Tostan's Community Empowerment Program

Tostan means "breakthrough" in the West African language of Wolof. Since 1991, Tostan has brought its holistic 30-month education program to thousands of communities in ten African countries: Burkina Faso, Djibouti, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia, and Sudan.

Tostan is a non-governmental organization founded in 1991 in Senegal, focuses on empowering African communities through its Community Empowerment Program (CEP). The program uses a holistic, human-rights-based approach to foster sustainable development, emphasizing local languages and community-led initiatives. Tostan’s initiatives span education, health, governance, and economic empowerment, leading communities toward ending harmful practices like child marriage and female genital cutting. Through partnerships and training, Tostan extends its model to a variety of leaders across eight African countries, promoting positive social change.

Molly Melchingwomensconference.org 

Tostan was founded by American anthropologist Molly Melching, who began her work in Senegal in the 1970s. Melching recognized the importance of community-led development and worked to establish an educational model grounded in local culture and languages. Tostan, meaning “breakthrough” in Wolof, was officially founded in 1991 to provide African communities with the tools for sustainable, self-driven progress. Melching’s work has been especially impactful in promoting human rights, health, and education, all while respecting and integrating local traditions.

Tostan’s flagship initiative, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP), is a three-year program that educates communities in local languages on human rights, health, literacy, and economic growth. The CEP operates primarily in rural areas across eight West African countries, including Senegal, Mali, and Guinea. Tostan also promotes Public Declaration campaigns, empowering communities to abandon harmful practices like female genital cutting and child marriage and supports economic initiatives through Dignity for All (DFA), which provides training in income-generating activities. The organization partners widely to replicate its model in diverse African communities.

The documentary ‘Daga - A Woman’s Fight to Empower Girls in her Village’ directed by Fama Ndiaye of Alarba Film, Executive Producers: Sky Dylan-Robbins & Gabriel Diamond, has won the Eva Haller’s Women Transforming Media Award (WTM) and The Women’s Rights Award at the 20^th MY HERO International Film Festival.

DagaToskan

The film focuses on Daga Baldé from southern Senegal. Daga is a local leader in her community who is a passionate advocate for girls’ and women’s education. Denied educational opportunities in her youth, she committed to expanding access after completing Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program in 2013, which deepened her understanding of her rights and community responsibilities. Her knowledge and confidence helped her secure roles as coordinator of her village’s community committee and first deputy mayor of Ndorda. Her story exemplifies Tostan’s mission to foster community-driven learning and leadership. This transformation was captured by the Skoll Foundation’s Solutions Storytelling Project.

‘Walk on My Own’ is a film by 13-year-old Ndèye Fatou Fall, which won a WTM Award at the MY HERO 18^th International Film Festival. Mentored by Emmy-winning filmmaker, Elizabeth Hummer, Ndèye Fatou's film takes us on the journey of a cultural shift that fundamentally changed the course of her life and those of her peers. We learn how the women of Keur Simbara and the surrounding villages were inspired by the teachings of Tostan and how they, with the help of their Imam, were able to change deeply entrenched social norms. Read more HERE. 

Tostan is a documentary produced by Cheikh Daru Seck, a headteacher in Senegal. 

Read this story about Molly Melching, founder of Tostan. "When people are educated, when they have the information they need, when they have human rights and they know their rights...when they are working together...I think we will see a huge change in the world." Molly Melching.

For more information visit: https://tostan.org