Fighting poverty through education

Join us for an evening in Melbourne CBD with Gemma Sisia, Founding Director of The School of St Jude's, and John Stanley, St Jude’s Class of 2019 and Emerging Entrepreneur.

Canapes and drinks provided 

Speakers commence at 6 pm and event to conclude at 8pm

Cnr of Little Collins Street and Queen Street. Enter the building via the ground floor entrance next to Rustica coffee shop then proceed to the lifts to Level 14

The School of St Jude – Fighting poverty through education

A little bit about John Stanley

John Stanley is a Tanzanian entrepreneur, speaker, environmental advocate, and a
proud alum of The School of St Jude. His academic journey began in 2007 when he
joined St Jude’s in Standard 1, and he spent the next 13 years growing within the
school’s supportive environment.

During his time at St Jude’s, John demonstrated strong leadership and a passion for
environmental conservation. He was elected as the Environment Prefect in the student
government, served as president of the Malihai Club (a club focused on environmental
conservation and wildlife management), and excelled academically, winning awards as
the Best Student in Geography and General Studies in his final year.

John’s outstanding academic achievements and community service track record
earned him a prestigious scholarship to the African Leadership University in Mauritius.
While at university, he co-founded Zona Enterprise, an environmental conservation
start-up revolutionising waste management and agriculture practices in Tanzania.
In December 2023, John received two prestigious awards - Environmental
Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Spirit - at the Mastercard Foundation Scholars
Award Gala. That same year, he was selected as one of the top 100 youth at the
Youth4Climate Change event in Rome followed by more international awards and
funding to expand his work.

Currently, John is back in Tanzania, driving the growth of his start-up by pioneering
solutions that convert food and organic waste into high-quality organic fertilizers.
Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, John is a passionate mentor, empowering
young people to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and advocate for environmental
sustainability. His influence has directly impacted over 3,000 young people, and he
has helped more than 450 secure externships with Fortune 1000 companies in the U.S

A little bit about Gemma

Gemma grew up as the only girl in a family of eight children on a 100,000-acre property in
Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. Her childhood involved mustering sheep, horseriding,
swimming and fishing in the waterfalls at the family property.

After completing a science degree at The University of Melbourne, Gemma followed up with an
honours program and a Diploma of Education through the University of New England in Armidale.
At 22 years old, Gemma travelled to Uganda to put her qualifications to good use, volunteering
as a teacher at a girls’ centre. This experience fostered her belief that education is the right of
all children and the strongest weapon in fighting poverty. During this time, Gemma also met
Richard, who would later become her husband in neighbouring Tanzania.

Upon returning to Australia, Gemma began fundraising to build a school that would provide
a free, private education to those in poverty, which would eventually become The School of
St Jude. With help from her father, Gemma spoke to local Rotary Clubs, friends, school, and
churches and the support for her school began to grow, eventually raising enough to build the
first classroom. She has toured Australia to tell the story of St Jude’s almost every year since.

After 20 years of fundraising and building St Jude’s from its foundations, today St Jude’s
provides free, quality education to 1,800 primary and secondary students and support hundreds
of tertiary scholars every year. St Jude’s is more than a school. Gemma and her team have
developed a successful model to combat poverty, with each scholarship alleviating financial
strain resulting in significantly improved economic outcomes for families and local community.
Outside of St Jude’s, Gemma runs a safari company with her husband, Richard, and they enjoy
spending time with their four children, Nathaniel, Jacob, Isabella and Louisa.