BY PATRICIA MCGEEVER

An Ohio teacher is changing the lives of students on two continents. A math teacher at DePaul Cristo Rey High School (DPCR) in Cincinnati, Julie Rentz also runs a sponsorship program for students more than 8,000 miles away—in the east African nation of Tanzania. Her interest there began several years ago when her family befriended Father Peter Siamoo, a priest from Tanzania who was living in Portland, OR.

“He would travel home in the summer and he would invite people to go home with him,” said Rentz.

She went with him in 2013—a trip that changed both her life and the lives of hundreds of children.

Beginning her professional career as an electronic engineer, she stayed home to raise her children, then looked to re-enter the workforce. After a conversation with Father Siamoo and Father William Ruwaichi in Tanzania, she switched to teaching.

“They were talking about how they have a shortage of science and math teachers and those scores are the lowest on their national exams,” she said.

“They suggested I become a teacher because of my engineering background.”

Obtaining her Masters in teaching from the University of Portland, Rentz began her new career—first in Oregon, then in Ohio where she moved with her family. This coming school year will be her fourth teaching at DePaul Cristo Rey. And she’s visited Tanzania every year since 2019. During her first visit, the priests asked her to start a sponsorship program to help children receive higher education, similar to an existing program that supported seminarians studying for the priesthood.

“They needed someone in the U.S. to run that program and work with the Director of Schools in Moshi. Because I was now a teacher and had hopes to continue to visit, I took on that role.”

In this unpaid role, Rentz seeks sponsors in the U.S. whose support enables children to attend a secondary school, community college or university. She visits Tanzania each summer to check on the students in the sponsorship program. Kilimanjaro Mission of Hope and Outreach (KMHO.org) supports Catholic Schools in Moshi and oversees the program.

“The students are chosen by the diocese, not by me.” said Rentz. “I make sure that their grades are improving or doing well. Some of those kids [were] out of school for a few years before we were able to get them in.”

Sponsorships start at $900 and can be as high as $2,500, depending on the education level. Currently, 50 students are on a waiting list for a sponsor, 25 have one and some sponsored students graduated.

“They value their education a lot,” she said. “They know it’s their chance to improve their families.”

Students in Cincinnati learn what life is like for their peers in Moshi. For the past two years, Rentz has moderated a Tanzania Club at DePaul Cristo Rey, where members learn about the country’s language, food and customs. They even have Tanzanian pen pals.

“We had, at the end of this last year, 32 kids who are regularly writing back and forth. Their letters are adorable,” she said.

The school is planning a trip to Africa for DPCR students in the next year or two. Rentz says she loves her job at DPCR and her students come first, but she will also continue traveling to Tanzania, on her own dime, to help children there obtain the education they desire.

This article appeared in the August 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.