Precious Phyllis Apolot
Precious is an education advocate, multimedia artist, writer and communications coordinator passionate about equitable access to education and youth empowerment. She has worked with organisations supporting youth-focused advocacy and storytelling projects that amplify underrepresented voices. Her work sits at the intersection of research, media and social justice, focusing on addressing barriers to learning and empowering young people to shape their educational future.
“My connection to this story is personal. My family is from Kumi District in Uganda and throughout my childhood I spent time there visiting relatives and making friends. As I grew older, I watched some of the local girls become teenage mothers, and I often wondered how their lives had changed – whether they had been given the opportunity to continue their education. Reporting this story gave me the chance to return to a community that has always been part of my identity and to amplify voices that are rarely heard beyond the district. While teenage pregnancy is a global issue, I wanted to show how it is experienced in one rural community and explore how national education policies are translated into everyday reality.
One of the most rewarding aspects of reporting was the openness of the people I interviewed. Community members welcomed me into their homes, shared personal experiences and spoke honestly about challenges and progress. Their willingness to participate allowed me to report the story with authenticity and highlighted the importance of building trust with the communities we report on.
I hope readers come away with a greater appreciation of the different realities young people face around the world. Rather than making assumptions based on their own lives, I hope they are encouraged to learn about other communities, recognise the complexity of implementing global goals such as quality education and understand that meaningful change requires listening to the people most affected.”