The St Jude Foundation Christmas Appeal 2020

Raising money for The Heri Special School at Mporoto, Tanzania

Dear Supporters,

I hope you are all safe and well as this difficult year draws to a close. I'm sorry we are a little late with our Newsletter this year and you will receive it after Christmas. Who would have thought, when I wrote to you this time last year, that 2020 would unfold the way it has! The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted every corner of the globe with a multitude of consequences being felt in businesses and families. At the time of writing, the world has adapted, but things remain uncertain and even in the relatively remote regions of Mbeya, Tanzania, where the Heri School is situated, the school had to temporarily close in line with government directions. With Christmas approaching, we wanted to update you on how things have been for The Heri Special School this year and how the pandemic has affected them.

A little on our history

In 1988, the late Mark Roberts, Headteacher of Rectory Paddock School for disabled children in Kent, founded the St. Jude Foundation. The charity’s first major achievement was to create and fund a teacher-training course for newly qualified teachers working with children with severe learning difficulties. This course was based at Rectory Paddock School and was the first school-based teacher-training course of its kind in the UK. In total the St Jude Foundation funded the training of 6 newly qualified teachers, all of whom went on to be employed as teachers on permanent contracts at Rectory Paddock School.

About 20 years ago, Mark Roberts and The St Jude Foundation focussed their work on building a new school in Mporoto in Tanzania. This sprang from the partnership of a Tanzanian teacher, Egha Egha, who visited Rectory Paddock School in 2000. The St Jude Foundation raised funds for the building of The Heri School. The school was built in 2005 and is the only school in the Mbeya area of Tanzania that teaches disabled children. Most disabled children in Tanzania do not attend school. They remain at home and are often hidden away by their families. The St Jude Foundation continues to fund the operation of the school, paying the teachers’ salaries, paying the school’s running costs and funding improvements to the school buildings and facilities. The Heri School (“Heri” is the Swahili word for ‘happiness’) has grown in size and this year there are 50 pupils. 7 of these children are severely disabled. The disabled children are fully integrated into school life.

Egha sadly died some years ago and Egha’s daughter, Safina, is now headteacher. She is supported by a dedicated staff team (Charles, Anna, Emma, Atubwene, Anyelwisye and Mama Sophie, the cook). Despite their tireless work and firm commitment, what they manage to achieve would not be possible without donations such as yours, made to the St Jude Foundation. We thank you all for this.

Challenges

2020 has been a difficult year for both the staff and pupils of The Heri School. On 19th March 2020, the school was forced to close in line with government lockdown restrictions. For all the children this must have been difficult, but for the disabled children, some without parents, the separation from the school’s routine and its caring environment would have been devastating. This is why despite the school’s closure, Safina and her staff made weekly visits to each child at their home. And to everyone’s relief, in her ever-positive manner Safina reports that the students and teachers were all “well, happy and safe.” Thankfully, the school was able to re-open at the end of June and it now has 34 of its 50 children back in regular attendance. (During ‘lockdown’ some children went home to their villages; they have not yet returned). And despite the challenges the pandemic brought with it and the recent death of Anyelwisye’s daughter, Safina’s email to us of mid-December was as positive as ever.

Other challenges that the Heri School community face, like scarcity of resources, all seem insignificant compared to the threat of Covid-19. However, there is always a need for more teaching materials and equipment. Safina reports that maintenance is an ongoing challenge and, while they try to repair many things themselves, they very much need new tables and chairs. The weather (too little rain and sometimes too much rain causing flooding) also proves difficult.

2020 Achievements

One of the aims at the beginning of the year was for the school to plant 1,000 trees. The pandemic and its lockdown put a stop to this – however, the children and teachers still managed to plant 300 trees and harvest a good amount of maize and potatoes. These communal activities not only engage the children but teach them about self-sufficiency and business. The St. Jude Foundation has always been keen to support the Heri School’s endeavours to become more self-sufficient by selling crops and trees and this year the proceeds have helped buy food for the children. With December being a good month for planting, The Heri School community is aiming to plant another 300 trees before the end of the year.

Safina takes great pride reporting on the social and academic achievements of the children. She states that the children are doing well in their communication, their reading, writing and counting. They learn about teamwork through gardening and games; and self-expression and health through song, dance, drawing, sport and play. Safina tells us that the younger children

are still enjoying the playground equipment that the St Jude Foundation donations funded a few years ago.

Despite a difficult year, Safina reports that progress has been made on School Registration. Registration by the Tanzanian government involves an onerous 3-step process. Stage One involves requesting permission to build the school, showing rights to land, presenting building plans and then the actual build. Stage 1 was achieved back in the early 1990’s. Stage 2 involves building certification, passing buildings regulations and undergoing initial inspections by government officials. Safina states that Stage 2 has been completed. The Heri School is in the 3rd and final stage of registration, having completed 80% of the requirements. This involves further government inspection of the buildings, passing health and safety checks and improving the education facilities for the pupils. Safina is preparing an Action Plan for this final push towards registration. They need to build further covered walkways and finalise a few more improvements outlined by Government Inspections.

How you can help

Safina would like me to thank all supporters for their donations over the year. She has sent us some more photographs showing the children and staff of the school. If you feel you are able to continue to support the school, donations to the St Jude Foundation can be made in a variety of ways listed at the bottom of this page. We are always extremely grateful for donations of any size. Even the smallest donation makes a difference; a little goes a long way in rural Africa.

I would like to thank my small but dedicated team of Trustees here at the St. Jude Foundation, - Dylan Roberts (Mark’s nephew) and Neville Roberts (Mark’s brother), and 2 friends who regularly give their time and support to the charity - Jillian Orr and Susan Luke.

We hope this newsletter – and the pictures below – will enable you to see the good your generosity brings to the children and families of the children in The Heri School. Again, I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas despite all the difficulties. Keep safe and let's look forward to a happier year in 2021!

Yours sincerely,

Vivian Hinchcliffe