Caleb Wakhungu and the Mt Elgon Self‐Help Community Project use narrative ideas and practices to spark and sustain local economic ‘development’ projects in rural Uganda. Their innovative work links community work, therapy and development. This short paper describes the significance of moving away from a children's rights model (which had been imported from the West) to a model of empowering children and families in ways that are congruent with local cultural practices and understandings.