Since we began, our human rights-based education program has reached more than five million people across eight African countries.
Women’s Empowerment
women have been selected into leadership positions in their communities, with many running for public office
Health
people live in communities that publicly declared their intention to end female genital cutting
Child Marriage
communities have publicly declared that their daughters will not marry before the age of 18
The Tostan Model
Our three-year, non-formal education program puts rural communities in charge of their own futures. We support our partner communities to define and fulfil their own vision for wellbeing, allowing them to create positive and lasting social transformation. Our approach is:
HUMAN RIGHTS BASED
Knowledge of human rights and responsibilities forms the foundation for learning
RESPECTFUL & INCLUSIVE
Information is shared in a non-judgmental and participatory way, using local languages
HOLISTIC & SUSTAINABLE
The program has impact across multiple issues, with sustainability at its core
Ndéye Fatou’s Story: Walk On My Own
In Walk On My Own, 13-year-old Ndeye Fatou Fall tells the story of her community in Senegal and the social transformation they have sparked to end harmful practices and ensure education, self-determination and wellbeing for girls and women.
News and Stories
Empowered CMC leads the way to sustainable health for women and children in Song Kunda!
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb is ever so fitting to Song Kunda, a remote village located in the Upper River Region, Kantora District, and one of the first villages in the Gambia to participate in...
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Tostan awarded 4-star rating by Charity Navigator in 2019
Tostan has attained a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. This is the highest possible rating from the leading nonprofit evaluator in America. It indicates that...
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Tostan joins Melinda Gates’ Moment of Lift: Scaling Wellbeing for Women and Girls in Three Countries
For media enquiries, please contact SuzanneBowles@Tostan.org In her much awaited first ever book “The Moment of Lift,” Melinda Gates identifies Tostan Founder, Molly Melching, as a quiet hero and one of her teachers. She credits her with imparting the...
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“The communities of Sare Ngai and Kandekunda were in conflict for several years. The conflict is part of the problem of roaming livestock. In effect, one day the cows of a herder from Sare Ngai village broke into the fields in Kandekunda village, causing a lot of damage. This herder suffered the fury of affected farmers. In solidarity, other herders from Sare Ngai organized to fight back. A clash was barely avoided. But since this day, the day villages cut off all contact. Many mediations were attempted both by the administration and volunteers; but in vain. Finally, the peace committee from Passamace Mandinka, comprised mainly of women, intervened to put an end to this conflict.”
- village chief for Passamace Mandinka, in The Gambia, reflecting on the benefits of women’s participation in peacebuilding
The first 3 years of a child’s life are critical to their long-term development. In order to ensure that children reach their full potential, in a region which holds 6 of the world’s top 10 countries with the highest birth rates, Tostan's Reinforcement of Parental Practices (RPP) module strengthens the positive early childhood development practices of parents and community members, in an effort to promote an environment that fosters their children's development.#DignityforAll
Seynabou Ndiaye is the Secretary for the Community Management Committee of Keur Mbaye Seyni, a community that completed the Community Empowerment Program more than ten years ago. Over the years, the community has taken great steps to achieving their long-term vision of well-being, such as bringing water taps to every home in the village, and solar energy. When she reflects on her journey and that of her community, her greatest pride remains being elected as Municipal Councillor to represent her village and its vision at the district level.
#DignityForAll
Ce samedi 14 septembre, Tostan a fièrement pris part à la marche et la cérémonie de la convergence nationale pour la paix en Casamance co-organisées avec Partners Global, la Plateforme des femmes pour la Paix en Casamance et PWA-S.
#ensemblepourlapaixencasamance
#Dignitépourtous
“I thanked Tostan because this two days training on Community Development Grants Management (IGA) held in our community. Now Tostan trained me on how to prioritise our development needs and advocate for their implementation from relevant departments and stakeholders such as clean and safe drinking water, health post, a tricycle to carry our sick and pregnant women to the health facility amongst other.
The most important issues here we learnt from Tostan is that, with all these priorities, we will we do as a community towards the attainment of these key issues by our own. This leads us to do activities at our own level through community sensitization and contributions. We now know how to better manage our funds. We have been receiving lot of financial support from partners before, but due to inadequate training and capacity in management, they were not sustained. Now, with Tostan trainings and capacity building of CMCs including myself and team, we can now revolve two Dalasis to ten Dalasis"
-CMC coordinator of Manakoto Keta/Foday (Wuli West, The Gambia) Ms. Nyatou Bah
Click here to know more about our Community Empowerment Program www.tostan.org/programs/community-empowerment-program/
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