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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Thank you Diane Gillespie for your great blog on Medium and your continuous support for Tostan.
In her blog, Diane shows how she decided to celebrate her birthday by fundraising for our Community Empowerment Program. Diane explains how now it is more crucial then ever to keep support for our programs to continue to make a difference around the world. To read more about why she chose this course of action for her birthday and how every bit helps, click the link below.
#Humanrights
Today, we are highlighting the 130 million girls who are not in school.
Darejani Markozashvili's blog on World Bank Publications shows a great campaign by ONE that is bringing light to the alarming issue that millions of girls are not getting access to an education.
Tostan knows that limited access to education, especially for women and girls, presents a serious obstacle to community growth and development in many parts of rural Africa. To learn more about how Tostan is trying to education more women and girls, click here: bit.ly/2qCKfjY
#GirlsCount #WomenWednesday
blogs.worldbank.org
People, Spaces, Deliberation bloggers present exceptional campaign art from all over the world. These examples are meant to inspire. Getting access...
Check out this great column by Nicholas Kristof from the The New York Times that highlights the importance of knowing that child marriage is simply not a foreign concept, but is a harmful practice occurring around the world.
"Globally, a girl marries before the age of 15 every seven seconds" - Estimates from Save The Children
Child marriage jeopardizes a child's healthy development. To see how Tostan is working to put an end to child marriage and how you can make a difference today, click here: bit.ly/2rR6yH4
#EndChildMarriage #TogetherTuesday #humanrights
Opinion | 11 Years Old, a Mom, and Pushed to Marry Her Rapist in Florida
nytimes.com
Thousands of minors wed each year in the United States. Many are given no choice.
This #ResultsMonday, we are spreading the exciting news that 62 villages in the Matam region of Senegal made a public declaration to end Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and child marriage.
"These villages are aware of the disadvantages of FGC on the health and lives of girls and they realize that this is not a religious practice. Through the work of our agents (Tostan's programs), they have decided to give up this practice " - Rose Diop, Tostan's National Coordinator for Senegal
To read more about this public declaration, click here: bit.ly/2rdbMKt
#EndFGC #EndChildMarriage #Development
APS - Soixante-deux villages de la région de Matam renoncent à l'excision (ONG)
aps.sn
Hamadi Ounaré (Matam), 22 mai (APS) – Soixante-deux villages de la région de Matam (nord), dont Hamady Ounaré, Orkadiéré, Bokilladji, Ouro Sidi et...
Happy Friday! In November, Girls Not Brides sponsored Mayi Gnofam to participate in the Tostan Training Center (TTC) 10 day training focused on ending child marriage in West Africa. Check out this great article that highlights what Gnofam learned in Togo and more information on child marriage.
"22% of girls are married before their 18th birthday in Togo, and 6% before their 15th" - Girls Not Brides
To learn more specifically about our TTC, click here: bit.ly/2r4TiMa
#GirlsNotBrides #EndChildMarriage
In Togo, civil society teams up to end child marriage in communities - Girls Not Brides
girlsnotbrides.org
Last November, Girls Not Brides sponsored Mayi Gnofam to attend Tostan’s community-empowerment training to learn how they had successfully engaged...
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