A life dedicated to educating God’s children

Adele M. discovered a deep love and admiration for Tanzania during her first visit in 1966. A relatively new country at the time, Adele jumped at the chance to join her sister, Carlotta, formerly Salvatorian Sister Fredrick Mary, in the missions. She says, “I left everything behind because I knew it would be there when I got back. I had to take advantage of the opportunity in front of me.”

The opportunity was to teach alongside her sister and other Sisters of the Divine Savior at an all-girls school in southern Tanzania. Adele’s graduate degree in education qualified her to teach agriculture, hygiene, and self-reliance – courses suitable for a country dependent on farming. She proudly taught beside our Salvatorian Sisters who believed, and continue to believe, in the intrinsic right of education for all.

As the years went by, Adele got her degree in nursing, Carlotta left religious life, and they partnered with their friend, Judy, in 2001 to bring solar cooking to southern Tanzania. All three women were focused on starting their nonprofit Solar Circle until a group of Tanzanian Salvatorian Sisters approached them in 2007. Former students of Adele and Carlotta, the Sisters turned educators needed help raising funds to build a primary school in Buyuni, Tanzania.

Brick by brick, Jitegemee Primary School grew out of a dusty plot of land through the supervision of Tanzanian Salvatorian Sisters and the fundraising willpower of Adele, Carlotta, and Judy. Jitegemee (jee-teh-geh-máy) in Swahili means “The energy, spirit, and commitment an individual or a community has deep within that bring about good development for themselves and others.” A name fitting for a school anchored by our mission to foster an awareness of a loving God among peoples in whatever place and by whatever means the Spirit of God inspires.

Nowadays, Adele handles the majority of fundraising due to Judy’s heavy involvement in Solar Circle and Carlotta’s death in 2012. Adele describes her fundraising approach as grass-roots and says, “I believe in progress, not perfection.” While slideshows, high school fundraisers, yard sales, and car washes may not bring in a lot of money, every dollar counts. All the money Adele raises is processed by our U.S. Province and earmarked for the school.

Jitegemee Primary School opened its doors to students in 2020. Adele and Judy have only seen the completed school through pictures but they hope to one day travel to Tanzania to see it in person. Fundraising is now focused on establishing a school maintenance fund, stocking classrooms with textbooks and desks, and buying a school bus to boost pupil enrollment. Adele remains supportive of our Tanzanian Sisters, saying, “When you visit Tanzania as much as me, you start having the same vision they do.” A vision to inspire a life of service and morally and ethically educate God’s children.

Donating online to the Sisters of the Divine Savior is a secure and convenient way to support our ministries. You can designate your gift for Jitegemee Primary School and other special needs, honor or remember a loved one, and share special prayer intentions.