Tostan Featured in chapter of Half the Sky
Tostan's work is praised in a full chapter of Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's new book,
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The book is both a hard-hitting description of the difficulties women face around the globe, and a call to action, with inspiring stories of how a little help goes a long way in transforming the lives of women and girls abroad.
I read Half the Sky in one sitting, staying up until 3 a.m. to do so. It is brilliant and inspirational, and I want to shout about it from the rooftops and mountains. It vividly illustrates how women have turned despair into prosperity and bravely nurtured hope to cultivate a bright future.
— Greg Mortenson, author, Three Cups of Tea
Half the Sky is a passionate and persuasive plea to all of us to rise up and say ‘No more!’ to the 17th-century abuses to girls and women in the 21st-century world. This is a book that will pierce your heart and arouse your conscience.
— Tom Brokaw
Take Action to Empower Women & Girls Today:
Support our Campaign for Grassroots Change in Africa
The challenges girls, women, and their communities will face in the coming decades are many. Tostan's well-recognized model, the
Community Empowerment Program, engages women and girls, men and boys, their communities, and even entire social networks to bring about lifelong changes in many critical areas.
We have found that communities don't need hand-outs. To the contrary, when given empowering education and basic skills and resources, communities can take the lead. Our community partners have led thousands of projects and massive social movements: not only have thousands of villages
abandoned female genital cutting and
child/forced marriage, but many have also taken concrete steps to improve their health, apply
democracy and human rights,
promote girls' education and
women's leadership, advance
economic security, foster peace and resolve conflict, and protect their children.
Molly Melching, Tostan's Executive Director, expressed her appreciation of the recognition, saying "Tostan is proud to be included in this compellingly important book. Kristof and WuDunn detail the serious, seemingly intractable, problems of women worldwide, yet they recognize the women and organizations who are trying to respond to oppression and adversity by practicing a politics of engagement and hope. The book inspires and uplifts all of us at Tostan, knowing that our work is valued and that we are not alone."
Here at Tostan, we believe the time to invest in African communities is now, and
we have announced an urgent new campaign to bring our model to 3,000 more communities in the next five years. But to get there we need your help.
There is no more efficient way to invest in the future of Africa than by empowering women, men, and entire communities to improve their own lives. Join us today and support community-led development and social change across Africa.
