A special visit

My Trip to Africa – A Special Visit to St Jude’s School

Over the school holidays, I was incredibly fortunate to travel to Eastern Africa, visiting Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. One of the highlights of my trip was going on safari, where I saw incredible wildlife, petted orphaned elephants, and fed giraffes. I was also deeply immersed in the rich cultures of each country.

However, the most meaningful experience was visiting St Jude’s School in Tanzania. At St Joseph the Worker we have a special connection to St Jude’s—whenever we hold a fundraising event, such as a casual clothes day, all the money raised goes towards sponsoring a Grade 6 student, Viviane.

Not only did I have the opportunity to visit the school, but I also got to spend the entire day with Viviane, exploring the campus, meeting her classmates, and even visiting her family in their home.

Our visit began with a tour of the school’s art gallery, which was truly impressive. The artwork, created by students from Grade 2 to Grade 12, showcased incredible talent and creativity. If you’d like to see their amazing work, you can visit their website: https://www.schoolofstjude.org/artworks/

After exploring the all-girls and all-boys secondary school campuses, we took a 35-minute journey to Viviane’s home, where we were warmly welcomed by her mother, younger sister, and aunty, along with one of the teachers who helped translate. What was meant to be a short visit turned into over two hours as we sat together, talking about life—how it was both so different yet so similar.

One of the most emotional moments of the day was when Viviane’s mother and aunty expressed their endless gratitude to me and our school for providing Viviane with this opportunity. It was a powerful reminder that even though it may seem small, every dollar we donate on casual clothes days truly makes a difference. That one dollar, when combined with others, helps change the lives of students like Viviane, her family, and their community.

St Jude’s motto is "Fighting Poverty Through Education," and through our efforts at SJW, we are part of that mission.

If you have any questions about my experience, please feel free to come and have a chat—just be warned, I might not stop talking!

Rhoe Price

MLA Teacher