News & Stories from the Field
Walk On My Own: A film about how Tostan sparks profound, positive changes for women and girls premieres during the UN Commission on the Status of Women
On screen, a 13-year-old girl is singing and dancing, her eyes bright with laughter. Microphone clipped to the back of her dress, she picks up her video camera and moves through her village to the next location for the film she is making. In the audience, now...
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Ndeye Fatou’s Story: Walk On My Own
In Walk On My Own, 13-year-old Ndeye Fatou Fall tells about the positive social transformations sparked by her community in Senegal for the health and wellbeing of girls and women. The public premiere took place on March 13, 2019, in New York City, coinciding with...
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Religious Leaders at the Forefront of Social Transformation
Since 1991, Tostan has engaged local religious leaders in supporting communities’ efforts to end violence against girls and women and create a new vision for wellbeing. These partnerships are one of many strategies in a deep and growing movement leading to positive...
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Peace and Security project in The Gambia: Mamadou’s Story
Since May 2018, Tostan has been implementing the Peace and Security Project in 40 communities in the border zone covering The Gambia, southern Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. These 40 communities have previously taken part in the Community Empowerment Program. This project...
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Kenya’s First Public Declaration Led by Tostan Training Center Participants
On February 6, 2019, a public declaration for the abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC) within the Masai community was held in Olmesutie, Loita Division in Narok County, Kenya. Over 3,000 people took part in the declaration which was the result of...
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Dieynaba Kane, former cutter turned advocate for abandonment of FGC
Dieynaba Kane is a vocal advocate for the abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC), a practice whose painful consequences she knows better than most, having undergone it herself and having, by her own count, performed it on at least 100 girls over a period of...
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The human rights movement is rising in Mali: 141 communities publicly declare abandonment of harmful practices in Koulikoro
On 29 November 2018, representatives of 141 communities gathered in Koulikoro, Mali, to publicly declare their decision to abandon the age-old practices of female genital cutting (FGC) and child marriage. The ceremony was presided over by the Minister for the...
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New Leaders of the Breakthrough Generation
Discover the impact of Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program on a new generation of young women and girls: Women who speak up and build their future with confidence; A new generation of leaders coming into their own....
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30 communities in southern Senegal declare abandonment of female genital cutting and child marriage, following the Tostan program
A real breakthrough in a conservative region 30 communities in the commune of Linkering, in the Kolda region of southern Senegal, came together on Sunday, November 25, 2018, to publicly declare abandonment of harmful traditional practices, and show their commitment to...
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Tostan Sweden represented at the Swedish Forum for Human Rights
At this year’s edition of the Swedish Forum for Human Rights - the largest forum for human rights in Scandinavia - eight volunteers from Tostan Sweden pitched in to represent Tostan. One of the volunteers, Jonatan Arblom Sundblad, here reports on the successes of the...
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162 communities join the movement for abandonment of FGC and child marriage in Senegal
On Sunday 11 November 2018, a historic event was held in Goumbayel, in the region of Tambacounda, Senegal. 162 communities from the Bala, Koulor and Diankémakha districts - made up of Mandé, Pulaar, Soninké and Wolof ethnic groups - came together to publicly declare...
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Mayor Khalidou Sy honored with Local Leadership Excellence Award in Senegal
Tostan former National Coordinator for Senegal and member of our staff for 25 years, Khalidou Sy, was honored on Friday November 9, 2018, as one of the best mayors in Senegal at the Local Leadership Excellence Award Ceremony. He was selected out of 557 Local District...
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Choosing a World Free from Female Genital Cutting: Aissata’s True Story
This is the true story of Aissata, who was was cut when she was seven years old. Like many girls and women all over the world, she experienced the often devastating consequences of female genital cutting (FGC). Years after undergoing the practice, Aissata's community...
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Women Leaders on the Rise in The Gambia
A cycle of empowerment and leadership is rising in West Africa - and it is led by women. Read on to learn more about the inspiring women leading with dignity in The Gambia, thanks to the confidence they gained through Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program. In 2017,...
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On the ‘CUSP’ of scale: Tostan proud to participate in the ‘Community for Understanding Scale Up’
Tostan participates in the Community for Understanding Scale Up (CUSP), a global coalition of NGOs known for their impact in social norms change, violence prevention and women's empowerment. Other coalition members include: the Salamander Trust; Puntos de Encuentro;...
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Annual Report 2017
Our Annual Report for 2017 is now available online, in English. In the report, we are delighted to share with you some highlights of the amazing achievements made by our partner communities in 2017, through the Community Empowerment Program and adapted programs. You...
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Sleeping Soundly in Support of Tostan
Diane Gillespie is donating all proceeds from her latest book Stories for Getting Back to Sleep to Tostan. As a long-standing Global Mobilizer, she is especially moved by the emerging women leaders in Tostan communities and by their commitment to a human rights...
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Stories of success from the Prison Project, 2018
Living conditions in Senegal’s state prisons are often very difficult: Access to water, toilets and medical services is limited, whilst living and recreation spaces are inadequate. Organized rehabilitation activities for prisoners are rare, increasing the likelihood...
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Taking Tostan from Senegal to the States — Dame Guèye’s trip to Massachusetts, USA
During his 24 year career at Tostan, Dame Guèye has grown from being a field-based Facilitator in Senegal, to being recently appointed Senior Programme Manager at Tostan International, Dakar. Facing inevitable challenges along the way, Dame has also benefited from...
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Igniting a Movement of Peace from the Grassroots: Tostan and Partners launch Project USAID UNAAM KAYRAAY
On 12th May 2018, representatives from USAID, Partners Global, Tostan, Plateforme des Femmes pour la Paix en Casamance (PFPC), Partners West Africa and regional officials proudly launched the project ‘USAID UNAAM KAYRAAY’, or ‘Engaging Civil Society for Peace in the...
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