Leaders and children changing together

Teachers and leaders from every school and village are also learning through the Peace & Changemaker Generation courses. Back in the village, the adults and students who are now trained ambassadors together help increase respect for girls’ rights, and put a stop to poaching.

“Many parents in our village used to take their sons out of school because they thought poaching was more important. Many young people here have died while hunting. But after the course and continuing project in our village, many more children now attend school.

“Lots of girls also used to quit school early. We have a very old tradition called khomba. Girls who have had their first period are taken out into the bush to prepare for marriage. After khomba, the girls usually quit school and are forced to marry.

“I’m glad that the Peace & Changemaker Generation project came to us. After the course, we held meetings with the villagers to explain the risks of poaching, parents not letting their children attend school and subjecting their daughters to khomba

“The project has helped us a lot. While the head teacher and teachers talked to the children at school, as village leader I was able to influence the villagers. The Child Rights Ambassadors educated their school friends.

“There are lots of changes happening in the village now. Far fewer boys are leaving school to go poaching. No girls quit school as a result of khomba. We no longer allow khomba, because it was a ritual that wasn’t good for the girls, so no girls quit school now because of it.

“Thank-you Peace & Changemaker Generation for opening our eyes and helping us.”

Isaak Alione Cubae, village leader, Cubo, Mozambique

Pupils from three village schools came together at Matafula’s simple school to be trained as Peace & Changemaker Generation Ambassadors.

Getting children back to school

“I’m going to go round the village with my classmates and get children who’ve left school to come back. It’s good for a child to go to school, because then they can be teachers, nurses, police officers or engineers. I know several 14-year-olds who’ve had children and I’m going to persuade them to come back to school too. In my village, it’s parents who are the biggest problem when it comes to children’s rights. They don’t understand the value of