Maganda lives in Wandago on the outskirts of Jinja, he is a father of five, and a teacher in the local school. He says:
"When I started here, there was a drug problem, absenteeism and a high dropout rate. Students would drift into school when they felt like it and leave early. Overall performance was extremely poor because even the teachers had no motivation for work. Parents only cared about their alcohol distillery businesses and, instead of sending children to school, would give them work to do (like fetching water, molasses, firewood etc). Serious child abuse and neglect was rife in the community.
Children on the Edge Africa has greatly impacted our community. Workshops have helped parents understand child rights and responsibilities and most now adhere to them. Through Child Rights Club activities and Child Protection Team home visits, counselling and guidance sessions; we've seen positive behavioural change among the children and cases of child abuse have reduced. The child rights talks last term created confidence among the children, so they can now report their grievances.
Training has also helped us teachers understand the children and how to work with them. We are now like parents towards the learners, which has inspired children to love coming to school. We owe this progress to Children on the Edge Africa, because of the brilliant work they carry out in our community".
