Whatever happened to the teens who endured the world's longest COVID school closure?
Ugandan schools were shut for nearly 2 years due to the pandemic. High schoolers were glad to see the shutdown end early this year. But for many, school fees stand in the way of a return to class.
In January 2022, Uganda ended the longest pandemic school lockdown in the world. As the country's roughly 15 million school-going children were summoned back to class, we spoke with six youths from poor families in one of the largest slums in Kampala, the capital city. The teens shared their feelings about returning to school after almost two years and their dreams for their future. For some, family hardships meant they couldn't afford the school fees that would enable them to return. Now, eight months since the reopening, we returned to their community of Kamwokya and were able to reach five of the six teens we profiled to learn how they are faring.
There are definitely happy stories among the teens we'd interviewed
