Ambassador Jerry P. Lanier Inaugurates Kitgum High school Cafeteria
Ambassador Jerry P. Lanier Inaugurates Kitgum High school Cafeteria
On Wednesday, August, 10, 2010, Ambassador Jerry P. Lanier accompanied by Brigadier General James D. Owens, the US Army Deputy Commander, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) travelled to Kitgum High School in Akwang Subcounty, Kitgum District to inaugurate the school’s cafeteria in memory of Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver. The $110,000 renovation included a new roof, eating hall, kitchen, administrative offices, and food storage facility.
This renovation increased the visibility of local government during the recovery process in northern Uganda engendering confidence among returning residents. It also demonstrated the ongoing U.S. commitment to a better future for the people of Northern Uganda. The renovation was commissioned in honor of United States Army Captain Benjamin Andrew Sklaver. Captain Sklaver worked in Kitgum as a Civil Affairs officer delivering life saving water resources to struggling villages in northern Uganda after the LRA war ended in the region. Upon leaving this post, he was stationed in Afghanistan where he was killed in the line of duty. Kitgum district will remember Captain Sklaver for his selfless humanitarian service to the people of Northern Uganda and his devotion to making the world a better place.
In his speech, the Ambassador noted that “Investments in the future of young people are at the heart of the USG’s commitment to increasing academic skill levels around the world. Education investments, including modern and functional school facilities, are directly linked to enhanced economic opportunities and to the alleviation of poverty.”
USAID’s Northern Ugandan Transition Initiative (NUTI) program, working in Kitgum (and throughout the Acholi-sub region of northern Uganda) as well as on small-scale infrastructure rehabilitations to government facilities (schools, health clinics, markets, government office buildings, etc.) decided to increase the USG’s involvement at the site so that the structure could return to 100% functionality.