How long have you been involved in the (international) development sector, and what first inspired you to enter the sector?

I have been engaged in this work for over a decade. My entry began with an unexpected encounter that revealed a gap in how society responds to children on the margins (on the streets, slums and refugee communities).

Three older street-connected boys I had casually met at church approached an American man walking down the street in Kampala and asked him for money. This man happened to be Professor Glenn Wagner – a Senior Behavioural Scientist at the RAND Corporation. He replied, “I would have given you some, but I don’t trust you.” As he walked away, one of the boys boldly shouted, “You don’t trust us, but we have a lawyer!” Intrigued, Wagner Glenn responded, “I would love to meet your lawyer.” The next day, the boys came to my chambers, and when I met Wagner, he asked a simple but profound question: “Do you have a vision for the street-children?”

This was a simple answer for a lawyer and I answered, “Yes!” I was thinking: “People are willing to support street children, but how can they do it lawfully and safely? In my local language, we say, “Ekisa kissa, n’enge essa”, even a good heart can lead to problems. I was inspired to step in and create a legal and protective structure under the Children’s Approved Homes Regulations that would allow good people like Glenn to support street-connected and vulnerable children in a way that safeguards both the giver and the child. I formed Rescue Mission for Street Life.


What have been the biggest changes you have witnessed throughout your time in the development sector, specifically in relation to your area of expertise?

In today’s development sector, I see three defining shifts:

From Charity to Locally Led Impact.
Work is moving beyond one-way giving. Donors and partners now expect measurable, lasting change that is co-created with communities, not delivered to them. There is a wide belief now that local communities should own their own solutions, and it is cheaper because if a project builds on the local infrastructure, the donor funds are reserved for refining the solution. The ownership and sustainability become easy because it fits well in the local infrastructure.

From Beneficiaries vs. Benefactors to Participants vs. Partners.
People once seen as passive recipients are becoming active co-designers and co-owners of solutions, sharing responsibility and leadership. Beneficiaries are becoming participants, while benefactors are becoming partners.

From M&E to MEALS.
Monitoring and Evaluation has grown into MEALS (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Systems), where continuous learning and accountability to communities are as important as the results themselves. A project is no longer about results harvesting only, but lessons collected to advance the second layer of growth. Lessons are becoming as good as the results.

Edward (3rd right) with his Team at the Rescue Mission for Street Life.

 

If you could see one change in the international development sector occur tomorrow, what would it be and why?

If I could see one change, it would be a move from pre-packaged interventions to locally grounded solutions. Too often, development arrives in the form of pre-packaged programs designed elsewhere, with little regard for local culture or wisdom. These can produce short-term results, but they rarely create lasting transformation.

A proactive approach begins by listening deeply to communities and asking what lies beneath the surface of vulnerability. By co-creating a model rooted in local culture, we build something communities own and sustain.

This is the change the sector needs. It is not enough to measure outputs; we must measure ownership and sustainability. Transformation lasts when communities see themselves not as beneficiaries but as co-creators.

These are the values that we have embedded in our own model at Rescue Mission for Street Life, ThriveWell™ and in our M&E tool, ThriveMeasure™, which tracks progress in safety, well-being, education, family stability, and livelihoods.

 

Parents and Children, program participants at the Rescue Mission for Street Life.


AIDN’s ethos is “more” and “better” international giving from Australians. What does “more” or “better” international giving look like to you? (Feel free to answer with reference to “more” or “better” or both)

Better giving invests in models that are community-rooted, trauma-informed, and sustainable. Too often, funding is tied to short-term outputs that satisfy reporting cycles but collapse when the donor leaves. Better giving strengthens systems that communities themselves can maintain, ensuring the impact continues for years.

More giving is also critical in today’s world of overlapping crises, conflict, displacement, poverty, and climate shocks, but more without better will not create transformation. Australians have a proud tradition of generosity and solidarity. When that generosity is directed toward locally grounded, scalable approaches, the results are extraordinary.

For me, better giving is not about rescuing communities. It is about walking alongside them as they restore dignity, heal from trauma, and build their own futures. Better giving respect, culture and wisdom, while providing resources and solidarity. More giving extends the reach, but better giving makes that reach transformative.

 

Ssempewo Edward

Ssempewo Edward is an advocate of the High Court of Uganda, systems leader, and early-career researcher dedicated to reimagining child protection, well-being, and parenting in fragile settings. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Rescue Mission for Street Life. (RMFSL), a Uganda-registered NGO with consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Over the past decade, Edward has pioneered ThriveWell™, a healing-first, play-based, dual-generational model that prioritises trauma recovery before reintegration of street-connected and vulnerable children into family, school, or livelihood. He also developed ThriveMeasure™, a tool for tracking healing and stability across emotional well-being, safety, education, family, and livelihood.

His leadership journey has been shaped by fellowships with the Gratitude Network, Issroff Family Foundation, and Just Peoples Australia. He has presented nationally on behaviour, play, trauma, and parenting in fragile settings, bringing a unique blend of legal training, community-rooted program design, and applied research.

Edward serves a vision of a world where no child lives on the street and every family thrives.