Hi everyone,
It’s Kim here and I’ve hijacked this final 2006 newsletter to tell you about the amazing December we’ve just had. I’m doing this because I know Gemma wouldn’t have told you to what extraordinary lengths she went to ensure all the end of year celebrations were such a success so I’m going to try to paint the real picture – the photos are hers, though.
As you can imagine, end of year is frantic at the best of times – the academic staff is involved in the preparation, collating, supervising, marking of exams, submitting results, writing reports (in two languages – the parents get theirs in Kiswahili and the sponsors receive the English version) followed by the parent(or guardian)/teacher day – a tiring and intense one for all involved now that we have close to 700 pupils! The administration staff works closely with the teachers to ensure all of that runs as smoothly as possible.
Meanwhile, the sponsorship team is holding the usual Friday/Saturday testing to lock in the final of the 200 children who will get a place in the school next year. As you know from past newsletters, this is a long and arduous process also involving many of the teachers, drivers, administration staff, and parents’ committee members.
A visiting Rotary team from Chinchilla in Qld, Australia, is working from dawn to dusk building the 200 desks and chairs for the new enrollees next year.
Two education experts from the United States are holding seminars and workshops for all the teachers and leaders of the school, patiently working around all the other commitments the staff have - you met Amy and Freda last month.
The traditional Std 4 celebratory excursion to a national park has to be arranged for the 127 children and their 14 teachers, including five buses and food and drink.
And in spare moments the final school assembly has to be organised. This is a big one as we have 10 members of the western staff leaving after 1-2 years of dedicated, hard work and presentations from their very sad but grateful classes are being planned and rehearsed.
As well as overseeing all of the above, Gemma is also supervising all the fundis involved with building projects around the school, organising for five new buses to be purchased, planning the boarding facilities, sorting out the staff party, attending her own boys’ end of year concert and finding time to be a wife and mother. But apparently she has some energy left as she decided that this year's Awards Ceremony should include all the parents and guardians of every child in the school!!
So that’s why around 2,400 people were collected, seated, entertained, fed, watered and returned home at the end of a hugely successful day to celebrate a year of amazing achievements and great friendships forged by working together towards a common goal … the elimination of poverty through education.
Read on for details and photographs of the December events ...
End of Year Awards Ceremony
Early morning of Tuesday 5th of December, all the bus drivers set off to designated areas around Arusha to start collecting over 2,000 parents and staff living beyond walking distance to the school. To entertain the early ones, pupils and staff were organised to show groups around the campus before ushering them to the Assembly Hall by 10.00am for the start of the ceremony. One flat tyre and our whole timetable would have been thrown out for the rest of the day – Gemma had prepared the schedule with the precision of a military campaign the likes of which any Field Marshall would have been proud. [She is phenomenal – a task that would have most people feigning a bout of malaria actually has Gemma on a high, she thrives on it – “It’s because it reminds me of growing up on the farm with our big family and Mum entertaining large gatherings – I learnt from her.” Fifty people, fine … 100, ok ... but 2,400?!!]
But Tuesday’s not when it all started – lists and schedules had been drawn up well in advance to include teams of workers involving every single person on the school grounds (even a chap who’d just wandered in to visit a friend for lunch) and preparations had been going on since lunchtime the day before when a thousand chairs had been placed in lines beside the hall to supplement the benches inside, a bus load of bananas was peeled, mountains of cabbages chopped, 350 kgs of meat diced, hundreds of tomatoes, capsicums, onions and carrots sliced, vats of water boiled, serving tables arranged, food bowls stacked, napkins prepared and the school grounds mowed and raked.
And the most extraordinary thing happened – it started on time! In the history of African events, functions, ceremonies and celebrations – this must be a first! [But they didn’t have Gemma …]
A wonderful idea that Gemma included in this year’s ceremony was acknowledging the parents of the children who won awards by asking them to stand when their child’s name was called out and applauding them as well as their child, recognising that they played a big part in his or her achievement. Also, around 80 parents were given awards in appreciation of their contribution to the school’s ongoing success.
As an inspiration to our students, and particularly the girls, Mama Maeda (in red), the Head of Corporate Accounts at our bank in town, gave a stirring speech. Below, she is seen on the stage with Gemma, Bibianna Mardai, Chairman of the School Board, Fausta Alfyo, Head of the Parents Committee and Fr Makiluli, Education Coordinator for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Arusha, who were also our special guests.
And then lunch – the moment we’d all been waiting for … the guests, because they were hungry, some of us because the sooner it was on and over, the sooner we could all relax. And for some [Gemma!] it was the excitement of seeing the plan in action.
The playground turned into a very ordered and civilised battleground with everyone filing past one of the 10 serving stations and finding a spot under the trees to enjoy picnicking with friends. And conditions were perfect – no rain, not too hot.
I had asked Gemma days before about the ‘wet weather’ plan. She just looked at me confidently and said, “I’ve just threatened St Jude that if he doesn’t keep the rain away, I’m changing the name of the school. It’s not going to rain.” Considering it is the wet season and it had rained on and off for weeks, that was a pretty brave statement! But like everyone else that day, St Jude did his job and around 2,500 people enjoyed a hot meal and a soda under blue skies.
The most rewarding part of the whole procedure was watching the incredible team work as EVERY member of the staff pitched in and did his or her bit – drivers worked with heads of academic departments to chop tomatoes; the brickies served coleslaw with the security guards. And while teachers joined the gardeners to ladle out the cooked bananas, students stood with visiting Rotarians to offer soap and water for hand washing. Every person was vital to the success of the day … and it truly was a huge success. Not only did everyone have a meal within 15 minutes but there was time and enough for seconds!
And people think that women gossip when they get together! The teachers and the cooks found plenty to chat about over a mountain of meat …
… while some of the female staff sifted the small stones from the rice (one of the most tedious jobs but necessary with locally grown rice … if you don’t want to chip your teeth.)
Below is the delivery of bananas. No, we’re not expecting them to turn yellow – these are the plantains that cook and taste like potatoes – an odd sensation at first as your brain says ‘banana’ but your mouth says ‘potato’ …
And then they have to be peeled and chopped – and they’re tougher than potatoes!
Every position was taken seriously as the team relied on every member doing his or her bit.
… including the students.
It was also a lot of fun and new friends were made – as Rotarian Mike and driver John discovered.
And the well-oiled machine is in motion!
Drivers, George and Severin, were in charge of topping up the serving basins so the procession never stopped – a bottleneck at the bananas would have been a disaster …
I can tell that Gemma is already looking forward to next year’s ceremony - an extra 200 children, 400 parents/guardians, another 20 teachers and 20-30 other staff at the school next year will just add to the thrill of the challenge!
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough!
And speaking of the thrill of the challenge, those 10 amazing women (5 of them associated with St Jude’s!) setting off to scale three African peaks in aid of three important issues in East Africa in three challenging weeks are all converging on Mt Kenya as I write. 3 Peaks in 3 Weeks is at the starting post!
It was about two years ago that Chloe Chick from Armidale, NSW, was sitting in this office saying, “Hey! I’ve gotta great idea …” and from that, this astonishing endeavour has grown. Remember we told you about the girls earlier this year (when it seemed that January 007 was eons away), well, since then they have raised AU$240,000 of the AU$500,000 target with the passion, energy, drive and conviction of the suffragettes … but with better gear… and are looking to have reached the ultimate target by the time they collapse on 26 January at the end of a grueling three weeks. You can follow their daily progress by logging on to 3peaks3weeks.org for live updates – how amazing is that! I’ll be with the girls along the way – from the comfort of my bed, with laptop and a cuppa tea – warm, clean, no blisters, no blizzards, no biting things.
Chloe and Laura dropped into the school for a few days last week with the film crew who will be accompanying them on their climbs. They both look so fabulously fit and full of vitality that I’m almost wishing I’d signed up to do it (note: almost). It was just a shame that it was also on a day that Arusha was having yet another thunderstorm and when the clouds cleared we could see the snow on Mt Meru - only happens once a year! And here they were thinking they had chosen the best time – summer! However, we assured them that the weather is so changeable that by the time they return from summiting Mt Kenya it will be blistering heat again.
Below, Chloe is with her inspiration - young Godson Emmanuel who she met and took on the sponsorship of when she worked at St Jude's in 2004. You can imagine how excited he is to see Chloe again - almost as excited as Miss Edwina's old class! Ed taught for a year in 2003 and her class have never stopped saying, "Miss Edwina said she would come back to see us. When is she coming?!" It's such a relief to be able to give a positive response to that now as she is one of the extraordinary young women joining Chloe on the mountains. It will be such a great reunion for everyone at the school when the girls arrive on the 26th.
Just to remind you:
The Challenge: To become the first all-female amateur climbing party to summit three of Africa's tallest peaks, Mt Kenya, Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro, totaling over 50,000 feet, in less than three weeks. The 3 Peaks 3 Weeks challenge will begin in Africa on January 6, 2007.
The Mission: To raise awareness and funding for the three peak issues affecting East Africa today: environment (Laikipia Wildlife Forum), education (The School of St Jude), and HIV/AIDS (Students for International Change).
New Classrooms almost completed!
When we set the completion deadline for the new classroom block for Christmas Day 2006 and the rains came (and continue to come), we started to get a bit anxious, but the builders have worked like soldier ants so our 200 new students will have classrooms for their new desks, chairs and teachers when they join the school on January the 9th.
This was the site in early August …
And this is the photo Gemma took in the same position two weeks ago!
It’s hard to believe that bananas trees were growing here just five months ago. And in a few weeks the corridors will be teaming with blue uniforms!
The New Recruits!
As you’re aware, our amazing sponsorship team of Karin, Jo and Ann has been working tirelessly over the last four months to fill the 200 positions available to sponsored children with the neediest and brightest of the area.
Below are some of these worthy children who have passed all the tests and reached the final day where they receive their new uniforms.
Nicola below is in charge of the uniform stocks so has the fun job of kitting out the kids. We decided to go easy on her the first day and limit it to the first fifty children … that’s 100 shoes that have to be tried on and tied up for a start!
Could their smiles get any bigger?!
They were eclipsed only by the joy expressed on their parents’ faces. Watching the mums and dads proudly greet their children who skipped into their arms was the only reward we needed for all those months of exacting work – the hours of testing, checking and checking again, day after day, is all worthwhile when you know that not only the futures of these gorgeous children have been turned around but their families' lives will be altered as well. They will have a child with a good education and dare to dream of a bright future for him or her.
A Huge Thank You!
When your boss acknowledges that you’ve all earned a treat at the end of a big year you think ‘soda, chips and maybe a scratchy reggae CD to dance to’. Not when your boss is Gemma. She snuck off to one of the local lodges, sweet-talked the manager and announced to the 170 staff members that we were all going to have a day of fine food, frosty beers and fun – and she didn’t let us down!
When that day came, every exhausted builder, teacher, admin staff member, cleaner, cook, Maasai guard, bus driver, gardener, and computer technician piled onto one of the school buses and poured out the other end to be greeted by a huge marquee beside a heavily laden bar alongside a mile-long buffet table covered with white linen and lines of elegant, silver receptacles – for most of the staff, a sight beyond their wildest imaginings!
However, it didn’t take long for everyone to get over their initial shyness and realise the mirage was in fact consumable. As the incongruous samba refrains spluttered out of the sound system of the live African band, everyone mingled and munched and celebrated a great year of enormous progress, wonderful friendships, rain and challenging (but really rewarding!) work.
But no one sat around for long – there was plenty to do to work off the excesses of fried chicken, roast pork and profiteroles. The really fit (mainly the builders!) headed to the soccer pitch, others grabbed tennis rackets and another group punished themselves on the volleyball court. However, the really sensible ones headed for the swimming pool – not heeding my warnings of “Not ‘till your lunch is digested!” … my mother’s voice across the sands of Wamberal beach echoing in my ears. I never listened to her either.
And you didn’t have to cut up those tomatoes, Nick!
Driver Severin decided if you’ve got two hands you can have two plates, while ‘welder fundi’ (he’s never had another name!) chose a less ‘balanced’ diet and Joseph, Head of English, is staying sober to thrash someone on the tennis court – me, as it turned out ...
And Gemma celebrated with two of her constant companions – Amiri, the head groundsman in charge of all the building stores and Amani, our fulltime electrician, who has the tough job of keeping us ‘switched on’ in a country with an atrocious power supply. They deserve two beers each!
But the real fun began when the tug-a-war started! People you wouldn’t believe had a competitive bone in their body turned into clawing, clamoring, caterwauling horror creatures with red eye balls!
And I’m surprised most of the staff didn’t end up in the emergency ward after the 3-legged races – there was skullduggery afeet …
But this ridiculous game of burst-the-balloon-but-make-sure-it’s-not-yours was much more fun as a spectator sport! (Alright, yes, I was out very quickly …) Gemma got this great action shot of our Maasai guard, Lukamai, about to eliminate the Deputy Head, Ben! Egged on by a cheering, chanting mob the last man standing with balloon in tact was actually a woman – the formidable Ms Coletha, Head of the Junior School – those four year olds keep her in good shape for this!
I think I can speak on behalf of every member of the staff and repeat what so many people said to me that day – Gemma is the most amazing boss – and not just because we were having so much food and fun – it is inspiring to work with her, a privilege to share her dream and exciting to be part of such a successful and worthwhile project.
Farewells!
The hardest part of the end of each year – saying good bye to the friends who have been such a part of our lives for a year or so. We share the joys of the job and the frustrations; we share our meals and washing up; we yell about noise and empty vegemite jars … and we make up; we complain together about the weather … or someone snoring; we share our jokes and smokes and diarrhea mixture; we rely on each other for chats about home and we are there for each other when bad news hits; and we make each other laugh … or at least, smile even if it is because of our variety of accents, vocabulary, and pronunciations … we are the ‘vollies’. And for that reason we come and go – taking a lot with us, leaving a bit behind … including promises to return and a miss-matched pair of old runners – thanks, Dan ...
And one who certainly left her mark was Alicia. A mass of dark curls, a ready laugh and a love for the kids that gave me caused on several occasions to have to tell her that “No, he’s not lost or abandoned, he just keeps coming back because you give him a bath, chocolate, toys and tuck him up in front of a video! He has a mother somewhere and you have to give him back!” Alicia has the biggest heart, the loudest voice and a cheerful willingness to do any job asked of her.
Miss Suzanne revolutionised the Art Department with a serious syllabus and an eye for talent that saw her being a Nazi when it came to choosing candidates for the Art Club – “No, he’s not playing soccer. I want him in the Art Club”. But that’s nothing to what she did in the volunteer’s kitchen – she was to aprons what Imelda Marcos was to shoes. And ran the kitty like Gemma runs the school - there were strict rosters, lists and a standard of cuisine that could rival The Savoy. Fellow kitty members thought they’d come to Africa to loose weight … serious jogging was required.
There are two years of Mr Dan stories and sadly, too many to mention here. He was a fantastic English teacher and won the inaugural St Jude’s Day Cup competition for his homeroom class when he directed a fabulous production of Richard Tullock’s Danny and the Toybox. Hell, we’ll miss him! And the kids will even more so. What a sweetheart … well, I can say that as I didn’t share a kitty and common room with him. But for all the groans he caused by leaving stuff lying around and skipping the garbage bin duty he was loved if for no other reason than he was one of the few ‘bloke’ vollies on campus and that brought out the ‘mothering’ instinct in all of us – clever ploy, boy! But he’ll be back – the kids will see to that.
Annie was the quiet achiever who completed the sponsorship team triumvirate – working diligently to ensure that all the sponsors of buses, classrooms and teachers were kept up-to-date. She also had the coveted job of passing on all the cards, letters and parcels to the students making her a very popular person to visit – her patience, kindness and gentleness with the kids helped to overcome any shyness or wariness about visiting the office. HOWEVER! We could have done without the legacy she left behind – a pet chicken that a grateful student presented to her now rivals the volley house kitten for attention and lap space and getting into bed can be messy if you forget to check for eggs first!
Assemblies, concerts and culture day are unlikely ever to be the same again now that Miss Emily has returned home. As Head of the Music Department she worked miracles with the recorder club and introduced those ubiquitous instruments and African drums to the Tanzanian National Anthem so that a lump formed in my throat every Friday assembly – so moving, so soulful (yes, even with recorders!). The Music Department flourished and so did the Std 5 students when she became their homeroom teacher. When young Alfani broke his leg in a dreadful accident, Em took it upon herself to oversee every stage of his medical treatment, visiting him or arranging someone to visit him every day for three months. Without Em’s ceaseless devotion, care and attention, it is quite possible that lovely young boy may still not be walking. Em fought the pitiful medical institution and insisted he receive proper attention.
Renovations over Christmas
So, just to end on a more cheerful note, here is a photo that excites me – the old office is being expanded! It’s hard to believe that we expanded last Christmas and already have outgrown the space. In a week or so I hope I won’t be shuffling sideways past desks to get to mine while apologising to Lulua for knocking her off her chair.
I laugh when people ask if I’m enjoying the holidays – HOLIDAYS!? Along with the builders, we in admin work harder when the school is ‘closed’! So much to do to prepare for the next term and normally I’d say at least it’s a bit quieter but at the moment we are coping with the demolition derby next door and all the dust and rubble that it brings. Still, it will be worth it in the end … Lulua will certainly think so.
And I just love this photo below! For about two years this site behind the office has been the dumping ground for every broken branch, unearth tree stump and homeless log in a radius of about two miles. The photo was taken four weeks after the work started so unfortunately doesn’t show the massive deadwood forest that was there originally. Fairly regularly the cooks would come over and grab armfuls of the smaller stuff for the kitchen burners but like the magic packet of TimTams, it just instantly refilled … somehow.
During Operation Cleanup, Gemma found a wily old local bloke who offered to chop the lot and clearly it was going to take a chainsaw so Gemma gave him money to hire the machine in town – instead, he hired two of his mates for a lot less! Although they are less noisy, it has taken a lot longer but the beautiful smell of seasoned wood wafting in my office window is worth the constant hacking and grunting.
Well, it’s been fun talking to you but now I have to face Gemma and explain why she hasn’t been able to find the file of photographs she downloaded last week and explain they are already on the website.
I know she would have taken this opportunity to wish you all good health, supportive friends, fun adventures, exciting challenges, great success and a year filled with love and warm hugs. And a lot come to you from all of us at St Jude’s.
Thank you for all your good wishes, generous support and belief in our exciting project – we’re in for another amazing year here in Tanzania so, look forward to all Gemma’s newsletters in 2007.
Best wishes from Kim, Gemma and all the team here on the ground to the rest of our team around the world.