Anastácia is most proud of contributing to putting a stop to a harmful local tradition called khomba. It led to girls quitting school early and getting married while they were still children.

“Girls who had their first period were taken out into the bush to prepare for marriage. After khomba, the girls usually quit school and were forced to marry, says Anastácia. She was trained as an ambassador in the Peace & Changemaker Generation project, in which the World's Children's Prize collaborated with local organizations.

"After the course for Child Rights Ambassadors , we held meetings with the villagers to explain the risks of poaching [wild animals], parents not letting their children attend school and subjecting their daughters to khomba. Many children here didn’t go to school, because their parents forced them to work in the field and at home, or sent them out poaching. Many have started coming back to school. I can now count the ones who don’t come. But before, it was almost impossible for me, because so many children weren’t coming to school.

“Some boys were sent out into the bush by their parents, even though they knew that poaching is illegal. I know two families that did that, and the sons were killed. Many have already stopped poaching, but I want to see everyone stop! There are lots of children here who don’t have a father, because he was killed while poaching.

At home, many of the girls still carry on doing most of the work, but the boys have already started helping out more, says Anastácia. "When I do the dishes, my brother knows that he should help by sweeping the yard. And we’re no longer forced to marry.”