School of St Jude

He's the patron saint of hopeless cases, but St Jude would definitely be smiling at what has been achieved in his name in a school just outside Arusha. To score a place in Australian Gemma Sisia's pioneering establishment you have to meet two very different requirements. First you've got to be extremely bright, only the smartest kids get to even sit the entrance exam and only the best results get a place. Second you've got to be very poor, if you come from a home with more than two rooms or with electricity you're ineligible.

The School of St Jude kicked off in 2002 with a handful of kids and one teacher. By 2007 the school had expanded to 850 children, 60 teachers and 200 staff. A second primary school opens in 2008 and when those first students reach high school graduation age in 2014 the school population will have reached more than 2000. Has Gemma's plan worked, to provide a terrific education opportunity to dirt poor kids? It's hard to argue with the results, St Jude students' exam scores are outranked only by the most expensive Tanzanian private schools. The huge pride that St Jude parents have in their kids and the fierce competition to get a place underline the school's impact even more effectively.

The school welcomes visitors Monday to Friday during term time, but you need to email to make an appointment. See the 'Visit Us' page of the school website for more information. Of course donations are appreciated, US$10 to US$20 is suggested, but lots of visitors are inspired to form a longer term relationship with the project. When you're there ask how they check and double check to make certain students really do qualify as 'poor'.