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A Note from the President
I have but a short message this week. Do you think it is cold this
week? If so, think about the victims of the bushfire. Those who
have lost everything in the fire except their lives could do with
some warm clothing. If you have any spare ones, please consider
donating them to charities collecting for them, including the
Salvation Army, Brotherhood of St Lawrence, Rotary Op shops and
many others.
Help where we can and let us make the dream of a warm winter a
reality for the bushfire victims and others in our community!
Yours in Rotary,
Gabe
Last Week's Meeting
Thanks to Gabe for excellent scribes notes!
The club had a wonderful meeting with the Rotary
Club of Glenferrie. President Robert gave us and the Rotary Club of
Boroondara a very warm welcome. RC Southbank had about 17 members
and guest attending, which was a great turn out. The sergeant
session was cancelled to the delight of members and visiting
Rotarians alike. The venue was spacious with ample opportunity to
mingle. President Robert also acknowledged PE Philip as the District
Marketing and Membership Chair.
The guest speaker, Gemma Sisia gave a wonderful presentation on the
School of St Jude. Many of the photos show the connection between
the school which only started 7 years ago (with 3 pupils) to a
school of over a thousand pupils and a new additional campus. The
school is also now providing secondary education. The children are
provided with free education and free boarding. Many RAWCS teams
have visited to assist with the building of the school, with many of
the equipments (including school buses) provided by many Rotary
clubs. Students are selected for their academic ability and the
level of poverty. Some families go to great lengths to try to get
their children into the school (including hiring a hut and
pretending that the family lives there!). The strict criteria for
enrolment means hundreds of young children (not older than 7) would
queue up every Friday outside the school gates to apply to study
there. Less than 1 % of the applicants are admitted. The school
receives no government funding (except a recent funding from the
Australian government) and relies solely from sponsors of children.
The schools results are exceptional, considering most students live
in a one room hut with their families. Last year, the top student at
the school can 28th in the national exams (out of over a million).
The Tanzanian government provide substandard education only up to
primary school level. Support of teachers are also required as they
also need to be funded. Even a teach at the school (considered a
stable and good job) lives in a hut and has to cook and do her
washing outdoors. Life in Tanzania is not easy.
For more information including how you can help, go to:
www.schoolofstjude.co.tz
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