated according to distinct psychological and social logics. I think this is true that major projects like the School of St Jude need a wide range of different kinds of supporters. And they all need to stay the distance if success is to be achieved.

Certainly the School of St Jude is past its infancy and is well down the track to ultimate success. What will that look like? Will it be the first class of high school graduates? Or the first crop of university graduates?

Where are they from?

2007-12-30T10:22:00.001+10:00

Sponsors of the School of St Jude live in 23 different countries. Most of them are in Australia as the following list shows.

Australia -- 1331
England -- 36
Ireland -- 31
USA -- 31
New Zealand -- 30
Canada -- 14
Northern Ireland -- 9
Tanzania -- 5
Italy -- 5
UAE -- 3
Netherlands -- 2
Singapore -- 2
Germany -- 2
These countries are home to one sponsor -- Japan, PNG, Sth Africa, India, Austria, Scotland, Senegal, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France.

How is that for networking?

These sponsors fund the everyday expenses of the school. New buildings and other development is funded through donations.

MDG African success story

2007-12-18T15:17:00.000+10:00

A picture tells a thousand words and this one says SUCCESS loud and clear.

This graph from William Easterly’s paper, How the Millennium Development Goals are unfair to Africa shows the great strides made by Sub-Saharan African countries in working towards universal primary education.

African countries have made massive progress in the past 40 years so that the gap between African countries and other developing countries is now minor. Easterly notes that despite this huge achievement, African countries will be labelled ‘failure’ if they don’t achieve 100% by 2015 because the Millennium Development Goal for education is expressed in absolute terms.

Supporters of the School of St Jude know that they are part of this remarkable achievement. Better than that, supporters know that the kids at St Jude’s are getting a fantastic, high-quality education worthy of their talents.

So, don’t feel disheartened when you read that Sub-Saharan African countries won’t achieve the MDGs, a fresh look at the data can show that they have made very good progress. We'll just keep working at it, shall we?

William Easterly's paper is published at the Brookings Institute.

Norway continues support for Tanzania

2007-12-03T16:02:00.000+10:00

Just one week after Tanzania and her 19 major development partners concluded a comprehensive annual review of general budget support, Norway has committed to another five years of budget support for Tanzania.

Norway will give US$72m p.a. between 2007-2011.

Tanzania Finance Minister Zakia Meghji said,

Norway continues to be among the champions of the General Budget Support modality of aid delivery, which is the Tanzanian government's preferred mechanism because it minimises transaction costs and builds the country's capacity through the use of Government structures and systems. The aid also enhances accountability and good governance.

This aid commitment extends beyond one year and is an important response to Tanzania's appeal to her development partners to facilitate medium-term expenditure planning for better coherence and resources allocation.

According to the Norwegian ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Jon Lomoy, the funding is aimed at ensuring that Tanzania achieves millennium development goals of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

According to him, infant mortality declined from 95/1000 live births in 2002 to 68/1000 last year while under-five mortality from 154/1000 live births to 133/1000 live births.

We still have a long way to go to achieve the intended targets of reducing infant mortality to 50/1000 live births by 2010 and reduce child mortality to 75/1000 live births.

Organisations like the School of St Jude that rely on donations need to have some certainty about future donations and also some flexibility about how to spend the money.

Your regular donations help the School with on-going running costs and to plan for future developments. And your donations are helping Tanzania meet the Millennium Development Goal of Primary School education for girls and boys.

Tanzania lags East Africa in school enrolment

2007-11-30T07:01:00.000+10:00

The latest UN Human Development Programme report 2007 shows the following enrolment rates across primary, secondary and tertiary levels:

Uganda: 63%
Kenya: 60.6%
Rwanda: 50.9%
Tanzania: 50.4%

The Tanzanian Government has encouraged the private sector and religious institutions to build schools, and every region has set high targets to build schools, but there is an acute shortage of qualified teachers and teaching facilities.

Tanzania's education history was checkered during the British colonial era when it closed all schools for ten years, while Kenya and Uganda weren't interrupted.

Given the shortage of teachers and facilities, perhaps Tanzania should relax restrictions on foreign teachers until enough local teachers are trained.

The School of St Jude attracts quality teachers by paying good salaries and offering professional development training. Volunteer teachers also contribute their skills and experience.

New Government; new policies

2007-11-25T20:47:00.001+10:00

The new Labor government in Australia has a couple of things going for it, from my point of view.

Firstly, there will be a new energy in the way the country is led, and this will pervade all aspects of government.

Very importantly, Kevin Rudd has said he will ratify Kyoto. This places Australia at the table of international action on the most important issue of our time.

Secondly, he has committed to increasing Australia's Foreign Aid to .5% as a step towards meeting our commitments to end global poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals.

So, I'm very glad for this outcome and I hope that the new Government lives up to the potential for good leadership that comes with a new beginning.

Aerogram gratitude

2007-11-23T06:57:00.000+10:00

The kids at St Jude's are smart and cute! And they know how lucky they are to be at an excellent school.

People who visit the school always comment on how energetic and happy the kids are. From time to time we get a taste when we receive one of their blue aerogram thankyou letters. Blue aerograms are from another world. They are not used much in the modern world of email, but they are a perfect vehicle for kids in Tanzania to write to sponsors and donors.

It's fun to see the kids growing up through their aerograms. In the early years the aerograms had only a sentence or two and the space was filled with drawings and stickers. Now the kids are getting older and their English is developing.

Our latest aerogram has a lot more writing. It is full of news about Tanzania.

It starts with a 'thankyou' and chitchat about the weather.

Then we get some facts about news about Tanzania and recent events. Volcanos, earthquakes and Tanzanite.

With illustrations of course!

It is very good to stay close to this excellent education project in Tanzania. We watch world developments on a global level, or at a country level, and it is good to also see what is happening in one particular place. I know that our support for this project is just a grain of rice on a global scale, but on the individual level of the child who wrote this aerogram, our support is his whole future.

Christmas is coming

2007-11-20T19:34:00.001+10:00

The shops are stocked and it's time to plan your household decorations.

There are lots of places where you can look to find interesting and unusual Christmas decorations and gifts. The best gifts are those that help the maker and the giver, as well as the receiver.

Fair trade crafts from Africa will fit the bill nicely!

What about these cheerful Santas? They are nicely surreal. Check them out at One World Projects.

These Santas (8-9 inches tall) are made in Mali from soft drink cans. They are made by a project that supports anti-malarial initiatives.

I think I will share more of the curiosities I have come across in the next few weeks. You may see something that takes your fancy.

If you'd like to see some Fair Trade crafts, check out your nearest Oxfam shop, locations can be found here. I was pleased to find a new one open up nearby. Now I've got a local source of Fair Trade coffee. It tastes pretty good too.

Free rice

2007-11-20T07:00:00.000+10:00

I enjoy the various websites where you click a button and a sponsor makes a donation to a needy cause. I seem to have contributed to several over the years.

Free rice is the latest incarnation. It's a bit addictive because it is set up as a word quiz. Every time you get a word right, a sponsor donates to the UN World Food Program.

Give it a go, and add your bit. How far can you get in the quiz? I got to level 43, but there were a few guesses in there.

Great for trivia fans too.

Bob Geldorf in Brisbane of all places

2007-11-19T16:11:00.000+10:00

Bob Geldof still thinks Australia is one of the meanest countries on Earth when it comes to its foreign aid program. So the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Bob Geldorf in Brisbane, November 2007

Geldorf gave an emphatic response when asked if Australia was shouldering its weight of the world's international aid.

"No, it's embarrassingly pathetic. In fact it is one of the meanest on the planet."

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has promised to increase Australia's overseas aid program - now just 0.3 per cent of GDP - to 0.5 per cent of GDP by 2015, if elected.

Geldof was still unimpressed, accusing Australia's leaders of breaking United Nations goals for foreign aid.

Geldof said Australia's commitment to foreign aid was well below the levels of other countries.

"I mean Britain will get to 0.51 per cent by 2012, France by 2013, and the European countries ... will get to 0.7 per cent by 2015," Sir Bob said.

"If you don't get to 0.5 per cent by 2010, you don't get to 0.7 per cent by 2015," he said.

Australia has agreed to the Millennium Development Goals of the UN and has promised to get to 0.7 per cent by 2015.

"And if people think that is a lot of money - what, is 99.3 per cent not enough for you all? Is it not enough?

"It's tragic."

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

Yes, it is tragic. For the 20% of Tanzanian kids who die before their fifth birthday.

This week, Australians can make their vote count. Lobby your local candidate and seek their support for Australia to honour its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals and end world poverty.

And, you can do your own bit by donating to the School of St Jude. Fighting Poverty Through Education.

Red Green Orange

2007-11-17T07:14:00.000+10:00

The first set of traffic lights in town takes some getting used to. What do the lights mean? How do they work? What are cars supposed to do? We take them for granted, or curse them when we get too many reds in the 22 sets in the journey to work.

Arusha, with a population of 400,000, got its first set of traffic lights just last month. The Arusha Times reports on the wonder and confusion they created.

Like a gospel convention, thousands of Arushans every evening since October 9 have been attending the Sanawari intersection to witness what they believe to be a marvel of technology and Tanzania Road Authority's (Tanroad) "criminal negligence."

It appears that lights were installed at only three of the four aspects of the intersection, leaving cars entering from the fourth side to do what they will. There’s a recipe for confusion! A taxi driver commented:

What they have done is unbelievable. The traffic jam now goes about a kilometre each direction. Pedestrians and drivers are scared of being knocked down. What kind of technology is this?

In addition, there have been some problems getting the sequence right. There are times when all lights go red and all movement stops. Suddenly, they all go green and the whole intersection becomes chaotic.

An irate bus driver commented:

They have eyes but they do not see. If there are any engineers in the Municipal Council or Tanroads, which school did they attend? They should be charged with criminal negligence.

They are playing with people's lives. Had it not been for Traffic policemen who have been intervening, all day long, this junction would have been a pool of human blood.

For others however, the biggest problem of the traffic control lights is that they have been placed too close to two bus stands, a taxi docking area and a push cart station on the Sanawari road.

As if to put Tanroads to shame, pedestrians and drivers have catalogued an array of errors and that have been the dominant topic in Arusha for the past one week.

Like officialdom around the world, Arusha officals are passing the buck. The Municipal Council says Tanroads is responsible, and Tanroads says the relevant person is out of town.

In the mean time, Arusha locals have flocked in their thousands to stand and wonder at the operation of the marvellous new traffic lights. Drivers, pedestrians and even some of the traffic police men saw the lights as a mesmerising puzzle. "It is now green, in a few seconds it will be yellowish and then red and cars will stop," an elated man was heard telling scores of people who were just about to cross the road.

There's lots of local colour in this account of the first set of traffic lights in Arusha. I bet it's been a hot topic at the School of St Jude, in the playground and in the staffroom. I wonder how many of the St Jude's buses use that intersection?

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Sleight of hand

2007-11-16T16:45:00.001+10:00

Reuters reports that the European Commission (EC) will give Tanzania US$800m between 2008 and 2013, to help it boost trade. Around 90% of the program is dedicated to macroeconomic aid, support to the transport sector and a trade and agriculture focal area aimed at pro-poor growth.

At the same time, Tanzania is among African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations in talks with the EU ahead of signing an Economic Partnership Agreement trade deal before a December 31 deadline.

The EU wants to sign these new Partnership Agreements with ACP countries to replace preferential deals that the World Trade Organisation has deemed illegal.

Opponents of the new Economic Partnership Agreements argue they will weaken developing economies, expose them to cheap European imports and cut government revenues earned from tariffs.

Is this just a sleight of hand? Giving with one hand while taking with the other?

I wonder whether what bargaining power the ACP countries might have?

General budget support

2007-11-16T15:12:00.001+10:00

In Tanzania aid accounts for more than 40% of the national budget. Several European countries have been sending their aid money straight into the government’s treasury and not for specific projects. The approach is called ’general budget support’. Proponents of that system say that it forces the government to be accountable to its people and also argue it’s the only way to phase out aid dependence in countries like Tanzania. However, they also advocate that taxes must be raised so they can take over from aid as financing.

Allison Dempster on Africa Files reviews the case for this kind of aid to Tanzania.

Donors and sponsors to the School of St Jude can tie their funds to something specific by sponsoring a child or a bus or a classroom, or they can donate to general funds and give the school administrators the flexibility to apply the funds where needed most.

Donor countries like Sweden and Norway are helping Tanzania grow its administrative capacities by donating to general budget support which Allison describes as

To hear its fans describe it, budget support is the Tom Hanks of foreign aid concepts - ordinary looking, but turns in solid performance most of the time. A no-name’brand approach to international aid, if
you will.

Interesting, yes?

Election score card

2007-11-14T20:49:00.000+10:00

Australian NGOs are presenting succinct scorecards that make it easy to compare the policies of the main political parties on issues of interest.

Ben gives a handy list of eight NGOs that have scorecards on issues like:

Make Poverty History
Refugees
Climate Policy
Rural Health
Environmental Issues

. . . and others.

On the policy that affects poor countries like Tanzania, the scorecard at Make Poverty History gives the following scores:

Coalition = 2 points
Labor = 8 points
Democrat = 8 points
Greens = 7 points
Family First = 7 points

Check out the Make Poverty History site to see what earned them the points.

Many of us vote from our traditional preferences. See where your preferred party stands on the issues that matter to you. Poverty is one area where there is a real difference between the parties. There's no 'me too' here.

The suffering of the very poor is easily ignored when it is not right under our noses. Your vote can reflect a wider world view if you keep your eye on the larger picture.

Excitement of the new

2007-11-13T20:38:00.000+10:00

I thought I would share a couple more pictures of the first night in the new boarding accommodation at the Moshono Campus at the School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania.

When everything is fresh and new there is a special excitement. You can see it in the wide smiles of the girls as they explore their new sleeping quarters.

Girls in one of the dormitories

The boys look just as excited by the prospect of sleeping in new beds in rooms with electricity and bed nets.

Only 10% of Tanzanians have electricity. St Jude's selects children from the poorest homes – if they have window glass, electricity or more than two rooms in their home, they usually don't qualify. So this dormitory accommodating is VERY exciting for these kids.

Boys in one of the dormitories

More than that, the boarding school accommodation will give these kids a nourishing evening meal and breakfast, and they will have the conditions they need to do their homework. This will become especially important as they move into Secondary School.

The School of St Jude provides excellent education. Although it has been established only five years, it already has a winning reputation for placing children in the top 10 places in the District in national exams for Year 4. The Boarding School will help these bright children continue to excel in the years ahead as they compete with children from more privileged homes for the limited University places.

Every dollar you donate makes a huge different to these lovely children. They work hard to make the most of your generosity, and to acknowledge the help that is given to them by their families and teachers.

Financial Times reviews Tanzania

2007-11-12T21:31:00.000+10:00

In a recent article, the Financial Times gives a good overview of trends in Tanzanian development. It asks the question that many ask – why does Tanzania languish in poverty, given the natural resources and foreign aid it has received?

They note that Tanzania is

Rich in farm land, mineral resources and wildlife, it is free of tribal tensions and has experienced a series of peaceful transitions of power, thanks to a sense of unity forged by Julius Nyerere, its founding father. It also has a stable macro-economic environment and its administration is relatively well-organised: the principal achievements of Benjamin Mkapa, who ruled from 1995 to 2005.

The article notes that the current government's biggest achievement

. . . has probably been the introduction of universal primary education: more schools have been built in the past 18 months than in the previous 20 to 30 years, say officials, although there are now not enough teachers.

And they comment that

. . . In the United Nations' human development index, which measures standards of living and health as well as education, Tanzania has barely moved.

The following statistics reveal the depth of Tanzanian poverty.

According to the last national household survey, conducted in 2000-01, almost one in five people was receiving less than the minimum calorie requirements. More recent government research showed two-thirds of mainland households did not have access to piped water and 89 per cent were without electricity. The country's adult HIV/Aids infection rate is 6.5 per cent and in some regions hits 15 to 20 per cent.

In her 2007-08 budget speech, Zakia Hamdani, the finance minister, said the resources needed for the implementation of the previous administration's growth and poverty reduction strategy - known as Mkukuta - "were immensely large compared with the resources available".

Zakia Hamdani

One explanation for the lack of economic development is the culture of corruption that affects all levels of life in Tanzania. Gemma's book, St Jude's, describes some of her encounters with corrupt practices.

The Financial Times report notes that

Critics contend that Tanzania lacks political accountability, which means people in power are isolated from the masses. One manifestation of the problem is corruption. Suspicions of high-level graft were stoked by several multimillion-dollar projects that pre-dated the Kikwete era: the acquisition of a presidential jet; the building of a new Bank of Tanzania headquarters; and the purchase of a military radar system from BAE Systems. No wrongdoing, however, has been proved.

The current government seems to be ready to tackle corruption to some extent, and several high-ranking members of the dominant political party, CCM, have been arrested on corruption charges Mr Kikwete says: "If people want to get into leadership through corrupt practices, through corrupt means, I think that's detestable. We have to take action."

A bright spot is the increasing force shown by Tanzanian newspapers, which have become increasingly aggressive in their reporting. The number and prominence of civil society organisations is growing.

As I have mentioned before, donor countries are becoming tougher by tying their funds to improvements in anti-corruption practices. The Financial Times article quotes a Norwegian embassy official as noting the intent to take a firmer line on corruption.

Inch by inch, improvements are becoming evident.

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African women

2007-11-10T05:22:00.000+10:00

It is especially rewarding to see African women in leadership roles. You may remember that the Tanzanian, Asha-Rose Mtengeti-Migiro, is the Deputy responsible for day-to-day management of the UN.

Another African leader is Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank Regional Vice President for Africa. In October, she visited Tanzania to attend the Aid for Trade Conference and to make an on-the-ground assessment of the World Bank’s support in the education and water sectors.

Ezekwesili speaks with students at the Jitihada Primary School in Dar es Salaam

This World Bank website outlines her tour of Tanzanian projects supported by the World Bank.

This very upbeat report outlines the benefits of the projects that have been supported by the World Bank. However, it is a sobering reminder of the scarcity of resources for education in Tanzania.

The Jitihada Primary School was opened in 2004 to relieve crowding in neighbouring schools. Crowding in Tanzanian schools became a major problem when the government removed fees for primary schools in 2002 and millions of poor children crowded into the schools.

The Jitihada Primary School has 10 classrooms and 1,278 pupils. That is 127 pupils per classroom. It has 23 teachers. That is a student:teacher ratio of 1:56. There are 254 desks in the whole school.

This is one of the lucky schools that gets special support from a World Bank program.

Rehema Kiwalaka, one of the senior teachers at the school, explained that the school has made steady progress.

We are grateful to the development partners like the World Bank and the government who have made it possible for us to have schools like this one, which fulfils the dream of Tanzania’s children to have an education.

What a contrast at the School of St Jude where, thanks to supporters worldwide and Gemma's brilliant leadership, academically gifted children from the poorest facilities can get a world-class education.

The School of St Jude is fighting poverty through education and preparing a new generation of girls to step into the shoes of African women in leadership roles.

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Bring a toothbrush and stay the night

2007-11-09T06:58:00.000+10:00

Opening days are so exciting! This one was particularly thrilling for kids at St Jude's because they got to stay in the new boarding accommodation at the Moshono Campus.

For many of these children (aren't they growing fast?!!) this was the first time they slept away from home and the first time they had mosquito nets. Here are some of the girls in their dormitory.

The boarding school will be managed by the Sisters of the Oblates of the Assumption order, which is a great relief to Gemma, as it means the children will get really good care.

The boarding school will provide weekday accommodation for the older children (Yr 6 up) so they are assured of help with their studies and good meals. They stay with their families at weekends.

Here are some of the kids in the dining room.

What an exciting beginning. Think of all the hundreds of children who will benefit from this caring facility in the decades to come.

It is life-changing.

Water tanks

2007-11-04T09:50:00.001+10:00

Do you remember my first ChipIn donation tool aimed at raising money for water tanks at the School of St Jude? That was last year. It was prompted because the new classroom buildings at the School did not collect rainwater from the roofs, instead the gutters just drained to the ground.

2006 classroom building at Moshono campus

Well, we are pleased to report that the new boarding school buildings at the Moshono campus are being fitted out with water tanks.

2007 boarding school buildings at Moshono campus

When money is limited, things that are important don't always make it to the top of the priority list. In 2006, the School spent US$8,200 drilling new bores to ensure a reliable water supply. These rainwater tanks will add to the supply of safe drinking water available to the School.

Thanks to the support of many people around the world, the School of St Jude is able to provide good facilities so that academically capable children from the poorest families can get an excellent education.

Pay it forward

2007-11-01T05:34:00.000+10:00

When you educate a child, you are paying for the education you received. You are paying it forward.

I pass on to my children what I have learnt and I hope that they pass it on through the future generations. This is how society evolves.

It is a chain of communication into the future – a way of building the kind of future that you want to see.

Recently, on another blog (Spiritcloth), I responded to a 'Pay it Forward' (PIF) initiative wherein the blogger offered to send a handmade object to three people.

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

So now I make this offer to you – I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment here. You can get an idea of the things I make on my Flickr site.

In response, I ask you to pay it forward by making a similar offer either on a blog or in your own life.

Donors and sponsors to the School of St Jude are doing a great job of Paying it Forward. They are fighting poverty through education.

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The web chatting ambassador

2007-10-31T05:26:00.000+10:00

It's great to see web technologies like web chat coming into general use. The U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, Mark Green, featured in a web chat on Monday, October 29. Check out the transcript.

Mark Green

In the exchange, he answered questions that had been sent in earlier, and also fielded live questions from chat participants. The focus was on the Millenium Challenge Corporation Compact whereby the US government will give $698 million dollars over five years to specified infrastructure projects in Tanzania. The projects relate to electricity, roads and water, and the money is paid directly to companies who have tendered for them.

In the web chat, Green sounds like the consummate professional, fielding all questions very carefully, and taking every opportunity to get his messages across. However, he also seems to have a real feeling for Tanzania and to really care about the country. Before he was a politician he spent some years teaching in Kenya. Perhaps that has given him some direct experience that now shows through.

One of the key issues brought up was the question of government corruption. Green pointed to the $11.5 million the US government has contributed toward strengthening the Prevention and Combating Corruption Bureau. He also said that the $698 million will not be disbursed through the Tanzanian government, instead it will go directly to the projects.

It's good to see foreign aid to Tanzania take a variety of forms. Direct budget aid is very useful in helping the Tanzanian government build capacity, while independent aid helps projects more directly.

Check out the web chat transcript to gather more of the specifics of projects under the US government MCC initiative.

Your assistance to the School of St Jude goes directly to them and they are very careful to see that maximum benefit comes from each dollar. It also means that all of the money donated to the school (AU$1 million in 2005, AU$1.7 million in 2006) goes into the local economy providing jobs for hundreds of teachers, builders, drivers, cooks, guards, retailers, etc, etc.

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Selection process

2007-10-29T21:33:00.000+10:00

St Jude's is a school for poor children. There are lots of poor children in Tanzania. Only 10% of homes have electricity, infant mortality is high, 20% of people said they went hungry in the previous year.

So, how do you choose WHICH poor children are going to get a place at this remarkable school? Which poor kids are going to get an excellent education that compares favourably with the most exclusive private schools in the country?

The School has decided to give this opportunity to bright kids because they can make the most of the educational opportunities offered. They are most likely to complete their education and go on to offer good service to their community. The School takes only one child from each family, so that more families can benefit.

How do they select the bright kids?

The School looks for kids who have done 1-2 years of school and first of all every child is given a small reading test. This eliminates a large percentage of them. Every child who turns up gets to try this test, even when we can see that they are barely out of nappies – you never know, the School may stumble across a mini genius … and they are too cute to resist!

Reading test

Those who pass the reading test move to the hall to do a basic maths and general knowledge paper.

Maths and general knowledge

Those who pass are asked to return the next day with documents proving their age and academic history – understandably, the chance of free, high quality education leads to any amount of forging, cheating and fibbing. But that’s not the end of the ‘testing’ - at least three times the School goes unannounced to their homes to make sure that they really do live in genuine poverty. This is necessary as many families ‘borrow’ village huts to use as ‘their home’ for the duration of the testing period.

Here's an example of the genuine article.

These kids and their families understand the massive benefit of a good education. A place at the School of St Jude is a miracle in their lives.

If you give a bit of your surplus, another child and another family will be lifted out of the dire poverty of subsistence. What a difference you can make.

Crazy Fridays

2007-10-28T21:40:00.000+10:00

It's that time of year again! Crazy Fridays at St Jude's.

September heralds a real buzz in Arusha – St Jude’s starts looking for the next group of fortunate children who will don the big hat and blue uniform next year. The signs go up, advertisements go out on radio and word of mouth spreads the news – Friday afternoon testing has started! This year the School is looking for 170 bright children from very poor families who will join the school through the child sponsorship program.

The result is that literally thousands of children turn up at St Jude's every Friday to try to win one of the places.

Here's a photo of a recent Friday line-up.

These families know the value of a good education and they want this for their children. Given the demand for places, 170 looks like a very small number.

Your donations and sponsorships make it possible for these 170 to get an excellent education. What a gift! A gift to the child, the family, the district and the whole country.

If you're not yet a donor, I would encourage you to think about making a donation to this very successful education project – Fighting Poverty Through Education.

TV ad for Tanzania

2007-10-26T08:29:00.000+10:00

Here is the TV commercial for Tanzania that is screening in the U.S. right now.

This is a first! Pretty nice, yes? Makes you want to go.

It's all part of building the economy. The Tanzanian tourist industry is just at the beginning.

School of St Jude on Facebook

2007-10-25T10:09:00.000+10:00

Check out the new group for the School of St Jude on Facebook.

The School has thousands of supporters and volunteers, mostly Australian. I figure that some of you must be on Facebook. So, check out this new group and share your pictures, news and comments.

Meet other enthusiastic supporters of the School of St Jude and keep in touch.

Tanzania wins another big prize

2007-10-22T15:09:00.000+10:00

The Africa-America Institute (AAI) held its 23rd Annual Awards Gala on 19th September in New York. Under the theme Tanzania: Educating for a Sustainable Future, the Gala paid tribute to the People of Tanzania for the East African nation’s significant progress in education, environmental conservation, and in creating a business-friendly environment for entrepreneurs and investment. H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, accepted the AAI African National Achievement Award on behalf of the People of Tanzania.

Mora McLean, President & CEO of AAI, said,

We commend Tanzania for its extraordinary commitment to build human capacity, particularly by strengthening its educational system at all levels. We celebrate their achievements and progress.

The sold-out black-tie Gala was chaired by American financier and conservationist Paul Tudor Jones II and Reginald Mengi, CEO of Tanzania’s media conglomerate IPP Limited. The AAI Gala raised nearly $900,000, the highest amount raised in the organization’s history, to support AAI’s efforts to help build human capacity in Africa through education and training programs, and to develop programming and forums aimed at educating Americans about Africa. Nearly 500 distinguished U.S. and African leaders and top diplomats attended the Annual Awards Gala to celebrate African achievement, including Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Gala also honoured a number of other people, including the AAI Distinguished Alumnus Award presented to Gidion Kaino Mandesi, Executive Director of the Disabled Organization for Legal Affairs and Social Economic Development (DOLASED) in Tanzania.

During his remarks Mr. Tudor Jones, who is also founder of The Grumeti Community and Wildlife Conservation Fund in Tanzania, announced the creation of The Kikwete Scholarships, a ten-year commitment by the Grumeti Fund to support tertiary level training for Tanzanian students to pursue studies in the field of environmental conservation at U.S. universities. The scholarships, which recognize President Kikwete’s leadership and commitment to conservation and environmental causes, will support the studies of 20 students over the next ten years.

In his remarks, President Kikwete personally thanked Mr. Tudor Jones for the scholarships, saying it would help further study on environmental conservation in Tanzania.

Tanzania has achieved nearly universal primary education, setting it on target to meeting one of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The country’s education system has grown from just one university in 1961 to some 200 tertiary training institutions at the end of 2006. A new four-year institution, Dodoma University, will soon open, enrolling 1000 students.

Since independence in 1961, the country’s has maintained its pledge to safeguard its abundant wildlife and natural environment. Today, more than 25 percent of Tanzania’s total land area is under conservation, higher than the world average and exceeding United Nations goals.

In the area of business and investment, Tanzania was recently cited by The World Bank as one of Africa’s top two reformers. During the Gala Reginald Mengi, Tanzanian businessman and media mogul, recognized Tanzania’s recent business success and challenged the Western media to show the thriving side of Africa to encourage business and foreign investment.

Pew Survey in NYT Interactive Graph

2007-10-16T10:54:00.000+10:00

Tanzanians are more likely to think that their children will be worse off in the future than think they will be better off. They are twice as likely to hold this view compared with people in West African countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

This is one of the sobering findings from a large scale survey carried out in ten sub-Saharan countries earlier this year by the New York Times and Pew Global Attitudes Project.
There’s a fantastic interactive graph on the New York Times website. To access it, you may need to register on the NYT site, but its worth it. The NYT also has an article about the poll.

Click the questions and watch the graphs on each country change. It’s worth spending some time looking and comparing the views of the different countries. This is one of the ways that we can step out of our familiar world and try to see the world through the eyes of others.

Through Tanzanian eyes, the world looks corrupt (two-thirds say corrupt political leaders are a big problem), hungry (half had times in the past year when they didn’t have money to buy necessary food) and uneducated (three-quarters say poor schools are a problem).

On the other hand, more than 90% say that President Kikwete is a good influence. This is outstandingly better than any of the other countries in the survey. This is great news because Kikwete was democratically elected and the survey is thorough and independent. So, the findings are not the propaganda of a dictator, instead it is clear that Tanzanians have great confidence in their President.

Here’s hoping that Tanzania can maintain its strong economic growth under good leadership, so its children are, in fact, better off than their parents and grandparents.

If you’re not on a learning curve, you’re going nowhere.

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T16:15:00.000+10:00

Yes, today is Blog Action Day, when all bloggers are encouraged to write about environmental issues.

You already know that I’m committed to ending poverty by supporting the Millennium Development Goals. And you know that my focus is on giving the poorest kids an education that will break the cycle of poverty in their family, community and country. That’s why I support the fantastic work being done by the School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania.

I am also strongly committed to environmental sustainability. So I want to support Blog Action Day by listing the various things I am doing to lower my environmental footprint.

I drive a Prius.
At home we recycle paper, plastics and metals; and we run a compost heap.
We eat vegetables (five serves a day!) and fish and chicken, in preference to beef, lamb and pork.
We think twice before buying ANYTHING.
We use gas instead of electricity for hot water and heating.
My business aims to be carbon neutral in the next twelve months.

What can you do to lower your carbon footprint? Here's a totally funky calculator where you can measure your carbon footprint and see where to start to make the biggest cuts.

I keep thinking about the possibility of introducing solar power to the School of St Jude. It would be a very sustainable alternative to the reliance on diesel generators for electricity at the school. This is one of the things that I want to explore when I visit the School – maybe next year.

Two blogs that I like for information about environmental issues are:

New Scientist Blog
and
RealClimate

So, how many Environment-related blog posts have you read today? I haven't seen as many as I thought I would. But maybe that because I'm in Australia, and the rest of the world hasn't arrived in Monday as yet.

Read a bit, do a bit. If you're not on a learning curve, you're going nowhere.

Dairy industry is booming

2007-10-13T07:00:00.000+10:00

Brookside Dairy, in Arusha, has launched a dairy farmers program that will boost the company’s daily milk sales in the country to 60,000 litres in the next two years.

Brookside plans to invest up to $20 million in new machinery at its recently acquired Arusha milk processing plant while it works to sign up more dairy farmers. The dairy has already forged partnership with over 2,000 dairy farmers in the three years since starting in Arusha.

Dairy farm in Tanzania

From a start of 1,000 litres per day, Brookside now processes 13,000 litres a day and has set the target of 60,000 by 2009. The Dairy plans to add a new UHT processing facility at a cost of $2 million.

The company has urged the Tanzanian government to remove taxes on animal feeds and farm inputs, improve infrastructure in milk growing areas and provide the farmers with micro-financing to enable growth in the sector.

Brookside Dairy is based in Kenya and has drawn on its experience to provide expertise to local Tanzanian dairy farmers to help them maximize milk production through practicing better animal husbandry.

The Tanzanian District Commissioner, Ms Anna Rose Nyamubi, is working with Brookside Dairy to help farmers improve. She said the Government was working to stamp out the practice of keeping children out of school in order to watch over animals.

My government will punish parents who instead of looking after the animals themselves, give the responsibility to the school going children, especially girls. The Tanzanian government is working towards making every child attend at least primary school.

Perhaps some of the St Jude's families are dairy farmers – we know their kids are at school every day and enjoying it!

This news of investment in the dairying industry in Arusha is one of the many signs of economic improvement in the area. This is the kind of investment that will lift Tanzania out of deep poverty and create a better future for the hard-working kids at the School of St Jude.

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Wildebeest - Seventh Wonder of the World

2007-10-11T07:59:00.000+10:00

The mass migration of 5 million wildebeest in the Mara-Serengeti eco-system that spans Kenya and Northern Tanzania begins in July and ends in late October when the wildebeest migrate back to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

The sight of millions of animals in transit attracts more than 300,000 tourists a year and is an important part of the economies of Kenya and Tanzania. Arusha, in northern Tanzania, is the centre of safari tourism in Tanzania.

This year's wildebeest migration has been marked by the shocking death of some 15,000 animals that drowned at the Mara river crossing in Kenya.

The carcasses of wildebeest rotting since last week are being picked over by Maribu storks, vultures, crocodiles and other scavengers.

"It was a strong tide that swept them away," said Mara administrative official, Sarisa Nkadaru, adding that most wildebeest died when they were stepped on by others.

Some officials blame the destruction of the nearby Mau forest for changing weather patterns and affecting tide levels, and they called on the government to curb the deforestation.

"Had the forest not been destroyed, the speed of water in the river would have been checked and the wildebeest would not have been swept away," local conservationist Doris Ombara said.

"We have raised alarm over the dangers of the destruction and what was witnessed last weekend is one of them," she said.

This reminds me that even our most prolific and fertile environments may be showing the effects of climate change. I'm glad that this is becoming more recognised.

Source: Reuters

It is great to see that Tanzanian Tourism is launching its first-ever advertising campaign in the U.S.

After decades of being an add-on trek for safari trips originating in Kenya, Tanzania will be promoted as a standalone destination with its first TV campaign in the states. The ads appeared on CNN during late September with the tagline “Tanzania: Land of Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and the Serengeti.” Visuals showcase the three destinations within the country and native Tanzanians, while mentioning that the first ancestors of humans called Tanzania home.

I hope that this kind of promotion helps to boost tourism to Tanzania. It is a country with plenty to offer!

Thanks Mum!

2007-10-07T07:48:00.000+10:00

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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Things we didn’t expect to learn

2007-10-04T08:32:00.000+10:00

When I started this blog, my main aim was to help the School of St Jude to grow so that more Tanzanian children from the poorest homes could benefit from an excellent education.

Just now, Tanzania is experiencing extreme ‘education-stress’ as an extra 2.5 million children have enrolled in primary schools. Average class sizes have risen from 50-something kids, to 70-something, while the government struggles to find more teachers and build more schools.

At the School of St Jude class sizes are under 30 and thee are dedicated teachers who are supported by ongoing training, and good teaching resources. The results are evident in the excellent results achieved by the kids in national exams.

Blogging has opened up new avenues of interest for me, and that has encouraged me to continue. There is lots of advice out there for bloggers – how to produce good content, how to write well, how to work all the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) tricks, linkbait, and so forth.

All of that is OK, but it is underpinned by the motivation that keeps you thinking and writing. I have discovered that a strong motivator for me is the chance to learn new things. I seem to leap at opportunities to try new things, large or small.

After 10 months of blogging, I feel like I have done a semester course in International Development, or a short course in African economics, and a course in social media. These are my unexpected learnings.

So, my advice to other bloggers is to sniff around for new things to learn so that hearty learning curve can energize your blog.

If you're not on a learning curve, you're going nowhere.

It seems to be the same at the School of St Jude, which is growing so fast that everybody is on a steep learning curve. No wonder the kids are doing so well – learning encourages more learning in a virtuous circle.

If you want to learn a bit about the best development project in Africa and share a learning-journey, read my blog and support the School of St Jude.

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No news day

2007-10-03T10:33:00.000+10:00

Why is it so hard to find out what's going on in Tanzania? A trawl through international news sites like the New York Times, BBC, Guardian and Reuters rarely turns up any news about Tanzania.

That's because in Tanzania there is no Darfur genocide, no Zimbabwe inflation, no Nigerian murders of Colombian oilmen, no Congolese Ebola. I guess that Tanzania is a quiet corner of the world that is getting on with improving the way things are run.

I did discover that there was a regional trade forum in Tanzania last weekend where Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) noted that many African economies are booming, with growth rates of 7%.

Donald Kaberuka

He said that 60% of AfDB's current loan portfolio goes to the core of the productive sector – energy, roads, irrigation, water and sanitation projects.

In the next loan period, the AfDB will have twice the internal funds to lend at low interest rates to support African development. International donors will add to this, giving countries even greater access to funds.

Donald Kaberuka is a very upbeat guy –

I'm very bullish about African economies over the next couple of years. What is important is for African countries to build on the current boom.

As usual, the good news doesn't make the headlines.

The School of St Jude is full of good news and solid achievement. So, when you tire of the attention-grabbing bad news headlines, come and check out the energetic, active high achievers at the School of St Jude.

Gift of greatness

2007-09-29T07:35:00.000+10:00

Giving makes us great.
It makes us whole.
It cheers us and lifts our spirits.
As good for the giver as the receiver.

So those Rotary folks who spent three weeks in Tanzania and worked on teacher desks at the School of St Jude are great people!

RAWCS team working on desks.

A group of 30 Rotarians from different parts of Australia visited the School recently and worked on desks for the new school campus.

The desks look great!, don't they? And the Rotarians look great too. Nothing like some humble t-shirts to create a group. Do you recognise some faces here?

They deserve a drink!

Relaxing at the local hangout – the Waterhole

Check out the sponsorship packages at the school. You can donate towards all kinds of things – from mosquito nets to plumbing to teachers and kids.

Giving will make you great. And you'll transform the lives of bright kids from the poorest families.

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Halloween Lucky Dip

2007-09-28T06:17:00.000+10:00

In some countries, this time of year is full of the excitement of planning for Halloween. Kids and parents in the US love to dress up, decorate the house, have parties and, best of all, go trick or treating to gather sweet treats from neighbours.

At the School of St Jude this time of year is just as busy and exciting. It is time to find 170 kids who will enter the School in 2008.

School sign changes from 'No Vacancy' to 'Enrolling now'

For the next few weeks there will be literally thousands of kids lined up at the School every Friday, vying for one of the 170 new places. Here’s a photo from a couple of years ago when 1,500 kids came each week to do the entrance exam.

Friday testing for enrolment

This year the school expect over 3000. The School’s good reputation ensures every parent wants their child in the school.

With these numbers there is a less than 1% chance that an applicant will be successful. The child must be in the top 10% of their government school Grade 1 or Kinder and they must be from a very, very poor family. Also, the School takes only one child per family so that as many families as possible can benefit.

The School does the interviews every Friday from September to December – it takes that long as they get around 20 successful applicants per week. Children can come to the interviews as many times as they want because if they eventually pass then they deserve to be in the School through sheer persistence – determination, drive and ambition is just as important as being bright.

Basically, The School of St Jude exists to give those children who have the aptitude and right attitude the chance of high quality education for free. At a 1% chance of being accepted into the school, families who are successful have done better than a Halloween Lucky Dip – they have won the jackpot!

Read more about this year's selection process and see photos of the kids.

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World's biggest prize goes to Africa

2007-09-26T08:17:00.001+10:00

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has announced the world's biggest prize. It will go to past leaders of African states who demonstrated excellent leadership. To qualify, leaders must have been fairly elected and served their term. The prize will be judged partly on the measures established by the Ibrahim Governance Index, which has been developed by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Dr Mo Ibrahim, African cell phone entrepreneur, has established this prize

It's bigger than the Melbourne Cup, the world's richest horse race, so what is it worth? Try this:

US$ 5 million over 10 years
US$ 200,000 annually for life thereafter
A further US$ 200,000 per year for good causes espoused by the winner

This initiative seems to be very well thought through, and it has the support of important leaders like Nelson Mandela –

Mo Ibrahim has a vision to promote and recognise good governance that will drive Africa's political and economic renaissance. He has established the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to develop criteria for good governance, stimulate public debate and challenge the continent's leaders to set the global benchmark on this issue.

And Kofi Annan –

I thank Mo and all those engaged for establishing such a generous prize as an incentive. It reflects the unique insight of Mo the African and Mo the businessman and entrepreneur. May your initiative inspire and celebrate the best of African leadership and equip future leaders with the knowledge and experience they will need.

There's an interview with Mo Ibrahim on AllAfrica where he says –

We exist for Africans. This is an African effort. Our foundation is an African foundation. What we really care about is African civil society and African governance.

Wow! Here is another great philanthropist focusing attention on Africa. I like the idea of providing leaders with a real financial incentive to do good things. It may help counteract the strong temptations to use power for personal gain.

I would encourage you to keep an eye on Africa. Look out for the myriad of initiatives that are springing up to foster better government and stronger economic development in very poor countries. Help comes from all directions.

Some of that help can come from you when you donate to the School of St Jude: Educating future leaders of Tanzania. Who knows? one of these students may win the Ibrahim prize one day.

Tanzania is East Africa’s best hope

2007-09-25T19:21:00.000+10:00

ZhongNing Chen from the University of Illinois, visited Arusha and makes the following observations on the Cosmo Club website.

As in many other developing countries, education is the only hope for children in Tanzania to get out of poverty. Education in Tanzania is divided into primary and secondary systems, which together last for 13 years. Primary education, which lasts for seven years, is free and compulsory. Students must write a national examination at the end of primary schoolings. Many children leave school at this point and go to work.

Secondary education lasts for six years. There are few secondary schools in Tanzania and enrollment is less than 7% of all children who have completed primary school. Students must pay fees to attend secondary school. Secondary school fees range from $100 to $400 a year. Many students who have passed the national examination at the end of primary schooling cannot attend secondary school simply because they cannot afford the fees. For most of the girls among them, the only option left is to get married.

In an interview last year, when asked to prioritize the country’s most basic needs, President Jakaya Kikwete outlined the following: more schools, universities, hospitals; more roads; more access to drinking water. Clearly, education and medication are Mr. Kikwete’s top priorities. That fills the hearts of many people with optimism.

Many development economists believe that Tanzania is East Africa’s best hope; so do I. I left Tanzania with hope for the country, respect for its people who never give up with their lives, admiration for the volunteers, and determination to help.

With projects like the School of St Jude, Tanzania is certainly East Africa's best hope!

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Brittany’s hands on fundraiser

2007-09-24T22:20:00.000+10:00

Queensland sixth grader, Brittany, has raised $400 for the School of St Jude by selling hand prints.

Her idea was to create a colourful flag for the School by asking students to donate $2 and make a multi-colour hand print on the large white sheet.

After a month of painting 100s hands and making prints, her flag was finished. Now her flag has been delivered to the School by her mother, Mandy, after she climbed Mt Kilimanjaro as part of the Rotary fundraising climb.

The flag has pride of place in the School library, where it forms a room divider. The kids enjoy matching their hands to the many hand prints on the flag. It gives the St Judes' kids a tangible reminder of another group of children on the other side of the world who care about them and want to help their School.

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All-round education

2007-09-23T09:21:00.000+10:00

The School of St Jude provides free education to 850 bright children from the poorest families in Arusha, Northern Tanzania. Starting with 3 students in 2002, the school has grown rapidly, thanks to the talents and energy of its founder, Gemma Sisia.

The School aims to provide a rounded education to these kids who would otherwise have little chance of getting even basic literacy in the over-crowded primary schools of Tanzania.

The School has already established a reputation for academic excellence through high performances in nationwide tests. As part of a rounded education, the school runs special interest clubs for sport, culture and academic interests.

A school concert allowed the special interest clubs to display, perform or describe what they have been doing all year. It was an enlightening, entertaining, funny and, in one instance, quite scary afternoon!

Drumming Club Performance

Mr Beda’s Drumming Club stole the show but managed to have half the audience screaming and running for the exits when this life-size voodoo doll stalked onto the stage!

School days can be challenging, but they can be lots of fun too!

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Jatropha – not so straight forward

2007-09-20T20:38:00.001+10:00

I blogged earlier about a new project in Tanzania to grow jatropha for biofuel.

Now I read (Pambazuka News) that the biofuel farming in Africa is not necessarily all good.

The benefits of biofuels like Jatropha are that they will help to minimize dependence on traditional fuel sources such as oil and coal by investing in renewable energy source from plants. This will ensure that carbon contained in fossil fuels remains safely stored in the earth, thereby reducing the impact to the earth's climate. Furthermore, fuel crops grown are supposed to provide a 'carbon sink' by capturing and storing carbon dioxide and assisting with balancing concentrations of the gas in the atmosphere. The global South was promised that agrofuel would lead to climate-related benefits and an increase in revenue derived from selling the crops to growing green markets.

New evidence has, however, challenged each of these presumptions. In the face of reckless new targets, large-scale land conversion for energy crops, increasing food prices and damning scientific reports, government's actions are increasingly being labeled by environmentalists as fraudulent.

A recent study published by the Africa Biodiversity Network (ABN) provides compelling evidence from Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Benin that the misguided scramble for projects could lead to an environmental and humanitarian disaster on the continent. For instance, Timothy Byakola reports that a plan is underway to convert a third of Uganda's prime rainforest reserve, Mabira Forest, into agricultural land on which sugarcane will be planted for ethanol production. According to Byakola, President Yoweri Museveni has vociferously supported this controversial project, ignoring community opposition to it. The consequences of the deforestation of 7,100 hectares of one of the key water catchment sources for the Nile River and Lake Victoria, and the implications for the communities around Mabira which depend on the forest as a source of livelihood, are potentially enormous.

All the other countries in the study report similar situations in which large tracts of arable land are being sold off to the highest bidders, with little regard for the repercussions on local populations livelihoods and food security. Furthermore, an environmentalist from Ethiopia reports that there are plans to introduce the new 'wonder' plant, jatropha, which will be grown as an agrofuel in fertile lands. Apart from emerging criticism about use of the plant as an agrofuel, this is controversial because jatropha was promoted precisely because it is a hardy plant that could grow in drier lands and minimize use of the arable land that is needed by local populations.

The ABN report also indicates that there is a lack of engagement within the countries studied on the potential impact on rural communities and on food security. In South Africa, however, the draft strategy on biofuels/agrofuels has been vigorously opposed by a variety of stakeholders who fear that rural communities will be compelled to bequeath their lands over to industrial producers of oilseed rape, maize and soy. The government is currently revising the strategy and it is due for comment again in June next year.

As with carbon trading, the agrofuels issue brings climate justice questions to the fore. In 2004 climate change activist George Monbiot warned that rising demand for biofuels will result in competition for food between cars and people. 'The people would necessarily lose: those who can afford to drive are, by definition, richer than those who are in danger of starvation.' He goes on to argue that the reason Northern governments are enthusiastic is because they don't want to upset car drivers. He argues that biofuels 'appear to reduce the amount of carbon from our cars, without requiring new taxes. It's an illusion sustained by the fact that only the emissions produced at home count towards our national total.'

In the latest UK budget announced in June, the tax rebate on biofuels was extended. From March 2008 all suppliers in the UK will have to ensure that 2.5% of the fuel they sell is derived from plants. Failure to do so will result in the imposition of a penalty of 15p (USD.30) per litre sold. The quota is set to increase to 5% in 2010 and by 2050 the government hopes that 33% of fuel will come from crops. The US is setting similar targets.

In response to such moves, both Monbiot and the organization Friends of the Earth have called on governments to halt support of agrofuels. In a recent press release Friends of the Earth argue that 'more attention should be focused on reducing energy demand and improving vehicle efficiency, as this will cost less than subsidizing inefficient new sources of supply like agrofuels.'

But this will be difficult to achieve with the market growing as it is. According to US research consultancy Clean Edge, the global market for agrofuels is set to grow from $20.5 billion in 2006 to $80.9 billion by 2016. Recent media reports in the South African press suggest that investors in Africa have already pledged billions of dollars for production plants that will derive bioethanol and biodiesel from crops like sugar, maize and soy in Africa. Talk in the North is already focusing on imposing guidelines to mitigate the problems that arise from agrofuels. Ultimately, the challenge for Africa will be to map its own path for sustainable development, and not to be swept away by the current wave of potentially ill-conceived 'green' schemes.

I hope that the new jatropha farm in Tanzania does not turn out to be ill-conceived. I wonder what provisions have been made for the families who will be relocated to make way for the new scheme?

The world is so complex. We seem to find contrary opinions to almost everything. But I don't hear any contrary opinions about the School of St Jude. No one has any doubt that providing excellent education for bright children from the poorest families is a good thing. Good for the children, good for their families and local community, and good for the country as a whole.

$US698 grant for Tanzanian roads, power and water

2007-09-19T06:27:00.000+10:00

Reuters reports that the United States has approved a $698 million five-year grant to boost Tanzania's road networks, power and water supply, through its Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

The world community has long recognised that Tanzania's unstable power supplies and poor roads are major impediments to economic development.

Tanzania's electricity supply was put to the test last year after drought in late 2005 led to a drop in hydropower generation and culminated in extensive power rationing. Most businesses and organisations like the School of St Jude were forced to resort to costly diesel generators.

MCC said in a statement that Tanzania had developed a program to address infrastructure problems. They said,

Chosen by Tanzanians, the investments to improve the transport, energy, and water sectors will provide a catalyst to reduce poverty and spur economic growth.

Tanzania is among Africa's largest recipients of donor aid, with 42 percent of its 2007-08 budget funded by donors. The Millennium Challenge says it gives grants to countries that have shown a commitment to reforms.

If the Tanzanian government stays on track, it will continue to attract funding that will allow it to improve the basic infrastructure which is necessary to support the current 7.0% growth rate that will lift it out of dire poverty.

Rotary climbs Mt Kilimanjaro

2007-09-19T06:20:00.000+10:00

On the 28/08/07 a group of Australian Rotarians and Friends climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in Africa. This was the culmination of months of planning. The climbers raised money for three projects in Africa – including the School of St Jude. The School plans to buy two diesel generators for the Usa River campus that is due to open in a few months.

After the climb, they visited the School, and you can check out details of their visit here.

Everyone who visits the School is impressed. Impressed by the way it is growing, by how well it is run, and most of all by the behaviour and attitude of the students.

Assembly – the best behaved children in the world! What a welcome we received.

If you want to make a difference in the world, the School of St Jude is a great place to do it!

Ban Ki-Moon calls attention

2007-09-14T05:59:00.001+10:00

With most of sub-Saharan Africa currently off track for meeting goals for slashing poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy by 2015, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is convening an unprecedented meeting of development leaders to put the continent back on the rails to progress.

The MDG Africa Steering Group was set up by Mr. Ban after a report in June showed that despite faster growth and strengthened institutions, Africa at its present rate would fail to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the UN Millennium Summit in 2000.

At the G8 meeting in June, Mr Ban said,

This year marks the mid-point of our work to realize these goals by 2015. We have far to go indeed, especially in Africa. New statistics show we are making progress, but far too slowly to achieve the MDGS in time. This is why I have offered to chair a new MDG Africa Steering Group of all the major players to help refocus our efforts to achieve the MDGs in Africa. This will include the heads of the World Bank, the IMF [International Monetary Fund], the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank, the AU [African Union], as well as the UN. I will chair the Steering Group and I welcome the support offered here in Heiligendamm for this initiative.

Achieving the MDGs will also depend upon a positive outcome of the Doha Development Round of trade negotiations and by serious follow-through on debt cancellation initiatives. I look forward to leadership by the G-8 countries in this regard.

This kind of international leadership is essential if the whole world community, rich and poor alike, are to work together to help the poorest countries lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

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History in the making

2007-09-13T10:39:00.000+10:00

History was made in Tanzania this month when a syndicate of the country's own local commercial banks and pension funds raised $240 million to fund the recovery of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) in a deal that illustrates the increasing depth of the country's capital markets.

It is the single largest corporate finance deal ever in East Africa and it signals that Tanzania is more able to rely on its own finance institutions and less dependent on foreign financiers such as the World Bank.

With this deal, Tanzania becomes the first country in East Africa to use resources held by its pension funds to finance infrastructure. The deal is part of a growing trend where companies in East Africa are preferring to finance expansion and recovery through locally sourced, shilling-denominated long-term debt.

Tanesco managing director Dr Idris Rashidi, the immediate former governor of the Bank of Tanzania, described the deal as a landmark transaction that will pave the way for the return of the utility to its past financial strength.

Part of the money will be used to strengthen the company's transmission and distribution network in order to reduce power losses, to connect new customers and to train staff to improve customer service delivery.

Under the recovery plan, Tanesco will embark on an ambitious capital expenditure programme to sustain an average load growth of 15 per cent per annum over the next five years. Also targeted in the plan are new infrastructure, new customers and upgrading of old infrastructure.

Increased electricity capacity is vital for Tanzania’s economic development. Tanzania has an electricity per capita consumption of about 64kWh/y (compared with over 10,000kWh/y for developed and 900kWh/y for emerging countries like India and China). In Tanzania, electricity is expensive and unreliable – these are major obstacles to global competitiveness.

The School of St Jude is educating the kids who will become the next generation of engineers, accountants, lawyers, bankers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and policy makers. Improved infrastructure, and better education will help Tanzania climb out of the poverty trap.

Techniques for better teaching

2007-09-06T06:08:00.000+10:00

Amy and Freda, two wonderful teacher trainers, are back at St Jude's again. They have become regulars at the school, as they work with the teachers to introduce new curricula and new teaching methods.

In a recent blog post, Amy describes a demonstration lesson she gave to a Standard 5 class, to model the concept of artifacts as representations of culture.

Amy used a classic lesson, with photos of cups from different cultures and times in history. She said,

The children explored the photos in small groups, drew inferences about the cultures from the photos, and discussed. The higher level thinking was running all over the classroom, and their inferences were stunningly well-informed and insightful.

Then, they created a cup of their own to represent something about themselves and their culture. Typical of children their age, we had many sports cups, hearts and butterflies, names and ages decorating cups around the room.

Each of these processes was completely new to the children, and the joyful enthusiasm for the task, with no concern about "right and wrong" (a real issue in schools in this part of the world) let me know that they are ready and anxious to take on big ideas and big thinking at a moment's notice. Hoping the teachers who observed it uses the lesson as an example of how to raise the bar for learning, engage students actively, and produce big thinkers in the process. Fun day!

The School of St Jude does a whole lot more than give a basic education to poor children. It is building a network of teaching competency that gives these bright kids an excellent education. They will grow up with a wide view of the world, and will have the skills to think deeply about issues and problems.

The School of St Jude will educate hundreds of children, and that will make a massive difference to the whole community of northern Tanzania – and the country as a whole.

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Tightening the screws on corruption

2007-09-05T09:45:00.000+10:00

For the poorest people, every opportunity that sees some extra money coming their way is quickly seized. When the whole country is poor, this becomes the ‘normal’ way everything is done, from the smallest transaction to the largest.

The Tanzanian Government is working on the wide range of measures that will lead to national culture change over time. I have blogged here and here about corruption, and today I see a Reuters report about the Tanzanian Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), whose job is to regulate government tenders to ensure that the money goes to the project, and not into the pockets of officials.

According the World Bank’s country procurement assessment report for Tanzania issued in 2003, about 20% of government expenditure on procurement is lost through corruption, mainly in the form of kickbacks and bogus investments that eventually have to be written off. The report says,

Considering that public procurement accounts for about 70 per cent of the entire government expenditure budget, this translates to a loss of $300m (approx. 300bn/- at the time) per year, which is enough to finance the combined annual recurrent budgets of the ministries of health and education.

Clearly the PPRA has plenty of work ahead! Established two years ago, the PPRA will issue standard procurement procedures to government departments for running tenders, monitor the performance of tenders and investigate any irregularities. Head of PPRA, Ramadhan Mlinga, says,

Actually one of the serious things is lack of information. Basically all these efforts will be able to give some correct statistics on procurement.

Under Tanzania's new anti-corruption law anyone found guilty of graft through procurement could face fines of between 1.0 million shillings and three million, or three and five years in prison.

For another view on government effectiveness in fighting corruption in Tanzania, see a report (4 Sept 2007) in This Day, which quotes a recent assessment by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit.

New laws, regulatory agencies with real power, professional development training and an alert media that keeps the spotlight on the problem – all of these things will contribute to a change in culture in coming years. Reducing corrupt practices at all levels of life will help reduce poverty and encourage faster economic growth.

That's good news for the kids at the School of St Jude. Your support will help them grow up well-equipped for a new society that is undergoing important social change.

Joy of knowledge

2007-09-04T05:24:00.000+10:00

I had two letters today from kids at St Jude's. One was about Mr Sebastian and the other about Miss Genofeva – two of the teachers we sponsor at the school.

It is always great to get a letter from the kids. The kids letters come as those blue aerograms that I remember using so often when traveling and living overseas when younger. I guess that email has replaced the old aerogram for long distance writing in most parts of the world. So these blue aerograms trigger a host of foreign memories for me.

The kids' letters are mostly of the polite kind – like the thank you letters to aunts for unremarkable Christmas presents.

But the letter about Mr Sebastian really touched me, because the writer commented on the recent earthquakes in Northern Tanzania. She said that Mr Sebastian had previously taught the class about earthquakes and "we have already understood about that".

How knowledge transforms us! What a precious thing it is to understand the world we live in. How valuable this is – yet here in Australia we take it for granted because every child goes to school and learns vast amounts besides basic literacy and numeracy.

Support for the School of St Jude is the means by which hundreds of bright children from poor families can receive these gifts of understanding. The children of Tanzania can't get a basic education because the government does not collect enough tax revenue to cover the cost of even the basics. We have to take this on, and make a contribution. How else will these children learn to read and write, and understand what causes the earth to shake from time to time?

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Tanzania best for government effectiveness

2007-08-29T07:42:00.000+10:00

A new World Bank report says that Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have shown significant progress in the key aspects of improving governance over the past 10 years.

Tanzania has the best record of all three countries in its efforts to control corruption and also scores best under the "Rule of Law" category. Both Kenya and Tanzania score well under the "Voice and Accountability" section, while Uganda is said to be the least stable politically.

Tanzania is also said to be the country that rates highest in terms of government effectiveness.

The ratings are based on the views of East African citizens, businesses and other survey results taken over the past 10 years.

This is really good news for economic development in Tanzania because research shows a strong correlation between higher growth and reduced corruption.

I have blogged here about recent anti-corruption legislation in Tanzania and I am now interested to see that the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have run 3-day training workshops for Tanzanian Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) prosecutors. The training brings prosecutors up to speed on the new Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act and offers techniques for diagnosing a case, developing a theory of the crime, getting evidence admitted in court, and speaking persuasively in court.

PCCB Director General Edward Hosea and DPP Assistant Director Augustine Shio (speaking) participate in PCCB prosecutor training

Through case studies and presentations by an experienced former U.S. federal prosecutor and talks by senior prosecutors and judges from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Court of Appeal, the training is expected to bolster the number of successful corruption prosecutions carried out by the PCCB and DPP.

USAID is also providing PCCB with support for the development of an electronic case management system, information technology equipment, and vehicles to facilitate field investigations.

A lot of hard work like this goes into building the capacity for better governance. Tanzania is putting the hard work, with the help of the international community.

In the same way, the School of St Jude is putting in a lot work to develop better teaching practices so that bright children from poor families have the chance of a good education.

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Sponsor a teacher

2007-08-28T09:31:00.001+10:00

Our family sponsors two teachers at St Jude’s, and it happened that both of them were mentioned in the latest school newsletter!

Mr Sebastian Gitbang

Mr Sebastian is the Head of the Social Studies Department but next year he will become the Academic Master at Usa River. In this role he will be in charge of all the heads of academic departments and teachers at that campus. Currently he is receiving wise counsel from Nestory Msoffe the Academic Master at Moshono in preparation for the new challenges he will take on next year.

Miss Genofeva and the Hoey family

Miss Genofeva teaches Kindergarten and Year 1. Here she is with some students and the Hoey family who also sponsor her. You can find out a bit more about her here on my blog.

When you sponsor a teacher at St Jude’s your donation helps to provide teaching resources. Teachers also know that someone on the other side of the world is interested in what they do. We are nourished by the interest of others. What are you interested in today? What are you nourishing with your interest?

Tony Wheeler – patron saint of backpackers

2007-08-26T06:19:00.000+10:00

Tony is someone who has made a career out of doing what he loves most – travelling.

When Tony and Maureen Wheeler arrived in Sydney the day after Christmas 1972 after a six month Asia overland trip from Europe they had 27 cents left between them. In late 1973 they started Lonely Planet Publications to publish Across Asia on the Cheap, the story of their trip from London to Australia. From that self-published guidebook Lonely Planet Publications has grown to become the world’s largest independent guidebook publisher.

In July this year, Tony traveled to Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro with friends. His friends, the Cubit family, are sponsors at the School of St Jude, so he got to visit the school.

Tony Wheeler, Mark, Amy, Amanda, Leigh, Gemma, Ashleigh Rose, Karen and Cheryl

Like most visitors, Tony was very impressed by the School – it’s a fantastic project by another energetic Australian, Gemma Sisia. Gemma enjoyed showing her visitors the new school emerging at Usa River. It was an altogether uplifting visit, combining adventure travel and good companionship, along with a few bottles of wine.

So, if you are thinking of traveling to Africa, pick up a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to Tanzania, and drop in on the School of St Jude where amazing things happen every day!

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Bill Clinton discovers the School of St Jude

2007-08-23T19:53:00.000+10:00

When you follow events at the School of St Jude, you soon encounter the elegant determination and commitment of Kim who seems to be able to turn her hand to almost anything to do with building and promoting the School.

In Gemma’s recent newsletter (you can subscribe on the School website) Kim describes how she discovered that Bill Clinton would be visiting Arusha. Of course she immediately plotted ways to introduce him to the School.

Bill Clinton has established the Clinton Foundation, directed at improving the lives of African people in four ways:

HIV/AIDS Care
Climate Initiative
Mobilizing Action
Sustainable Development

Bill Clinton in Tanzania

What a wonderful way to direct his talents and leverage his network of valuable contacts. It is always especially interesting to see what powerful people do when they retire from their main job. Do they go off and play polo, or do they continue to contribute their talents in meaningful ways?

Kim was at the airport to meet a plane when she discovered that Bill Clinton was visiting Arusha. She says,

So Bill was in town and Susie knew his pilot, John! Phone calls to the right people, chats over drinks with the crew and we extracted a promise that the next day they would try to arrange a meeting with Bill at the airport just before he left, where we could hand him a copy of Gemma’s book and the school’s DVD and plonk a St Jude’s hat on his head (I chose the biggest size).

The plane left earlier than expected, but Kim managed to get the books, DVDs , AND the hat on board, and she had confirmation from from John that President Clinton was handed his copy on arrival in Spain the next morning. She said:

That was lucky – they were personally signed so we couldn’t have given them to anyone else ...

The photo shows Keren, Carter and Suzie on the tarmac with the St Jude’s goodies.

It’s great to take every opportunity to tell others about successful projects like the School of St Jude. Who can you tell today?

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Financing schools for the poor

2007-08-15T07:56:00.000+10:00

In very poor countries like Tanzania the public school system struggles to provide even the most rudimentary education for children. School rooms are nonexistent or decrepit, teachers are untrained and absent, and there are few books or supplies.

Outdoor classroom in Ghana

Microschools are tiny schools run by committed individuals who provide basic education for a few local children at a cost of a few pennies per day. Recent research by James Tooley, a leading academic expert on schools for the poor, has shown that these schools outperform their public school counterparts across Africa, India and China.

In 2006, while a professor of education policy at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Tooley published a groundbreaking, award-winning research study on the impact of these schools in five developing countries -- China, Ghana, India, Kenya and Nigeria. He found that,

Contrary to previously held beliefs, schools for the poor are superior to government schools, school teachers are more committed and education outcomes are better. All this is accomplished for a fraction of the per-pupil cost of government schools.

Tooley's extensive three-year study, which is ongoing, investigated education in all types of poor environments – from slums and shantytowns in metropolitan cities to remote rural villages in impoverished regions. More than 24,000 students were tested in key curriculum subjects and research was conducted with parents, teachers and school managers. Tooley says,

An education revolution is taking place. In the poor urban areas surveyed, the vast majority of schoolchildren were found to be in 'budget' private schools. These schools charge very low fees, affordable to parents in poverty.

The study found that concerns of lower quality education were misplaced when compared with public education in the countries studied. Tooley explained,

In every setting, teacher absenteeism was lower and teacher commitment – the proportion of teachers actually teaching when our researchers called unannounced – was higher in the schools for the poor than in government schools.

The poor have found remarkably innovative ways of helping themselves, educationally, and in some of the most destitute places on Earth have managed to nurture a large and growing schools industry.

Tooley’s research has encouraged microfinance provider, Opportunity International, to develop school loans programs to help these microschool to bring greater educational opportunity to poor children, especially girls. Christopher A. Crane, president and CEO of Opportunity International, says,

Transforming the precarious lives of the poor requires three elements: banks that provide loans and savings accounts that allow the poor to buy food and shelter, microinsurance so a death in the family or illness doesn't throw them right back into poverty, and education -- the element that has the most hope of eliminating the cycle of poverty with their children's generation. This is truly value-added microfinance.

A loan from Opportunity International can help a tiny neighbourhood school to expand and serve more students. The average school size of a Microschool of Opportunity in Ghana is about 200 students.

Opportunity International is rolling out its school loan program and expects to help its clients on three continents to educate one million poor children over the next three years.

What a great program! Like the School of St Jude, Opportunity International is brings basic education to children from the poorest families, in countries where government revenue is not sufficient to provide this essential service.

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Order your 2008 calendars

2007-08-13T07:54:00.000+10:00

A School of St Jude calendar is the perfect gift for that person for whom it is impossible to buy anything – Aunty Madge has enough Body Shop loofahs! And this is a great way to help the school grow as all profits will go towards the school's running costs and you will be helping to spread the word with an attractive and practical gift.

St Jude's kids on the bus

The calendar will be a 12 page wall calendar about A4 size with a glossy photo, facts and information about the school and space to write the ‘Don’t forget!’ stuff every month.

Top students in 2006 exams

The hardest part will be deciding which photos of exuberant students, cheerful staff, colourful buses and our local environment will make it to the final cut – that’ll be tough!

Irresistable cuties!

To make sure the School orders the right number (they don’t want disappointed sponsors or a stockpile of 2008 calendars in 2009!), they are asking you to put your orders in before the end of August so they have a realistic figure for the printer. The calendars will be posted out from Australia to arrive mid to late November in plenty of time for Christmas and the special multi pack costings make them very reasonably priced Christmas gifts. The prices (including include GST, postage and handling) are as follows:

1 single calendar - AU$16.50
Pack of 10 - AU$130
Pack of 20 - AU$200

If you could send the School your order as soon as possible, that would be fantastic. You don't need to send any money - the School will let you know when that is due.

Send your order to school:

The School of St Jude
Fighting Poverty through Education
Email: schoolofstjude@habari.co.tz
Website: www.schoolofstjude.co.tz
Address:
PO Box 11875, Arusha
Tanzania, East Africa
Phone: 255-754-566136

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Meserani Snake Park

2007-08-11T11:32:00.001+10:00

Arrive as a stranger, leave as a friend.

What a useful place this is! When you visit the Meserani Snake Park 20km west of Arusha on the road to the Ngorongoro Crater, you can see snakes, monitor lizards, tortoises and crocodiles,

you can take a camel ride, set up camp,

you can hang out at the famous ‘Pit’ bar,

you will be able to service your vehicle in the fully stocked workshop,

or take a guided tour,

check out the genuine local crafts (profits help to fund the medical clinic the Park runs for locals), or look through the Maasai Museum.

The Meserani Snake Park is a thriving tourist destination with some very useful services.

Check out some great visitor photos on the Fred Vos travel blog.

Here are some pictures of the hugely fun and educational day at the Park enjoyed by students from St Judes.

Miss Martha with some fierce Maasai warriors

The girls are just gorgeous!

Hands on learning!

All aboard for another Meserani experience!

It's great to see that children from the poorest families can have fun learning experiences through the very excellent School of St Jude. These kids are soaking it in and getting massive benefit from the opportunities offered through the efforts of School supporters world wide.

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Bustling building site at Usa River

2007-08-10T05:31:00.000+10:00

The latest newsletter from St Jude's shows the progress on the the Usa River site where a second school is being built.

When Gemma started the school in 2002 with 3 students, she had only one building that was started by a group of Australian Rotary volunteers. This year, she has two major building projects. The new school at Usa River is employing hundreds of local workers. There are 700 people on the payroll. This intense effort will mean that the whole school (classrooms, offices, hall, kitchen and boarding accommodation) will be ready for students in January 2008.

Here's the progress.

May 2007 – laying the foundations

Kim measures the admin storeroom

July 2007 – primary boys boarding house

July 2007 – classrooms going up

July 2007 – Classroom walls

Main structure of the school takes shape

The electrician and plumber supervise works

Amani (left) the electrican, who has been with the school since it started with 3 kids back in 2002. He is standing with the plumber, Robertson. Both are taking a moment to watch a concrete pour taking place. Their jobs are going to triple over the coming year and so will both have to take on more apprentices, etc.

The School of St Jude provides a good education for bright children from the poorest families. It also provides work and opportunity for local teachers, builders, cooks, drivers, mechanics and all the trades involved in building and running substantial education facilities. None of this would be happening without the passionate commitment of Gemma. And, of course, it depends entirely on your interest and generosity.

Jatropha – never heard of it!

2007-08-08T20:17:00.000+10:00

It exists. It’s a major crop grown for its oil, and production is ramping up because it is highly suitable as a biofuel. Now I’ve heard of it. And so have you!

Jatropha has pretty flowers

I heard about it through ‘African Agriculture’ – a news site about, yep, agriculture in Africa. They reported yesterday on a $20million venture to grow jatropha in Tanzania.

Jatropha seeds

Here’s what Wikipedia says about jatropha.

The hardy jatropha is resistant to drought and pests, and produces seeds with up to 40 per cent oil content. When the seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be used in a standard diesel car, while the residue can also be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.

Jatropha - tree, leaf and flower

Here are some handy facts about jatropha (sorry, I like this kind of thing, feel free to skip to the end!)

- After the first five years, the typical annual yield of a jatropha tree is 3.5kg of beans.
- Jatropha trees are productive for up to 30-40 years.
- 2,200 trees can be planted per hectare (approx 1,000 per acre).
- 1 hectare should yield around 7 tonnes of seeds per year.
- The oil pressed from 4kg of seeds is needed to make 1 litre of biodiesel.
- 91%+ of the oil can be extracted with cold pressing.
- 1 hectare should yield around 2.2-2.7 tonnes of oil.
- Press cake (seedcake) is left after the oil is pressed from the seeds. This can be composted and used as a high grade nitrogen rich organic fertilizer (green manure). The remaining oil can be used to make skin friendly soap.

Isn't that cool?

Then I discovered that Diligent Tanzania Ltd, based in Arusha, are producers of jatropha oil and biodiesel for transportation fuel purposes and offer consultancy services for anyone who wants to grow or use jatropha. Their website indicates that Diligent is very socially responsible. They work with local jatropha growers to improve their farming practice and they guarantee a market for their product. They also arrange local processing of the seeds into oil, which keeps more jobs in the local area.

Diligent staff in Tanzania

The world is just jam-packed with bustling initiatives and ventures that are constantly changing the landscape we live in. Keep your antennae out, you'll see them everywhere.

I wonder whether any parents of St Jude’s kids are jatropha farmers? I wonder whether St Jude's diesel generators can run on biofuel?

I wonder. Do you?

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Teachers are inspiring!

2007-08-07T07:55:00.000+10:00

The School has been fortunate to benefit from the generosity of the Smith Foundation to fund highly experienced teacher trainers to bring new skills to the talented and committed teaching team at St Jude’s.

My posts, here and here, describe the visits of these trainers, Amy and Freda, who visited the school in December 2006, followed by a visit by Amy in April 2007. Here is what Amy says about her April visit.

Today was my first day back at St Jude since December. I spent the day talking with teachers and observing in classrooms, looking for evidence of progress in teaching techniques. The evidence was everywhere I looked - Rooms full of student work, word walls, and informational materials - Small group hands-on work going on in almost every classroom I visited - Highly engaging instruction and strong positive interaction between teachers and pupils. I can honestly say I saw more progress than I had ever expected. Work still to do, but so great to see teachers accepting the challenge so readily!

Mr Peter and Mr Koringo discuss leadership principles

When the new Usa River campus opens, senior teachers from St Jude's will lead the school. Amy is working with them to develop a leadership capacity based on democratic and shared leadership strategies. She notes that the senior teachers are a great find for the school, bringing knowledge, experience, and a strong commitment to the children and the goals of the school.

Success builds on success, and excellent teaching depends on inspiring leadership. St Jude's has it in spades!

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Baked green bananas and hot tamarind sauce

2007-08-06T06:38:00.000+10:00

Here's Miriam's (Rose Kinunda) great website that features recipes for Tanzanian food.

You can find a recipe and get a taste of home, remember your visit to Tanzania, or experiment with something you've never tasted before. Recipes are in English as well as Swahili.

Hmmm... 'bananas and tamarind sauce' has caught my eye – now I know what to do with that jar of tamarind paste that is sitting in my cupboard.

Hot tamarind sauce.
•1/2 cup Natural tamarind paste,
•Salt
•1 tsp hot peppers (reduce amount of pepper if you can’t handle spicy food)
•Water (if needed)

Check it out. I'm going to try the pilau next.

Happy cooking!

Sponsor a bus

2007-08-04T14:37:00.000+10:00

Hey, we have become the proud sponsors of two buses at the School of St Jude. Among the jellybean buses, there's a purple and a light pink. They're ours.

Currently the School has over 840 students coming to the school from a radius of over 40km. The Big Purple Bus helps to pick up a number of children who live in Sanawari, on the other side of town. Some of these children still walk a bit to get to the bus stop as a lot of roads are inaccessible for buses. But imagine they had to walk all the way to school! With the help of sponsorship the School is able to keep up with the bills for fuel, tyres and maintenance.

The light pink bus helps to pick up a number of children who live in Mburiet, Engosheraton and Unga Limited, one of the poorest areas in Arusha. In Mburiet there is an orphanage called Huruma. Eight of the children living there attend The School of St. Jude. Until last year, they had to catch a “dala-dala” (local minibus) first, up to an area called Engosheraton where they would catch the school bus.

This was not only a very long journey for them, but also getting complicated when for some reason the little ones had to go home by themselves (the older ones staying back for tuition etc.). But this year, the Light Pink Bus is going all the way up to Huruma (that is, whenever the weather situation allows, as with too much rain the road gets too muddy) to pick up these eight and two other children who live nearby. Then it picks up students from Engosheraton and Unga Limited. Unga means Flour in Kiswahili and there is a large flour factory as you enter the area.

Weekly diesel bills for the School's fleet of buses cost $2,000. Without the buses, the School would not be able to serve the large area that it does. As well as picking up children and teachers for the daily trip to school, the buses are used to transport all kinds of goods for the school, including bulk food supplies for the kitchens.

It's great to see so many happy faces. These kids are glad for the opportunities they receive when they are accepted into the School of St Jude. Like most kids, they like to learn, and this School is almost their only chance of getting a good education. Schools in Tanzania have very rough buildings, almost no resources and too-few teachers. Everyone who visits the School of St Jude remarks on the joyful spirits and appreciation of the children.

So, you know that your contribution is going where it is needed, and that it will be appreciated. Add your bit now. Use the ChipIn tool at the top of this page, or visit the School website to become a donor.

Hey ho! Rentabook adds up.

2007-07-30T22:44:00.000+10:00

Yes, it all adds up. Every last dollar. It's the end of the month and time to decide what we'll sponsor at the School of St Jude this month.

I don't really mind what I sponsor, 'cos I see that the money is well-used. Good planning goes a long way towards ensuring that things go smoothly, but there are always hiccoughs and glitches that mean that plans need to be adapted.

Earlier this year, the School commissioned an internet upgrade that involved a satellite dish and more. After several months of service failure, they have gone back to their previous supplier -- a more limited service, but more reliable! We have to expect these things to happen and to be flexible.

This month, I'd like to remind you about my brainwave – the Rentabook Scheme. This is so simple, it is silly. All you do is stick one of my St Jude's bookplates into the front of your books, then lend them or give them away as usual. The bookplate encourages the borrower (or recipient) to make a small donation to the School of St Jude – they rent the book for a small fee. The fees are paid here on my blog via the ChipIn tool at the top of the page.

Give it a go. Download the bookplates here. Stick them in. Get those books circulating!

Classrooms – learning on the job

2007-07-25T22:05:00.001+10:00

Over the years of building classrooms in Tanzania, a developing country, the building materials and the builders’ skills have improved. The paint lasts longer, the floors survive thousands more foot steps, the render on the walls can cope with posters and charts and the blackboards remain black!

At first, the School shipped donated desks and chairs from Australia, but now all furniture is made locally. This way the School can ensure the furniture is the right height for the students and they are creating huge job opportunities for people in the local village and, therefore, the ripple effect is enormous.

The School also believes that staff and students will enjoy coming to school and will want to work hard and with pride for their school and themselves if they have harmonious surroundings. For this reason the School has gone to a lot of trouble to plant trees and grow gardens and lawns around the classrooms. Of course, it’s not all aesthetic - the greenery keeps down the dust and holds off the heat … to a certain extent!

By sponsoring classrooms at the School of St Jude, you are helping to pay for the bricks, cement, steel, wood, paint, render, corrugated iron sheets, building tools and fundis (bricklayers, carpenters, steel workers, builders, painters, cleaners, etc) wages. There is a maximum of 10 sponsors for each classroom – there are many people involved in building a classroom!

So, you can see how valuable your contribution is to the development of the school. When you give to the School of St Jude, you are joining a global team of wonderful people who realise that the fight against poverty starts with education. You can stay in touch with the School by newsletters, the School website and this blog – and feel the immensity of your contribution to many lives.

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Capacity-building in the education sector

2007-07-23T06:45:00.000+10:00

IRIN reports that education experts have welcomed the Tanzanian government's pledge to hire more teachers in the 2007-2008 financial year to improve the quality of education in the country.

The government allocated 18 percent of this year's budget to education and announced plans to hire more teachers in June.

On 11 July, Education Minister Margaret Sitta told a parliamentary session in Dodoma, the country's political capital, that the government would employ 14,490 primary and secondary school teachers to raise standards. She also said

Permits will also be issued by the government for about 600 expatriate teachers for privately owned primary and secondary schools.

Since free primary education was introduced in 2002, the Government has focused on improving the quality basic education in the country.

Ministry of Education records show that enrolment in primary schools increased from 4,839,361 in 2001 to 7,969,884 in 2006. This raised the net enrolment ratio in primary schools from 65.5% in 2001 to 96.1% in 2006.

This means that nearly all the children of primary school age are now enrolled in primary schools.

Pressure on secondary schools

The increased enrolment in primary schools has put more pressure on secondary schools to absorb those completing primary education. Enrolment in form one, the first year of secondary education, increased from 99,744 in 2003 to 243,359 in 2006.

Suleiman Sumra, a retired professor of education and researcher with Hakielimu, an NGO dealing with educational issues, said that while it was important to expand schools and enrol more pupils, the question of teachers should also be tackled.

When you cannot have everything and trade-offs have to be made, priority should be given to teachers over buildings.

During a debate on the education ministry's budgetary estimates, legislators praised the government's efforts to build primary and secondary schools over the past 10 years. However, they expressed concern over the shortage of competent teachers and teaching aids, as well as inadequate laboratories and libraries, especially in rural areas.

One legislator, Ponsiano Nyami, gave an example of a secondary school in his constituency with only one teacher - the headmaster. This teacher was forced to use the school's head-prefect as deputy and to carry out administrative duties, such as looking after visitors.

Teachers enjoy working at St Jude's because class sizes are limited, they have excellent teaching resources and there is mentoring and staff training.

St Jude's senior staff and leader trainees

Supporters of the School of St Jude know that their donations are going where they are needed most – to one of the poorest countries that is struggling to give its children an education that can lift the whole country out of extreme poverty.

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Earthquake or volcano?

2007-07-21T06:52:00.000+10:00

IRIN reports on the recent series of tremors in northern Tanzania.

Ol Doinyo Lengai last erupted in 1966

They report –

Livestock herders living near Ol Doinyo Lengai in northern Tanzania have abandoned pastures on the slopes of the mountain after tremors believed to be the result of volcanic activity, a government official said.

Local authorities have embarked on a disaster awareness campaign that focuses on what people should do in the event of a major earthquake and advises them to evacuate if the volcano erupts.

Check out the IRIN news item for more details.

European trade barriers are falling!

2007-07-20T06:41:00.000+10:00

Switzerland is leading the way in removing tariffs and quotas on trade with Tanzania. At the same time, they are helping to build trade capacity within the country by funding local trade development programs.

These initiatives will help overcome two trade barriers –

the restrictions of tariffs and quotas
the barriers formed by food quality standards

This is part of the new wave of assistance and economic restructuring that will lift some African countries out of grinding poverty. This is the future that the kids at St Jude’s will inherit.

The Swiss government has removed all tariffs and quotas standing in the way of Tanzanian exports destined for Switzerland. The new regulations came into force in April 2007, and are expected to benefit a wide range of Tanzanian businesses trading in products such as flowers, cashew nuts and fish.

The capacity building programs include support to the cashew and coffee sectors at farmer level and assistance in boosting the processing sector for the crops, the aim being to increase the value of the exported products. Technical assistance is also being provided to the Tanzania Bureau of Standards to enhance its capacity for testing systems in line with internationally accepted standards, as it certifies potential export products.

A statement from the Swiss embassy in Tanzania noted:

The introduction of this zero duty initiative does not affect the requirement for Tanzanian exporters to satisfy Swiss product quality standards.

These measures show that Western countries now have a better understanding of the complexities of aid and economic development. Tariffs and quotas are not the only barriers to trade, so development aid is being given to build producer capacity and improve local governance so Tanzanian produce meets the requirements of European markets.

I hope to see a lot more initiatives like this over the coming months and years. We're seeing the will and the knowledge to make a difference at the individual level and at the systemic level.

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Flamingos or washing soda?

2007-07-18T22:17:00.000+10:00

Oh-oh! The flamingos are in trouble.

New Scientist reports that the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is concerned that Lake Natron in Tanzania is about to be ruined by plans to build a factory on its shore.

Lake Natron is a shallow, saline lake covered with a crust of salt, and is home to more than 500,000 lesser flamingos during the summer. That's 75% of the world’s breeding population. The lake has also been the lesser flamingo's only nesting site in East Africa for 45 years.

According to the RSPB, an Indian company called TATA Chemicals has set its sights on Lake Natron's unusual waters and is planning to build a factory on its shore to pump the salty water and produce sodium carbonate (washing soda). The factory will be powered by a new coal-driven power station, and the developers also want to introduce a hybrid shrimp to the lake to increase the water's salinity.

Hmmmm... this sounds altogether not-good, right down to the coal powered electricity generation. The flamingo isn't just another little brown bird, or one of those small frogs that Australian conservationists get all excited about. It is one of the most amazing creatures on the planet!!

How can we value flamingos versus washing soda?

Now, that's a hard one!

Here is a Google Earth image showing Arusha, Lake Natron AND the location of the recent earthquakes (Ol Doinyo Lengai region – that's the little yellow triangle symbol on the left of the image – you can click on the image for a bigger version). The yellow line is the border with Kenya. Arusha is at the bottom, near the little yellow triangle signifying Mt Meru.

How is that for cartographic efficiency!!

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2007: The Tanzanian Government refused permission for the factory. It's good to see they have an eye on the long term benefit of environmental protection.

Tuesday earthquake

2007-07-18T06:31:00.000+10:00

NOTE: Updates at the end of this post.

The United States Geological Survey reports a series of earthquakes in the Arusha region.

The centre of the quakes is about 100km north west of Arusha. They have registered magnitudes of about 5 or 6. That's about equivalent to a 30 kiloton nuclear explosion, according to the British Geological Survey. As a comparison, the recent earthquake in Japan that killed 9, injured 900 and displaced 10,000 was magnitude 6.8.

I think I'll take a look on Google Earth and see what that part of the country is like. It may be part of a national park, or it may be farmland. I'd like to find out more about the impact of these earthquakes in northern Tanzania.

UPDATE: News reports note that the earthquake tremors have been felt in Nairobi, but there are no reports of personal injuries or property damage. The Global Disaster and Alert Coordination System has rated it an Orange Alert - i.e. 'medium'.

IRIN (18 July) has some more details here.

A look at Google Earth reveals that the earthquakes are in the Lake Natron region, around the volacno, Ol Doinyo Lengai, as seen on the left of the this picture (click to enlarge). Arusha is at the bottom, near Mt Meru, and the yellow line is the border with Kenya.

UPDATE: The Daily News reports (18 July):

A POWERFUL earthquake shook western Arusha city yesterday, causing buildings to sway and sending thousands of people fleeing into streets.

No damage or injuries were immediately reported from the tremor that measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. It occurred at around 5pm, just as people were going back home for the evening and night.

The Director General of the Tanzania Meteorological Agency, Dr Mohamed Mhita, confirmed the earthquake, the third in three days and after several years of inactivity in an area dotted by extinct and dormant volcanoes, including the Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. “The quake follows movements on the Great Rift Valley,” he added. The Valley is a fault line cutting through the middle of Africa from south to the Mediterranean Sea.

The quake was also felt in Nairobi and some parts of Dar es Salaam, he said. It lasted about a minute. The quake was also reported by the United States Geological Survey.

“A strong earthquake occurred this evening,” said Arusha Regional Police Commander, Basilio Matei over the phone. “I felt it myself in the office,” he added. The acting spokesman of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Mr Danford Mpumilwa, said that staffs were evacuated from the court’s building located at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC). ICTR is trying the key perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda under a United Nations mandate.

Staff of the East African Community and private occupants of the building also scampered out as the powerful quake rattled the town, hub of the country’s northern tourist circuit. "This is the highest magnitude ever recorded in the region for very long," said Mr Walter Maeda, a hotelier, who was at the roof top of his hotel and saw tables “dancing”.

Good aid :: Bad aid

2007-07-17T20:35:00.000+10:00

Not all aid to poor countries is good. In fact some people say that all aid is bad. There are volumes of examples where well-meaning aid has turned out to be harmful. For example, African street markets have lots of second-hand clothes stalls that feature the clothes bagged and put into charity bins in wealthy countries. The abundance of these cheap clothes means that no local clothes manufacturers can compete, and garment industries simply don't get off the ground.

Beyond any Drought is a report on development and aid in three countries in the African Sahel – Niger, Mali, and Burkino Faso. The key recommendations in the report can be applied to development projects in Tanzania, and to the School of St Jude specifically.

Sahel area of Africa

1. Increase long-term assistance; stay the course. All interventions should be over at least 10 years.

The School of St Jude meets this requirement, because Gemma has family roots in Tanzania and this is her life work. Current activities are set within a long term framework that extends decades into the future.

2. Accept that the situation has changed

The School of St Jude has shown that it can adapt to rapid change by gearing up rapidly when world-wide support flourished. Gemma has the management skills to keep a goal in view, while adapting to changing circumstances.

3. Understand the detail

The School is managed right there, on the ground. The impact and effectiveness of every bag of cement is known. This deep familiarity with detail means that the School develops appropriately and effectively.

4. Plan to improve capacity

The School has programs and training in place to develop leadership capacity in staff, so that the leadership team grows with the school. This local expertise will underpin the long term viability of the School.

5. Build on successes

In her book, St Jude's, Gemma describes how she has learned from mistakes and events that didn't turn out as expected. From these experiences, she has learned what works, and she continues to apply these lessons. For example, she has learned to be rigorous in selecting capable children from poor families, and she has learned to check and check again to avoid dishonest practices.

6. Believe in flexibility

The School of St Jude aims to support the best elements of Tanzanian culture combined with Australian excellence. The cross-cultural approach and rapid growth of the school have meant that flexibility has been a key requirement!

I have great confidence in this project. The School of St Jude delivers quality education to 870 capable children from the poorest households. The local demand for places in the school is massive. 15,000 applicants try for the 170 places each year. There is no doubt that there is local demand for quality education, and that the School of St Jude, delivers what parents want for their children.

This is only possible with the help of people who care to share what they have with others who have less.

Giving and receiving

2007-07-17T06:22:00.000+10:00

Here is one way that the School of St Jude acknowledges our donations.

Isn't that colourful? Last month we opted to donate to the boarding school, and ticked the 'Industrial Cooker' option. So I smiled to receive this certificate by email.

We send a donation each month, and often choose the 'general donation' option. Here is what the School says about general donations.

The child sponsorship schemes help to run the school, but it is only thanks to donations that we have been able to expand the capital infrastructure of the school so as to be able to keep up with the exploding enrolment.

Larger donations can buy things outright, and smaller donations can go towards the full purchase of specific items such as generators or a photocopier.

The School has simplified the options for making donations online. Previously we have used the direct bank transfer option, but now we find it simplest to use the Paypal option and use our credit card.

I'm sure you'll find that it is an easy process. Give it ago – at the School of St Jude.

Tanzanian Bloggers Association

2007-07-15T21:16:00.000+10:00

What’s this? A Tanzanian Bloggers Association?

Yes, indeed it is. And of course, I’ve joined – because my blog is so focused on Tanzania.

Most (almost all?) the blogs in the Association are in Swahili, so if you speak Swahili, you’ll find lots to interest you here.

I can't join the discussions of other Jumuwatas, but they've welcomed me into the world of Tanzanian blogging. Global Voices does an occasional roundup of topics on Tanzanian blogs, so I keep in touch that way. Here is the Global Voices interview with Jeff Msangi, one of the main Tanzanian bloggers.

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Tanzania's prize winning solar

2007-07-14T07:10:00.001+10:00

Look who is winning international prizes! Zara Solar – providers of PV solar in Northern Tanzania.

Zara Solar has won the Ashden African Award for sustainable energy. Funded by British industry, the Ashden Awards are based on an annual competition to identify and reward organisations which have carried out truly excellent, practical, yet innovative schemes, demonstrating sustainable energy in action at a local level. Zara Solar's prize is worth (£30,000).

Zara Solar is cited as:

Zara Solar is the leading provider of solar PV in Northern Tanzania. Given that only 10% of the whole population and 2% of the rural population have access to the electricity grid in Tanzania, solar energy would seem to be an obvious alternative. However, the up front costs and the problems with providing technical support to more remote areas, limits its appeal.

Zara Solar has tackled this problem by selling high-quality, reliable systems at affordable prices and by creating a network of trained technicians that provide technical support to the more remote rural areas. Zara Solar and its sister company Mona-Mwanza Electrical & Electronics, have sold over 3,600 solar PV systems, directly benefiting over 18,000 people and this figure is expected to increase significantly over the coming year.

In order to reach yet more people, Zara Solar is exploring micro-finance packages that will allow customers to use the savings made from replacing kerosene, to pay back the cost of the system over time. From savings on kerosene alone, Zara Solar customers in the rural areas could easily pay back the cost of a PV system in less than two years if the right financing methods were available.

We all need encouragement, and encouragement that includes both recognition and money, is the best kind!

You will know from this blog about the difficulties the School of St Jude has had with electricity blackouts. They have had to buy big diesel generators to guarantee their electric supply. I wonder whether solar panels are an option for their new boarding facilities, or the new campus at Usa River? I wonder whether Zara Solar can help them? Perhaps the first priority is to get the new buildings up and running, and the solar power can come later.

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Africa Awakes!

2007-07-13T06:35:00.001+10:00

Check out this short video clip on France24 about an exhibition at the City of Sciences and Industry ( Cité des sciences et de l'industrie) in Paris. Called When Africa Wakes Up, the exhibition demonstrates the role of science and technology in African development.

Exhibitions and reports like this are important because they show us a different side to Africa – a side more like the daily life of millions of Africans. Things are changing in Africa and we are part of the story.

Navy blue socks for 1740 busy feet

2007-07-11T18:32:00.000+10:00

As I noted yesterday, navy blue socks are on St Jude's wish list this month. Actually, navy blue socks are on St Jude's wish list EVERY month – local socks are expensive and low quality. The School provides full uniform for students, and, as I noted earlier, these uniforms are symbols of pride in the local district.

Thanks to the generosity of one supporter, the School is able to help parents keep their child's uniform in good working order by employing a Sewing Lady to attend to daily repairs. In December, I told the story of how St Jude's came to have a Sewing Lady.

Today, thanks to Bill Pavey, who keeps me up to date with the Parkwood Rotary Club activities that support the school, I can share the story of John Tunnicliff, who has responded to the call for socks by packing his bags with bundles and bundles of navy blue socks.

John Tunnicliff, Gemma Sisia, students and socks!

John is the International Service Director at Parkwood Rotary Club, and he has been a great supporter of the School of St Jude from the early years. So, when he was planning a trip to visit the School this year, it was only natural that he stuffed his luggage with as many navy blue socks as he could.

It doesn't sound like much, does it? A few dozen pairs of socks for a country where one in five children die before the age of five. But this is just a small indicator of the great care and generosity of spirit of people like John Tunnicliff, who actively support powerful on-the-ground projects that are making a huge difference to individual lives, and to the future of one of the poorest countries in the world.

Hundreds of visitors go to St Jude's every year, and all of them carry something in their luggage. This is material support that speaks what is in their hearts – great loving care for people who struggle to give their children opportunity and prosperity.

We have so much. In this affluent country, we have so much.

To get your material goods circulating through the world, you can click on the ChipIn button at the top of this blog and send a few dollars to the School of St Jude. You can stick 'Rentabook' labels in your paperbacks so they can earn dollars for the best development project in Africa – the School of St Jude. Download them here.

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Wishlist

2007-07-11T06:28:00.000+10:00

The School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania, relies on the support of enthusiastic Friends worldwide. Where ever possible, it tries to source local materials so that local businesses and livelihoods are supported. However, it publishes a wishlist of items that are either non-existent, poor quality or very expensive to buy locally.

Here's the latest wishlist. If you are travelling to Arusha, could you add some of these items to your suitcase?

Headsets for computer classes
Clear Contact for covering books - REALLY URGENT (10/07/07)
Industrial pencil sharpeners - they must be really strong or they break quickly!
Any good educational software to teach students Maths, World Geography, Science (our bandwith is so narrow we can't use the internet and need offline software)
The latest Encarta and Encyclopedia Britannicus CDs
Children’s Socks (age 7 -16 in navy, knee-length)

Do you like lists? Things seem to take on fresh meanings when they are lined up with neighbours. This odd assortment of items reflects the real efforts made at the School of St Jude as it tackles the goal of providing excellent education to bright children in a country that is starved of resources.

Even if you're not traveling to Tanzania, you might find a way to send the School one of these items.

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Bah Humbug! Building progress

2007-07-09T23:10:00.000+10:00

Recently, I read an article in the LA Times that argued that Africa is doing just fine thank you very much. All is not doom and gloom because many African countries have good economic growth. The columnist argued that trade, not aid, is what Africa needs. I got impatient at the over-simplification of this discussion. It seems to me that both sides of the Aid vs Trade argument get over-simplified and people end up slanging off at each other.

So, for peace of mind, I turned my thoughts to the School of St Jude. Here is a project that depends on private aid and that makes a material difference to the lives of hundreds of families right now, while providing jobs and educating the future leaders of Tanzania.

How can this country grow without educated professionals? How can people who live in extreme poverty educate their children without the help of others? While Africa has entrepreneurs who are establishing mobile phone networks and selling minerals to China, it doesn’t have any entrepreneurs who are offering affordable (i.e. no cost) education to the poorest of the poor.

Bah Humbug! Leave them to their debates and take a look at this.

Foundations for three girl's houses

These pictures show progress on the building works for the weekday boarding facilities for over 300 boys and girls at the Moshono campus of the School of St Jude.

A foundation to last for generations

Generations of children will use this accommodation. This school will serve the local area through the coming generations of increasing prosperity. Perhaps at some time in the future, families will be able to afford school fees and will not depend on the consciences of people who live far away.

Columns to support the second floor

These buildings are solidly made, using local materials and local labour. This provides employment for people who can take pride in building their own future, while putting food on the table today.

Good, solid foundations and columns

The weekday boarding accommodation will be open by the end of 2007, ready to house children in 2008. What a change that will be for all the children, and the school. Instead of a two-hour trip to school, they will have a five-minute walk. Instead of trying to do secondary school homework in a two-room house with no electricity, they will have comfortable and safe study rooms and dormitories. At weekends they will spend time with their families.

It seems to me that the poverty in Africa is due to large influences, like geography, and systems of government that have not always been very effective, and trade rules that disadvantage some countries. Individuals suffer the effects of these large influences. Now the system is beginning to change and poor people in Tanzania have the hint of a chance of a better life for their children.

With our help, these children can step into a new future where they can contribute to the ongoing growth and development of this very poor country. So, don't get muddled by Trade vs Aid arguments – your support for the School of St Jude has no downside, only benefits at all levels.

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Tanzania recognised for good governance

2007-07-09T07:44:00.000+10:00

Jeffrey Sachs has singled out Tanzania as one of the African countries that has benefited in recent years from good governance. He was speaking in connection with a United Nations push for a “Green Revolution” in Africa to help the continent build stable agricultural systems and rescue tens of millions of people from poverty.

The idea of a Green Revolution for Africa, inspired by a similarly named program that helped many Asian countries, especially India, out of underdevelopment in the 1970s, has been championed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Kofi Annan

At a joint news conference in Geneva, the three U.N. agencies said the African version should not copy the Asian experience but be based on African realities, focusing on small-scale farming and help in empowering women.

Over the past 15 years, according to the FAO, the number of hungry people in Africa has increased by 45 million to a total of 220 million -- around a third of the continent's population and one quarter of the world's under-nourished people.

Yields of maize and other staple cereals in Africa remained at under 1.0 tonne per hectare, about half average yields in Asia and Latin America.

The U.N. agencies said the main causes of food insecurity were weak institutions, insufficient investment in agriculture by national governments and donor countries, a harsh environment made worse by climate change, corruption and mismanagement.

At a separate news conference, the U.N. adviser and U.S. academic Jeffrey Sachs said Ghana, Tanzania, Madagascar and Malawi were among African countries which have benefited from good governance in past years, helping drive economic progress.

Sachs said problems arose because many decision-makers in donor nations "don't know the quality of governance that is emerging in many African countries".

The School of St Jude in northern Tanzania is contributing to the future good government of the country by giving bright children from poor families an excellent education based on good ethical standards. This well-run project is worthy of your support.

African Green Revolution – an excellent online resource about this initiative.

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MDG – Progress

2007-07-08T06:31:00.000+10:00

A recent report from the UN shows progress on the Millennium Development Goals.

U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon says recent statistics show the number of extremely poor people living on less than a dollar a day fell to 980 million in 2004. One-and-one-quarter billion people lived in extreme poverty in 1990. He says this achievement has been made despite a sharp increase in the total global population.

The share of children attending primary school has grown from 80 percent in 1990 to 88 percent in 2005," he said. "There has also been strong progress on child mortality because of focused interventions-on measles, TB, dysentery and malaria. I am very encouraged by these statistics.

The report finds South and South East Asia have made the most impressive reductions in extreme poverty. But, the poverty rate in Western Asia has more than doubled.

The report notes some progress is being made in other challenging regions. It says even sub-Saharan Africa is defying all predictions and is doing better than expected in cutting levels of poverty. It says the continent's poverty rate has fallen by nearly six percentage points since 2000.

Despite these gains, it says the poverty gap in sub-Saharan Africa remains the highest in the world. It says Africa urgently needs help in fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as in basic medical care and education.

The U.N. Secretary General accuses developed countries of failing to live up to their commitments to provide adequate funding to help poor countries improve their situations.

The goals are achievable, I think, if countries commit themselves to sound governance and accountability and receive adequate financial and technical assistance from the developed countries. For developed countries, it is also very necessary, desirable to keep their commitment.

Mr. Ban says there has not been any significant increase in Official Development Assistance since 2004. He says that makes it impossible, even for well-governed countries, to meet the Millennium Development Goals. He says the Group of Eight industrialized countries should meet its pledge to double aid to Africa by 2010.

Even with Kevin Rudd's latest promise, Australia falls well behind this. Tanzania is one of the African countries best-placed to benefit from aid – it is stable, well-governed and committed to improving governance even further.

Political promises and memes

2007-07-07T07:38:00.001+10:00

You may recall that I have blogged here, here, and here about Australia’s failure to live up to its promises to raise Foreign Aid to 0.7% of GDP. So, you will know that I am pleased to see that Kevin Rudd has announced a timetable for a Labor government to meet this target. He specified 0.5% by 2015-16. It is still a bit vague, but at least he is talking about it!

Kevin Rudd in Darfur, 2006

In an interview on the ABC’s World Today program , Rudd said:

It is in our own interests to tackle poverty in our own region, as part of a wider strategy to deal with the impact of terrorism, climate change pandemics and refugees potentially on Australia.

I have the impression that Rudd is an excellent manager who has a good grasp on the detail of bringing about better practice. He has this to say about helping countries in our region to achieve universal primary education.

For example, in education we would negotiate a timeline to meet a target of universal… truly universal primary education. This in turn will go to the need for comprehensive audits of the state of the region's primary school infrastructure, including the adequacy of teacher training and the adequacy of curricular.

I'm looking forward to fresh approaches to effective government.

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

Megan at Imaginif has tagged me in a meme ‘Bloggers for Positive Global Change’. What is a meme? Basically, it is a chain of recommendations – I am tapped on the shoulder by someone, and I then tap others. So, here are some blogs about positive global change that I read.

Ben's Blog – Australian blog mostly about aid and policy.

Realclimate – This is the best resource on the Web for keeping up to date with the views of reputable climate scientists. They have a great summary where they debunk 25 myths about Climate Change.

Next Billion – This blog is about sustainable business models for the world’s poorest people – the next billion people.

Center for Global Development: Views from the Center – This is a group blog that features notes from Nancy Birdsall, her colleagues at the Center for Global Development and others in the development community about new ways to reduce global poverty.

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Rent a Book Fundraiser

2007-07-05T21:48:00.001+10:00

Here's my latest scheme! You can download this bookplate and stick it into any of your books. Then you lend the books, sell them, or give them away, and the books becomes a fundraiser for the School of St Jude.

Do you like this idea? Can you add these bookplates to your books? Go here to download the PDF file, then print it out and stick it into any of your books. [Right click the link and choose 'save as' to save the PDF file to your computer.]

Your borrowers can use the ChipIn widget on this blog to donate their book rental fees to the School of St Jude.

Get your books working for you! Better still – get them working to educate bright children from poor families in Tanzania.

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World Economic Forum

2007-07-05T06:56:00.000+10:00

We hear a lot about the Web2.0 – the new forms of social interaction online, especially user generated content.

World Economic Forum, 2007 – collage of participatory activities

The World Economic Forum, held in Capetown 13-15 June 2007, has an interesting website that webcasts some of the sessions and allowed people worldwide to contribute questions and comments via a blog and SMS. The Forum included some open sessions where panellists responded to questions sent via the blog or SMS. Check it out here.

This is great! – because it allows everybody to see some of the sessions. Those presentations are no longer just one-day events, limited to Cape Town in June 2007, instead they last as long as the website continues.

I can see this kind of possibility for the School of St Jude. A Friends page could allow worldwide supporters to share photos (via Flickr) and video (via YouTube), to post blog messages or join a discussion board for Q and A.

What do you think? Would you like to be part of something like that? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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Paving and drainage make me happy

2007-07-03T21:05:00.000+10:00

My brother in law is a plumber, so I happen to think that drainage is important – and even interesting. So, take a look at this. Our monthly contribution to the School of St Jude has been put to good use!

The playground and path used to flood when it rained

Up until recently, whenever it rained, the area in front of the classrooms has become a quagmire. No amount of gravel or ground leveling could stop this. Of course, the kids didn’t mind, they just splashed through the puddles ruining pairs of shoes, splattering uniforms and trampling mud through the classrooms. But more serious was the problem of the stagnant water providing the perfect breeding ground for the malaria carrying mosquitoes.

And then the School discovered Hans, a Danish man, who has a paving business using local workers and a local product to provide a very professional paving job and the problem is on its way to being solved!

Thorough preparation is the secret to great paving!

As you can see from the photos, not only do the paving stones save a whole lot of shoe leather and cleaning materials but they really look fantastic, too.

Beautiful paving runs beside classrooms, creating a dry zone

In conjunction with the paving, the School now has a very efficient drainage system to remove the water that used to accumulate in the area to a large underground storage tank. The water from this will be used to water gardens and wash buses during the dry season – a huge saving on our precious water supply.

Ooh... look that that lovely snaking drain

Here is the new drain that runs alongside the main entry road. It's big enough to manage the big tropical downpours that are typical in East Africa.

Now THAT’S a drain!

So, as you can see, our donations really help the School in so many ways – the kids and teachers are kept cleaner, drier and healthier; the cleaners’ jobs are less onerous; the environment is kept healthy and clear of mud and the water saving storage tank will make a huge difference to the water supply in the coming months.

If you would like to add your contribution to the School, please visit their website and click on ‘Support us’. Small donations can be made through the ChipIn button at the top of this blog.

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Round up

2007-06-29T07:43:00.000+10:00

Well, we had a great time at the Kujenga! fundraiser for Foodwatershelter that I blogged about here. Foodwatershelter build eco-friendly children's villages with education, social and health facilities. Their first village for 40 orphans will be near Arusha in Tanzania.

I thought I would end this month with a reminder about the building projects at St Judes.

The Big Sleepover – weekday boarding school

It’s underway, and you’re invited! Work is starting on the weekday boarding facilities for the older kids who live a long way from the school. The boarding school will provide bunk bed dormitories, living/dining/study areas, bathrooms, and play areas.

Instead of sharing a mattress in a two room home,

the kids will have their own bed and mosquito net.

Instead of studying by candle or lamp in homes with no electricity,

the kids will have well-lit study areas with some computers.

Instead of walking an hour to the bus for the long ride to school, they will have a five minute walk to school.

And they will go home at weekends, so their loving families won’t lose contact with these bright children who are on the way to an amazing future with opportunities every parent dreams about.

How can you join The Big Sleepover? Well, the school has prepared a number of sponsorship packages shown in the following picture.

Last month, we opted to 'sponsor' an industrial cooker! I guess we won't get letters from it, but I'm sure we'll see photos. Maybe I can send it a Christmas card now and then!

Please email Gemma – schoolofstjude@habari.co.tz – if there is a package/s you are willing to support. She will make sure you get lots feedback and thanks.

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Budget support for education

2007-06-25T06:32:00.000+10:00

In their budget proposals for 2007-2008, Kenya and Tanzania pledged to boost spending on education and health, while Uganda set aside funds for rehabilitating the conflict-ravaged north, where internally displaced persons (IDPs) are returning to their villages.

Finance ministers of the three countries made the pledges when they simultaneously unveiled their national budgets on 14 June.

Tanzanian Finance Minister Zakia Meghji announced substantial increases in spending on education, health and infrastructure: "Those sectors have a great impact on poverty reduction," said Meghji.

Zakia Meghji (l) meets Brigitte Girardin from France

About 18 percent of the country's budget would be spent on education, 12.8 percent on roads and 10 percent on health, while 6.2 percent would fund agriculture and 5.1 percent will be used on water services.

Challenges to Tanzania's education system include a shortage of teachers and teaching aids at all levels, according to Juma Ngasongwa, the planning, economy and empowerment minister.

I have blogged here about the current strains on the Tanzanian education system caused by an extra 2.3 million children flooding into primary schools across the country due to the removal of school fees. This budget shows that Tanzania is trying to manage this transition.

A simple comparison with the NSW State budget shows that NSW spends 24% of its budget on education, and that does not include universities, because they are funded by the Australian Government. NSW spends 28% of its budget on health.

It is great to see that Tanzania is spending more on education, health and infrastructure. But their revenue base is extremely low, even though external grants and concessional financing will contribute 39% of revenue. Their revenue is so tiny that the 18% to be spent on education is ONE HUNDRED TIMES LESS than the amount spent in NSW.

The School of St Jude is a fantastic project that provides essential basic education to bright children from the poorest families. How else are these children to grow up with the skills necessary to help guide Tanzania into the future?

Can you help?

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A ship that is sailing well

2007-06-23T12:42:00.000+10:00

"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.

Where is East Africa?

2007-06-19T21:33:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it is not quite what you may think it is. Usually Tanzania is counted as East Africa, but for some purposes, it it counted as part of a bloc of countries in Southern Africa.

Perhaps this kind of ambiguity will diminish with the latest steps towards the formation of the offical East African Community (EAC). This community is intended to become a political federation, including a common market for the region's combined population of 110 million, a monetary union and a common president and parliament by 2010.

Three countries at the core of the EAC are Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda which joined in 2005 to establish a common tariff zone. Last week they were joined by Rwanda and Burundi, and the five countries are working towards a shared future with a common East African court of justice, customs union and an EAC anthem.

Rwanda is rebuilding an economy shattered after a 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people were butchered, while Burundi is still in talks with rebels to end an insurgency that has killed some 300,000 of its citizens since 1993.

Their inclusion in the EAC is vital to their future development because both are land locked countries. Land locked countries are severely disadvantaged in world trade because of the transport barriers that cut them off from access to world markets.

In time, the EAC has the potential to help this group of countries that share geography, history and culture to share economic development in mutual harmony with their neighbours and to reap the dividends of living at peace.

UPDATE 7 July: The enlarged East African Community has attracted investors from the Indian sub-continent barely a month after its was launched in Kampala.

The Confederation of Indian Industrialists is visiting the region to explore opportunities for investing in the new trading block that now has a population of about 115 million.

Kenya's Minister for Regional Co-operation, John Koech, took the opportunity to announce that a joint East African energy master plan and other forms of infrastructure were being worked on to boost industrialisation.

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African music – listen in!

2007-06-19T05:50:00.000+10:00

There is something about African rhythms and harmonies that delights my ear. I hear it in Brian Kieran’s video of St Jude’s which features the clear voices of the children in many places.

In recent years these rhythms, tunes and harmonies have come to the wide world through performers like Paul Simon and through the whole World Music scene. Now, of course, we have Web 2.0 with its user-generated content.

A great place for musical browsing is YouTube. You can drop in there and put ‘Tanzania’ into the search box to find the latest works tagged ‘Tanzania’. Try it again for ‘Tanzanie’ and you’ll get a slightly different crop of works.

Here’s a favourite of mine from this past week. The clip is titled the Best Swahili Church Song Ever. It has been viewed 3,900 times and favourited 22 times – so there are lot of people who like this kind of music!

The School of St Jude aims to support the best elements of Tanzanian culture, while introducing some core Australian values. Music is a strong element in Tanzanian culture and it is great to see it weaving its way through school life at St Jude’s.

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Usa River building progress

2007-06-16T07:16:00.001+10:00

On the main road from Arusha through Usa River, this sign has sprouted to announce the arrival of the new campus of the School of St Jude. Ah, I see that they drive on the left in Tanzania. That makes it easy for Aussies!

This is the entrance to the school. With those bright yellow walls, it will be hard to miss!

Here is a view of the foundations being laid for school buildings that will be open for business in January 2008. Over 150 local men and women are getting employment even at this early stage of building. Lots of families are happy that the school is going up in their area.

Usa River foundations

No large concrete trucks here – it's all mixed on site and carried in buckets.

This is where your money is going. You are building a new school.

Perhaps it will last for hundreds of years. Schools generally do. They get added to and renovated. Their old students come back and reminisce about their friends and teachers. The next generation arrives and a new layer of memories are laid down.

Building the future. Right now.

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News Roundup

2007-06-14T20:06:00.000+10:00

I seem to have come across lots of bits of news about Tanzania in the last few days, so I thought I’d share some of them with you.

Flaviana Tatata: Miss Tanzania 2007

More about Flaviana later, first....

Economic growth. Most exciting to me is the news that Tanzania's economy is expected to grow by 7.3 percent in 2007, up from 6.2 percent in 2006, according to a government planning agency. You may recall that growth in 2006 was reduced by the extensive power failures that occurred when drought cut off the hydro electricity supply.

The 7.3% figure is very exciting because 7% growth is required if Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved by 2015 and living standards raised. As a reference point, it is handy to know that Australia’s growth rate was 2.8% in 2006.

Africa Competitiveness Report. Good government policies, better access to finance and more infrastructure are all needed if Africa is to expand its economy. Corruption and lack of skills, energy and transport are the main bottlenecks to improving productivity and making the continent more competitive in global markets.

These are among the main findings of “Africa Competitiveness Report 2007,” a 255-page study released today ahead of the opening of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. The competitiveness study is the first research on Africa carried out jointly by the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and the African Development bank.

Speaking at the launch, Senior Forum Economist Jennifer Blanke said the economic outlook for Africa is positive and that Africa's economy has grown in the last five years. The rest of the world, however, is growing at a much faster pace.

Investing in Tanzania. Which countries are investing in Tanzania? In the top ten are:

Britain with projects worth US$ 1,115m.
Kenya, which shares a border with Tanzania. Projects valued US$ 958.21m.
India
South Africa
Netherlands
China
USA, Germany, UAE, Botswana.

Miss Tanzania. Finally, we know that Tanzania is engaging on all fronts when its cricket team plays in an international competion in Australia, and when Tanzania enters the Miss Universe competition! This is its first year in the competition, represented by Flaviana Tatata, an electrical technician.

Flaviana Tatata: Miss Tanzania 2007

What do you want the judges to know about you?
I am an electrical technician by profession as well as a top model in my country. I never let anyone define me neither by hair nor clothing as I believe God made me perfect as a pure, natural African woman.

I get the impression that Tanzania is on the move!

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Vanity Fair – winds of change

2007-06-13T05:42:00.001+10:00

Look! Can you see? The shape-shifters are at work in the landscape of our lives.

In my youth, extreme and desperate poverty was common throughout Africa, Asia and Central/South America. I thought it would always be like that. I also thought that the Berlin Wall would endure like the Great Wall of China or Hadrian’s Wall.

I got on with my life, raising my kids. The next time I looked, the Berlin Wall came down and I discovered that most Asian and Central/South American countries were well on the way to lifting themselves out of extreme poverty. That left only Africa. And world leaders are taking it on!

I see the power that is being leveraged into helping African countries…. leaders like Tony Blair are REALLY pushing this, philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett are on board, and influential economists like Jeffrey Sachs are driving international policy (e.g. Millennium Development Goals). Celebrity entertainers are leveraging their fame to focus attention on the needs and possibilities of change in Africa.

The winds of change are blowing through our lives.

Jeffrey Sachs at Ruhiira, a Millennium Village in Uganda

The latest (July 2007) issue of Vanity Fair has a special feature on Africa with 20 covers of Annie Liebowitz photos of Americans who are active in Africa. This issue has real information as well as goodies like Youssou N'Dour's personal playlist that you can download from the iTunes Music Store for $US9.99 which goes to the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The hundreds of supporters of the School of St Jude part of this wave of change. We are making history. We are working together on a radical transformation that will transform the world our children live in.

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Order of Australia

2007-06-12T15:00:00.000+10:00

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.

Tanzania comes to Sydney!

2007-06-12T07:51:00.000+10:00

Have fun at this high-energy cocktail fundraiser in the Rocks on Thursday 27 June, 2007.

The folks at FoodWaterShelter are throwing a party and you're invited. This great group is starting an an eco-friendly children's village in Tanzania. It will be home for 40 orphans in the Arusha district. They know what is needed and how to do it cos they have volunteered at the School of St Jude.

The party on the 27th will be held at Dan's place,the Argyle, 12-18 Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Dan? Gemma's brother of course!

What's up on the night?

A wild performance by Senegalese drumming sensation, Pape Mbaye!
A live auction with a money-can't-buy item list, including a 15-day Serengeti safari for two!
Exotic African art, exhibiting unique pieces from Africa's and Australia's most talented artists.
Gourmet Traveller photographer, Luke Burgess will talk you through his "Tales From Tanzania" photo exhibition.
Exceptional and substantial canapé cuisine plus an unlimited access to tantalizing alcoholic beverages.
A renowned African artist will paint the entire evening onto canvas. This canvas will be auctioned on the night!

The dress is cocktail, and the price is $125. I think I'll be there!!

You can find out more about this FoodWaterShelter fundraiser on their website.

Sophie's Choice – Violet and Margaret

2007-06-11T15:27:00.000+10:00

The harshness of extreme poverty makes many parents face choices like Sophie's Choice – the choice that no parent should have to make – to choose between your children.

The School of St Jude takes bright children from poor families. What if a poor family has five bright children? That is usually the way, isn't it? All the doctor's children grow up to become professionals. The School of St Jude tries to help as many families as possible, and right now, they have a policy of helping only one child from each family because one child will be able to help the whole family.

Gemma hopes that, in time and with help from supporters, she can grow the school sufficiently to allow them to accept more than one child from each family.

Here is the human face of the decisions that poor families have to make all the time. Violet and Margaret are both academically gifted. Margaret was a little too old to be accepted into the School of St Jude and she stayed at the local primary school where she completed Year 7 – a special accomplishment for a poor girl in her district. What is more, she passed the exams for High School. Only a small proportion pass these exams.

But her family could not pay the expenses of sending her to High School, so she is learning to be a tailor.

Her younger sister Violet was one of the 150 students out of several thousand who won a place at St Judes in 2005. She has learnt to speak English, her secondary schooling is assured and she wishes to be a teacher.

In this two-minute video, you can meet the two sisters whose paths will be very different, and see the difference you can make when you support the School of St Jude.

Go to the School website now, to add your contribution.

This is a clip from the video made by Brian Kieran. You can see his video about St Judes on YouTube.

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Upskilling and YouTube

2007-06-10T17:18:00.000+10:00

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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The Big Sleepover – weekday boarding school

2007-06-08T06:56:00.000+10:00

Instead of sharing a mattress in a two room home,

the kids will have their own bed and mosquito net.

Instead of studying by candle or lamp in homes with no electricity,

the kids will have well-lit study areas with some computers.

Instead of walking an hour to the bus for the long ride to school, they will have a five minute walk to school.

And they will go home at weekends, so their loving families won’t lose contact with these bright children who are on the way to an amazing future with opportunities every parent dreams about.

How can you join The Big Sleepover? Well, the school has prepared a number of sponsorship packages shown in the following picture.

Please email Gemma – schoolofstjude@habari.co.tz – if there is a package/s you are willing to support. She will make sure you get lots feedback and thanks.

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Pulling up stumps

2007-06-07T07:41:00.000+10:00

In the ICC World Cricket League Division Three competition just completed in Darwin, Tanzania lifted its ranking from 7th to 6th in the Division of eight teams.

Tanzania's captain, Hamisi Abdallah, bowling in Darwin

That’s a good effort! And what a great experience for these cricketers to have the opportunity to travel and play against seven other countries from around the world, including Argentina and Italy as well as smaller nations like Fiji and Cayman Islands.

I hope that the kids at St Jude’s get the chance to learn cricket. Perhaps cricket is one of the many opportunities that will develop as the school becomes more established and the children grow into the high school years.

It seems to me that things are changing rapidly in Africa because so many countries are on the path of economic growth. A recent OECD report, African Economic Outlook 2006/2007, indicated that GDP growth rate in Africa has averaged about 5 percent annually in the past six years, rising to 5.5 percent in 2006, and is expected to reach 6 percent in 2007.
The report noted that sound macroeconomic policies in most African countries has increased business confidence leading to a pickup in private sector investment.

The Chief Economist of the African Development Bank, Dr. Louis Kasekende pointed out that,

Yet, the continent still needs to accelerate and sustain growth to the level of 7 to 8 percent to be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual report on sub-Saharan Africa said,

Optimism over sub-Saharan Africa has grown in recent years, thanks to debt relief, global economic expansion, high prices for commodities such as oil and a general improvement in policy-making.

The IMF said it was too early to assess whether the higher growth rates were helping poverty but noted governments had been using the proceeds of debt relief to provide key services.

With these gains, it is likely that when the kids of St Jude’s graduate, they will be poised to step into the professional roles needed by their growing economy. Perhaps they will also get to play cricket and travel the world!

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A school must act as a lighthouse

2007-06-05T18:41:00.000+10:00

At the upper end of possibility, a school can act as a lighthouse for society, providing direction and guidance, because each child is potentially the light of the world, a future conscious and proactive member of society.

All the greatest educators are able to envisage the highest levels of human possibility. They have an almost uncanny knack to hold exceptionally high, ‘off the graph’ possibilities in one hand while diligently checking spelling and inventing clapping games that help reinforce the multiplication tables.

Here are three visionary educators –

Dame Marie Clay, the New Zealand educator who developed the Reader Recovery program is acknowledged by her peers as

A world-class scholar, researcher, and visionary educator, who has inspired scholars, regenerated teachers, and touched the lives of children in all parts of the globe. She has been an unwavering advocate for world literacy, and her program, Reading Recovery, taught in all English speaking countries has been translated into many world languages.

Marie Clay

Dr Maria Montessori established a teaching method now taught in thousands of schools world-wide. She said,

The teacher's skill in not interfering comes with practice, like everything else, but it never comes easily. It means rising to spiritual heights. True spirituality realizes that even to help can be a source of pride.
Our goal is not so much the imparting of knowledge as the unveiling and developing of spiritual energy.
We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.

Dr Maria Montessori

Gemma Sisia is a visionary educator.

Whoever said there is no such thing as an ugly child must have been thinking of African children.

By simply donning the St Jude’s uniform, a child’s persona changes from quiet and shy to proud and confident with head held high. This is one of the most rewarding parts of admitting new students. It’s wonderful to see the joy on their faces and their parents’, and know we’re in this community together for the long haul, all the way through to the end of secondary school.

Gemma Sisia

Visionary educators don’t teach to minimums, instead they point towards the highest possibilities of human endeavour.

I encourage you to reach for higher possibilities and lend your support to the School of St Jude.

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TED comes to Arusha

2007-06-04T06:50:00.001+10:00

In January, I wrote about the TED conference which was to be hosted in Arusha. Well, it’s on now.

TED is a high-powered talk-fest that attracts the most powerful and influential people on the planet. While their core business is to showcase clever and creative ideas in technology, entertainment and design, in recent years they added heart to their mandate and have taken a humanitarian focus. This conference will be their first in Africa and 1200 delegates and speakers are expected.

I hope that a few of the delegates take the time to follow the famous jellybean buses of St Jude’s back to the school to check out Africa’s most successful project!

In the coming weeks, I’ll check the TED website to see if they have added any of the Arusha talks to the great selection of video presentations online.

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Montessori – visionary educator

2007-06-03T14:47:00.000+10:00

Gemma Sisia started the School of St Jude in 2002 with 5 pupils and a vision for a grand possibility. In only five years her school has grown to 850 students and she has started a second campus. She is well on the way to achieving her grand vision.

Gemma Sisia on book launch tour

Like other successful educators, Gemma has an optimistic view of the potential of children. In this respect, she follows the footsteps of Dr Maria Montessori, possibly the most influential educator of modern times,

The discovery of the powers of the child is the most important discovery humanity has ever made and uncovers the very roots of our life.

Maria Montessori, a ninetheenth century Italian doctor, observed young children and established classrooms based on the principle of learning by doing. Her teaching methods have spread to most countries of the world. Indeed, the world’s largest school, the City Montessori School in Lucknow, is based on her principles.

City Montessori School, Lucknow – one of the four campuses

The story of this amazing school, sounds a lot like the School of St Jude, only it is further down the track.

The City Montessori School (CMS) Lucknow, India, was founded in 1959 by a young visionary couple, Mr. Jagdish Gandhi, a socially motivated Gandhian, along with his wife Dr. (Mrs.) Bharti Gandhi, M.Ed., Child Psychologist. Rich in enthusiasm, the devoted pair launched their first campus on borrowed capital of three hundred rupees, housed it in rented premises and began with only five students on roll. The young couple had to face a myriad of initial difficulties in making their vision a reality. Over the years, however, they have successfully overcome these difficulties with unflinching devotion to their original mission.

Like Gemma, the founders started with a huge vision and limited resources. Now, the school educates 30,000 students on three campuses in Lucknow. It is estimated that 250,000 people have been educated there.

Most importantly, the school has a strong ethos of teaching peace and unity and this has made a impact on the city of Lucknow. This was recognised in 2002 when the founders, Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi were awarded the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. The City Montessori School has been their lifework, and what an achievement it is!

I hope that all of you who support the School of St Jude feel that you are part of something momentous for the country of Tanzania. In decades to come, the generations of children who graduate from the School of St Jude with a sound education and good moral values, will be as proud as you to have been a small part of a large vision.

School of St Jude: Fighting Poverty Through Education. Educating the future leaders of Tanzania.

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Rotary: Male, pale and stale?

2007-06-02T07:55:00.000+10:00

Keely doesn't think so!

You may have read my posts here, here, here and here about the great work of Rotary International and the help they have given the School of St Jude. Have you wondered what the local Arusha Rotary Club does? Here are some interesting insights by Keely Stevenson.

She discusses some of the great work done by Rotary International, especially work to eradicate polio, then she draws comparisons between the context of Western philanthropy and African philanthropy.

Rotary is about fellowship. We meet weekly for lunch, learn from each other, and enjoy each other’s company. It has been a great way for me to understand the perspective of the Arusha business community. Our club also has many interesting projects, including the distribution of mosquito nets to prevent malaria, a rainwater harvesting project, a cataract surgery and more.

The connection [of African Rotarians] to poverty is many degrees closer than those Rotarians I met in Silicon Valley.

The African philanthropist likely sees the realities [of poverty] daily because his/her cousin, neighbor, employee, grandma, etc. is asking him/her directly for money to treat malaria, to pay for school fees, to get access to family planning services, to treat HIV, or to pay for food because lack of rainfall didn't yield good crops this season. All deserving cases for financial support from a charitable soul.

When we support the School of St Jude, we know we are making a massive difference to hundreds of children and their families. But it is not right up close against us, on our doorstep, in our back yard the way it is for Africans. We don't feel the impact of our assistance in the same way. We rely on news and letters and blogs from those who are close at hand.

So, I'm very glad for Keely's blog from Arusha -- it gives me another window into the context of life in Northern Tanzania. By the way, here's an amazing resource I just stumbled across. It is a collection of material about the history of Northern Tanzania, especially Arusha -- the personal scrapbook of David Marsh.

What wonderful trails there are to follow. The path just keeps leading us forward.

Note: Check out Mark Riffey's blog (April, 2007) on the topic of 'Male, pale and stale?' Rotarians.

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A minute of beauty

2007-06-01T15:31:00.001+10:00

Remember the team of ten women from around the world who climbed three of the highest mountains in Africa in fewer than three weeks to complete the 3 Peaks 3 Weeks Challenge in January this year? They raised $295,000 for three projects in Africa, including the School of St Jude.

St Judes greets the climbers

Their great effort was filmed by Serac Adventure Films. The film will be released later in 2007, but you can check out a trailer here.

3 peaks 3 weeks climbers on Mt Kilimanjaro summit

Take time to watch this minute of beauty. Then think about going yourself!