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Letter of Appreciation: Palabek Secondary School, Uganda




While undertaking a child labor assessment in Kitgum District, Uganda, the female principal of Palabek Secondary School, Mrs Otwana Severi, presented me with a letter of appreciation.

"On behalf of the Board of Governors, the Parent Teacher Association, the teaching and non-teaching staff, the student's body and community of Palabek Secondary School on my behalf, I would like to sincerely express my gratitude and warm welcome to our region. Madam, your choice to pay such a remarkable visit to the school is not only your own interest and decision but it's God's blessing and grace which has propelled you to meet us at this particular moment.

Your presence with us now has given us hope and courage despite the 20 years of insurgencies which has caused setbacks in all walks of life more especially psychological torture in which everybody has trauma due to the difficult situation he or she has undergone. Madam, northern Uganda, more especially this particular place, has experienced the worst atrocities of abduction, killings, destruction of property. Eventually gathered in the camp since 1997 has now been calm due to the peace accord in Juba, southern Sudan, thanks God. But the effects of poverty, poor health status, HIV/AIDS and exploitation of children, and neglect of girls' education needs to be addressed.

With pleasure I would like to announce that the memorandum of understanding to implement the child labor project (LEAP) funded by the United States Department of Labor was signed on the 8th of August 2009. The major initiative is to eliminate child labor in the district. I'm glad that the project kicked off immediately after the signing with great vigour to reduce the worst forms of child labor which was a hindrance to their normal and regular education. Thank you."

Palabek Secondary School is located in Kitgum District, 41 kilometers northwest of Kitgum town in Lamwo county. The school opened in 1981 and has a current enrollment of 519 students. There are 18 teachers but only 8 are on the government payroll. The rest are paid by the parents of the school. The school has 8 classrooms - four of them were constructed by parents and the other four were constructed by Royal Danish Embassy funding. The school has 5 computers but limited power to operate them. The school staff and parents identified 138 children in exploitative labor who are now enrolled in the school (71 boys and 65 girls) - 2 students dropped out due to early marriage. Despite this, there are many more children in the district who are in some form of child labor and are consequently not in school.




MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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