Participants apply their language and math skills to a variety of daily individual and family activities. For example, participants learn how to write letters to the government or other local organizations to request resources or funds for their community projects. As they run small businesses, they keep track of their expenses, profits, and contributions to the Community Solidarity Funds. Community Management Committees (CMCs) keep minutes of their meetings, establish action plans, and record births and deaths in their communities.
When Tostan participants become literate in their local African language, they gain skills that allow them to become more engaged and capable citizens in their communities. For participants the simple act of learning to spell one's own name or write a letter to a friend can open new doors to more confidence and control over their lives. In the hospital in the village of Saam Ndiaye, for example, villagers have created registers with, among other data, the names of all patients who have used health services and a record of all those who have been vaccinated. Local health agents have often made use of these registers since it helps them in their work.
