The St Jude Foundation Christmas and New Year Appeal 2025 / 2026
Raising money for The Heri Special School at Mporoto, Tanzania
Dear Supporters,
As we are reaching the end of the year, we would like to share a short update from Heri Special School in rural Tanzania and to thank you for your continued support. Your generosity helps the school provide education, care and a safe environment for disabled and non-disabled children from the local community.
News from Safina Egha, Headteacher
Safina sends her warm greetings and sincere thanks to all supporters. Over the past year the school has continued its daily activities steadily, despite periods of heavy rainfall and wider events affecting parts of the country.
School maintenance and repairs
In early 2024, The St. Jude Foundation was fortunate to receive a grant from the One World Group Oxted towards essential capital improvements at Heri Special School. The funding enabled the replacement of deteriorating classroom ceilings and repairs to the covered walkway linking the school to the playground, improving safety and protection from sun and heavy rain.
Following advice from local engineers, Safina recommended that the work be carried out during the December 2024 school holiday to ensure pupil safety, avoid disruption to learning and reduce the risk of further damage during the heaviest rainfall. She explained that several roofs required urgent attention, as long-standing iron sheets had become badly rusted across classrooms and offices. The work also sought to improve construction to help address ongoing water problems, as water currently has to be fetched from some distance away.
Safina reported that good progress was made, although persistent rainfall slowed the work at times. She is especially grateful to parents and members of the local community who volunteered much of the labour, ensuring the grant funding was used as efficiently as possible and highlighting the strong community spirit surrounding the school.
Progress and resilience in 2025
Safina reports that the school community continues to do well and to carry on with daily activities. Although some areas experienced uncertainty during the recent presidential election period, conditions have since returned to a peaceful and stable situation.
During the 2025 academic year, the school has seen encouraging progress. Some pupils have improved their reading and writing skills, while others have learned important practical life skills such as washing dishes and clothes, cleaning their environment and developing greater independence. Pupils have also taken part in planting crops, including maize and beans, and cooperation with parents has continued to strengthen.
Ongoing challenges
Alongside these successes, the school continues to face challenges. There is a shortage of furniture, particularly chairs, some pupils travel long distances to attend school, and some parents have limited experience of formal education and require ongoing support and guidance.
Looking ahead
Safina and her team remain committed to providing good service to the community in the coming year. Continued support will help the school maintain its buildings, improve classroom resources and ensure that children can learn in a safe and supportive environment. We wish them all the very best for the New Year.
I hope this newsletter and some of the photographs help you to see how valuable your support is to the life and soul of The Heri School.
How you can help
Please continue to support The Heri School and its children by making donations to the St Jude Foundation. A little goes a long way in rural Africa so even the smallest donation is gratefully received. Donations to the St Jude Foundation can be made in a variety of ways and we have listed these at the bottom of the page.
If you are able, please consider making a donation to help the school:
• complete and maintain essential building repairs,
• purchase much-needed tables and chairs, and
• support the school’s day-to-day running costs so the children can learn in a safe, stable environment.
Thank you, as always, for standing with Safina, her staff, and the children of Heri Special School. Your support truly changes lives.
With warmest thanks and best wishes for a New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Vivian Hinchcliffe
Donations
Make a donation to The St Jude Foundation, to support The Heri Special School in Mporoto, Tanzania, in one of the following ways:
Debit Card, Credit Card or Paypal:
Single Bank Transfer or Monthly Standing Order:
Suggested: £5, £10, £15, £20 per month
The Saint Jude Foundation
Account Number: 00216129
Sort Code: 30-00-08
Cheque:
Please make your cheque payable to The Saint Jude Foundation and post to 43 Angel Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0AZ
If you need any help please contact us here, thank you again.