A warning to unsuspecting readers – this blog post will not be about lions and rhinos, or any wild animals at all.

We are The School of St Jude, and we will be writing about girls and boys, and a whole community of teachers and volunteers working together to provide them with the academic skills that will help them become leaders in their fields.

This post is also about our neighbor Africa Dream Safaris, who joined our community of supporters by committing to a monthly donation to help us provide hot, nutritional meals for the students.

Five facts about St Jude’s that you might not know:

1. We have scale: we are Africa’s largest charity-funded school of our kind, providing top-notch, tuition-free education to 1600 boys and girls in the Arusha region of Tanzania. We’ve come a long way since 2002, when Gemma Sisia, a young, idealistic Australian, started the school with only three students and one teacher.

2. We provide academic excellence: In the latest round of Tanzania’s national Form 4 Exams, we were number 1 in the Arusha region and number 10 nationwide. Our students learn in English and Swahili.

3. We aim high: Our mission is to educate the future leaders of Tanzania in public and private sector organizations such as infrastructure, business and health. We work hard to help alleviate poverty and break the cycle of external aid dependency.

4. We are dead serious on equity: Only the poorest children can attend our school. Our rigorous selection process includes a number of visits to the prospective families. Our kids come from homes that subsist on less than $1.25 a day

5. We live on generosity: Our work relies on donations from businesses such as Africa Dream Safaris, plus individuals, families, schools and clubs from around the globe – all working together to fight poverty through education.

Let us add a sixth fact you’ll love to know: We sit at the shadow of Mount Meru – the second highest mountain in Tanzania, at a height of 4,566 meters – and we love visitors!

The school is open 8.30am – 3.30pm Monday to Friday during school term. If you cannot make it during these hours, we will do our best to show you the school at a time that fits your itinerary. If you are on a safari and want to drop in on your way in or out of Arusha, please let Africa Dream Safaris know in advance so they can incorporate this in your itinerary.