Since we began, our human rights-based education program has reached more than three million people, resulting in:
Women’s Empowerment
women have been selected into leadership positions in their communities
Health
people live in communities that publicly declared an end to female genital cuting
Child Marriage
communities that have publicly declared their daughters will not marry before they are 18
The Tostan Model
Our three-year non-formal education program puts rural communities in charge of their own futures. We help communities develop their own vision for development using an approach that is:
HUMAN RIGHTS BASED
Knowledge of human rights and responsibilities is the foundation for learning
RESPECTFUL & INCLUSIVE
Information is shared in a non-judgmental way
HOLISTIC & SUSTAINABLE
Program covers five key impact areas and has sustainability at its core
Latest Blog Posts
GRANTS – Volunteer-Intern
The Grants Volunteer-Intern position at Tostan’s headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, provides opportunities for understanding how a Human Rights-based approach can influence social change and support community-led development. The Volunteer-Intern will gain project...
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“We won’t stop here.” – International Women’s Day in solidarity with prison detainees
Relaxed discussion, popular songs blasting from speakers, a cheerful atmosphere in a sea of matching outfits: my first impressions of the place I had just entered did not align with the perceptions I held about prisons. It was International Women’s Day, at La Maison...
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Women’s Empowerment in Mali
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the incredible ways women across Mali have applied their new knowledge and skills learned during the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) to fit their unique lives. Overcoming discrimination and finding one’s voice “I...
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Need a good summer book? However Long the Night: Molly Melching’s Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph made it on The Bill Gates Booklist!
To learn more about the book and where to purchase it, click here: bit.ly/2sefQhx
The Bill Gates Booklist (154 books) – 📚BookAdvice – Medium
medium.com
1. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Our sister organization Orchid Project shares how monumental and empowering it is for entire communities to abandon harmful practices such as Female Genital Cutting (FGC).
"A movement of positive social change is spreading across West Africa – over 8,000 communities have now abandoned FGC in 6 countries, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia." - Jenna Richards from Orchid Project
#ResultsMonday #Empowerment #SocialChange #Grassroots
Declaration ceremonies supporting an end to FGC « Orchid Project
orchidproject.org
On 14th May 2017, 117 communities united to declare their abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC). Each community that chose to abandon had...
We believe that all girls have the right to be educated and make their own decisions for their future.
Today we are highlighting an incredible story from the field that shows how one girl and a group of women can make a difference. World's Children's Prize brings us a story about Marima, who is set to be married off at the young age of eleven. The World's Children's Prize shows us how Marima's courageous actions and the determination of 17 Tostan women changed her life forever.
With Marima's bravery and the help of Tostan, Marima's village has publicly declared to end FGC and child marriage.
“At first I didn’t want to listen to the Tostan group, but now I’m grateful that they helped me to understand how important it is to get an education” - Mariama’s stepfather.
#EndChildMarriage #FieldTripThursday
Married off at age eleven - World's Children's Prize
worldschildrensprize.org
Mariama is running. Her feet strike the sandy ground hard, and she is struggling not to trip in the darkness. She wants to escape from everything....
At Tostan, we know the vital importance of empowering women and girls to help develop our world. Half of the worlds population is made up of women and girls, yet they receive less health care, less education and less opportunity to lead and make a difference in their community.
Our Community Empowerment Program (CEP) helps women emerge as community leaders, human rights activists, and role models, showing young girls and boys alike that women can succeed in leadership roles and work with men as equals.
To read more about what we are doing to hep women and girls succeed and our success so far, click the link below.
#WomenWednesday #WomenandGirls #Empowerment
Empowerment of Women and Girls - Tostan International
tostan.org
During Tostan’s program, women and girls develop leadership skills, engage in dialogue, and demonstrate their ability to make important decisions...
Thank you Sahiyo for sharing this fantastic article.
Click below to read an enlightening article by Mariya Taher, the co-founder of Sahiyo, that highlights how FGC is occurring everywhere to any type of women, debunking the stereotypes that go with the practice.
"The sad reality is that FGM/C crosses races, ethnicities, religions, economic backgrounds, and educational backgrounds" - Mariya Taher
Click here to help Tostan combat harmful practices in West Africa: bit.ly/2ny2SZv
#TogetherTuesday #EndFGC
My friend’s anger reminded me that people in this country are uncomfortable with the idea that FGM/C happens here in the United States... I wonder if they have heard of labiaplasty. The World Health...
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