Gemma Sisia: An Australian Woman In Tanzania

Did you watch the recent Australian Story on ABC TV that featured Gemma Sisea and St Jude’s, the school she started in Tanzania in 2002? I watched in awe and admiration at what Gemma has achieved over the last seven years.

Gemma was brought up on a fine wool sheep property outside Guyra in northen NSW. She is the only daughter, with 7 brothers. After completing her secondary studies at St Vincent’s College in Sydney, Gemma decided to pursue Genetic Engineering at Melbourne University and then an Honours Programme (where she was awarded First Class) in the Northern Territory.

However Gemma had always wanted to give some of her life to the poor in Africa and so after completing a Diploma of Education she went to work for 3 years as a volunteer teacher in Uganda with the Sacred Heart Sisters. On her return to Australia Gemma decided that this was the sort of work she wanted to always do and so started a small group effort to educate the poor in East Africa.

In 2002 Gemma opened a school in northern Tanzania with only a handful of sponsored children. With hard work and determination, and lots of help from St Jude, the school has exploded to almost 1200 children who are sponsored by individuals, parishes, groups, service clubs, schools and teams from around Australia and also abroad. Academic results of the school have proven to be excellent with all the students from St Judes in the examination year, being placed in the top 10% of Tanzania in the 2008 Tanzanian National Examinations.

Gemma is now married with 3 children- Nathaniel 7, Jacob 5 and Isabella who is 10 months. Her colourful autobiography St Jude’s came out in April 2007  and was on the best seller list in Australia for two months. Gemma was awarded Australian honours and featured in an earlier Australian Story in 2005.

I think it’s an amazing story of courage and will power to make something good happen in this sometimes sad and sorry world.

Take a look at the school

Gemma’s autobiography St Jude’s is available through the publishers.

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