Aluka SS Student Wins West Nile World Environment Day Essay Competition

Posté 2026-07-19 14:51:56 · 2K Vue

BY Mike Rwothomio and Lee Ofoymungu.

From the rural and remote setting of Agyermach village, Afere Parish, Warr Sub County, Zombo District, a young female environmental champion has emerged.

She is Faith Amarurwoth, an S.4 student at Aluka Secondary School in Afere Ward, Warr town council, Zombo District.

Amarurwoth outpaced thousands of competitors across West Nile to claim the 2026 World Environment Day essay trophy, hoisting the flag of Aluka SS high.

The competition, held in commemoration of this year’s World Environment Day, focused on environmental conservation. It demanded deep understanding of ecological history, sustainability, and actionable solutions to environmental degradation crises.

The star rose from a rural school background. She started her primary education at Niva Primary School, later joined Warr Public School, before transferring to Agyermach Primary School where she completed her primary studies. She then joined neighbouring Aluka Secondary School.

Growing up in a community where women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of domestic chores including firewood collection, farming, and cooking, Amarurwoth witnessed vegetation cover being rapidly depleted.

In a recent interview at her school, the calm champion described how the vegetation she once played under and harvested fruits from, such as mangoes and guavas, has been lost to rampant human activities including farming, deforestation, and bush burning.

“I first studied my community of Warr. By the time I was growing up, our environment was covered by a lot of plantation. Now all the trees are cut down,” Amarurwoth said.

She was compelled to vividly document this local environmental degradation in her essay.

Amarurwoth noted that the rapid depletion of vegetation cover in her community inspired her to centre her essay on Warr Sub-County. This local focus, combined with broader insights, made her submission unique and compelling.

Her essay anchored on habitat fragmentation in Warr Sub-County. It combined observations of local vegetation loss with data from the United Nations Environment Programme.

The winning entry highlighted direct effects of climate change, including strong winds deroofing schools, dismantling structures, sweeping gardens, and decimating crops in Zombo District, an area that once had major tree cover to prevent such occurrences.

“I tried to check the alignment with the world organization. It was a wow for me. Then I said at least it should include those organizations like the UN which is well versed with the environment,” she added.

This approach aligns with the Ministry of Education and Sports’ objectives under the National Education for Sustainable Development (NESD) 2030 Framework. The framework integrates environmental stewardship, climate action, and sustainability into the national curriculum.In collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Environment, UNDP, and NEMA, the MoES runs various practical and educational programmes nationwide.

The essay also addressed how climate change alters Uganda’s weather patterns, impacting agriculture, food production, and food security. It pointed to effects on the education sector, such as damage to school infrastructure, displacement, and psychosocial stress.

Director of Studies Jennifer Ngamita of Aluka Secondary School said the milestone motivates the institution to nurture more learners in academic environmental advocacy.

“Our student was the best in West Nile. She did it to her best. She was awarded as the best essay writer. This has really motivated us, making us to work even harder and train more learners,” Ngamita noted.

She highlighted that essay writing under the new competency-based curriculum helps learners improve communication skills, spelling, vocabulary, and other competencies.

Head Teacher Joseph Yoacel lauded institutional synergy and spiritual priority for the success.

The Nebbi Anglican Diocese Education Officer, Mr. Stanley, commended the school during a thanksgiving celebration last week.

Over the years, schools in Zombo have been repeatedly encouraged to incorporate environmental education into their curricula. This can be achieved by embedding eco-lessons directly into core subjects, launching student-led environmental clubs, and practicing hands-on sustainability on school grounds to build real-world problem-solving skills.

Amarurwoth, who dreams of becoming a doctor, remains passionate about environmental issues. She urged schools, NGOs, CBOs, and government agencies to invest more in environmental components.

She is currently focusing on subjects including Chemistry, Biology, History, Mathematics, English, and Geography, aiming for ‘A’s and ‘B’s to achieve her medical career goal.

Amarurwoth advised fellow students to stay focused, calm, committed, and identify key opportunities for success.

Founded by the Anglican Church in 1986 under the progressive motto "the struggle continues," Aluka SS recently added three trophies from the 2026 athletics competition to its cabinet, alongside a victory in the environmental essay contest.

Various initiatives by NEMA, NGOs like Life Concern and Space, COLEIN AID, Alur community empowerment foundation (ACEF) and others continue to promote environmental education through clubs, debates, athletics, and hands-on conservation activities across the district.

The urgency of the environmental focus is highlighted by severe regional deforestation. Between 2014 and 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reported that 14% of woody biomass was lost within 5 km of refugee settlement boundaries, with further degradation extending into a 15 km buffer zone. Across Uganda, forest cover plummeted from 24% in 1994 to just 9% in 2019. This crisis is driven by the unsustainable demand for wood as construction material and cooking fuel, alongside the clearing of forest land

for agriculture. Currently, over 93% of both refugee and host community households rely entirely on wood for fuel. Ms Jennifer Ngamita , Director of studies.