Back to School: Tostan Classes Recommence With the End of the Rainy Season

Every year, communities in West Africa participating in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP) take a break from class activities during the rainy season. During this time, families devote their energy to harvesting crops. In this article by Lilli Loveday, Tostan Regional Projects Assistant in The Gambia, Tostan participant, Aminata Jallow, shares her excitement for CEP classes to recommence. 

Aminata, 15, lives with her family in Jendeh, a community in the Upper River Region (URR) of The Gambia. Her community began Tostan’s three-year Community EmpowermentProgram (CEP) in the spring of 2011. With the rainy season over, Aminata is eager to recommence Tostan classes sharing: “Just before the centers closed for the rainy season, we were raising awareness about [female genital cutting (FGC)] and child/forced marriage. We are all getting ready to publicly declare abandonment of these practices.”

Aminata, who previously shared that she was hesitant about joining Tostan classes because she heard that they focused entirely on FGC, explains: “I have seen that Tostan does not just focus on FGC. I learned a lot of things that have no connection to FGC.” Tostan’s holistic program covers the topics of human rights, democracy, health, hygiene, problem solving, literacy, math, and project management.

In Tostan classes, Aminata was informed about the practice of FGC in a context that has allowed her to explore the impact that practices such as FGC and child/forced marriage have on women and girls’ health and human rights, and she has been encouraged to come to her own conclusion. Aminata states: “I do not think that the practices of FGC or child/forced marriage are good because you should not force things on people, and it is a forced thing.”

This year, Aminata will enter Grade 6 at Koranic School. She aspires to continue her education and find employment. Last year, Aminata intended to become a Koranic teacher but has since changed her mind: “I would like to be a nurse. It will mean I can care for others.” Aminata’s commitment to her education has remained firm: “To become a nurse, I have to concentrate especially on English and Science. We learn those things now even at Koranic School.” In order to provide students at Koranic schools with the same opportunities as pupils at English schools, the Government of The Gambia introduced a new curriculum to include English and other core subjects into Koranic education.

Furthermore, Aminata looks forward to gaining the valuable skills of reading and writing in Mandinka, her native language, in the upcoming Tostan class sessions: “I will learn how to read and write and that will help me to work here in Jendeh, for my people.”

Aminata, like most of the people from her community, has been busy over the last couple of months with the growing of groundnuts, one of the most important crops of The Gambia. During the rainy season and harvest, both Tostan classes and Koranic classes have paused but they will soon restart, and Aminata is excited about getting back to studying: “It is important to help with the harvest to support my family and my community, but I am happy that I will soon be learning again.”

Spotlight on Girls: Aja Drammeh

Through our work we have learned that as communities become empowered through human rights-based education, their ability to empower girls amplifies. In celebration of the first ever International Day of the Girl—11 October 2012—we are sharing the inspiring stories of five girls as they pursue their goals and build an empowered future for themselves and their communities in our blog series, Spotlight on Girls.

Now let’s turn the spotlight on Aja Drummeh from Bajon Koto, The Gambia.

Story and photographs by Lilli Loveday, Projects Assistant, The Gambia

Aja speaking about human rights and health at an inter-village meeting in her community

Five-year-old Aja Drammeh lives in the Bajon Koto community in the Upper River Region (URR) of The Gambia. At an inter-village meeting held in her hometown at the end of August, Aja inspired the audience as she shared her remarkable knowledge of human rights, democracy, and issues related to health and hygiene.

Participants at the meeting could hardly believe it when Aja confidently took the microphone and explained, “democracy means power for the people. ‘Demos’ means people and ‘kratos’ means power.” She went on to share, “to be healthy doesn’t just mean not being sick but it also means someone who has good social relationships and good living with others.”

After her explanations of democracy and health, Aja completed her lesson to the audience by giving key dates in The Gambia’s political history, including the day the country gained independence. This was the first time Tostan The Gambia had witnessed a girl so young speaking so publicly and expertly about information she learned during class sessions of Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program.

Aja gained this knowledge through her community's participation in Tostan's human-rights based education program, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP). Tostan began implementing class sessions in Bajon Koto for adults and adolescents in March 2011. Since the beginning, Aja has joined her mother in the adult sessions. She explained, “I go along with my mum every week…learning is my favorite thing!”

Her mother, Isatou Fatty, is immensely proud of her daughter's willingness to learn, and said, “Aja is the youngest of my ten children. I am overwhelmed by how much she knows, and I always encourage her to go further.” It even came as a surprise to Aja's mother and the other class participants that she absorbed so much information, “I always thought she enjoyed classes but I didn’t know she was taking in so much…children are very surprising! I feel very proud!”

Aja also likes how Tostan uses traditional African teaching techniques in the CEP classes. She added, “I enjoy the singing and the dancing in Tostan classes. I am very happy when I’m singing the Tostan songs.” Joining with her mother and other female participants, she sang two songs in her own language, Mandinka. Some of the song lyrics, which were written by CEP class participants, included:

“Open the door for me to enter, so that I may know my human rights and the responsibilities for those rights.”

Aja leading a Tostan song with her mother and fellow CEP participants

Although Aja is still very young, she has already been set on the path of learning. Aja completed a preschool class when she was three and will begin Grade 1 later this year at the Bajon Koto Lower Basic School. Most children start Grade 1 when they are seven, but Aja’s ability and the support she receives from her mother have given her a head start.

Isatou's commitment to her daughter's education is clear: “I want her to be well-educated and to have a better future…” Already as a five-year-old, Aja says, “I’ve learned my A, B, C and my 1, 2, 3 at school, and through Tostan, I’ve learned all about my human rights.”

With the support of a community who participated in Tostan’s human rights-focused program, the messages reaching Aja will shape her understanding of the opportunities available to her as she grows up, opportunities that will not be restricted by her gender.

Aja and her mother, Isatou Fatty

Show your support for girls by sharing Aja’s story with your friends and family! Looking for more? Read other Spotlight on Girls posts here.

Spotlight on Girls: The Marietou Law

Through our work we have learned that as communities become empowered through human rights-based education, their ability to empower girls amplifies. In celebration of the first ever International Day of the Girl—11 October 2012—we are sharing the inspiring stories of five girls as they pursue their goals and build an empowered future for themselves and their communities in our blog series, Spotlight on Girls. 

Now let’s turn the spotlight on Marietou from Thiès, Senegal. 

Story by Penda Mbaye, Tostan Program Officer in Dakar, Senegal

In 2002, I was a facilitator of Tostan’s human rights-based education program, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP), in the small district of Hersent in Thiès, Senegal. There, I saw a 15-year-old CEP participant named Marietou positively change the perception of domestic violence in her entire community. 

At the age of four, Marietou’s father passed away, and she was forced to live with her stepfather who physically abused her mother every night. This abuse deeply affected her, but she felt she was not able to do anything about it but cry; she couldn’t intervene.

Years later, Marietou became a participant in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP). After learning in class discussions about the importance of respecting and protecting the human rights of all people, she decided she had to do something to help her mother.  She could not take seeing her suffer any longer. She decided to talk to the district chief about it, but was disappointed by his reaction when he told her that children should not get involved with their parents’ business.

She thought then she must get more people’s attention in order to stop domestic violence in her community; she knew right away that she had to do something extraordinary that no one had ever done or seen before.
Empowered by her knowledge of human rights, Marietou headed to the community mosque all by herself so that she could bring up the issue of domestic violence to the imam and other important people in her community.

After the midday prayer, just about when people were ready to leave the mosque, Marietou politely said, “Can I please have your attention for just a second?”

All eyes turned to her; people were surprised that she, a young girl, had come to the mosque to talk to them. Everyone waited curiously to know what she had to say.

She asked the imam, “Did you know some of the people in this very mosque abuse their wives every single day? I’m curious to know: does Islam allow you to abuse your wife like some people I know (directly referring to her stepfather)? Did you know that all people have the right to be protected from domestic violence? Please, dear imam, do something to stop domestic violence in this neighborhood. If you don’t do anything and my stepfather keeps beating my mother, I will have to call the police on him and all the other men who do the same thing because I know who you are.”

At first everyone in the mosque started to laugh, but then all eyes shifted to her stepfather. 

The imam gave everyone permission to leave the mosque except for Marietou and her stepfather. He sternly told him that Islam does not condone domestic violence. After sometime Marietou’s stepfather started to cry and vowed to never put his hands on Marietou’s mother again.

During the next two Friday prayers, the imam decided to center his teachings on domestic violence and how that it is not supported by Islam. Community members also became involved by organizing a forum on domestic violence. At that point, all important members of the district decided to join the cause to abandon domestic violence. A collective decision was put in place to denounce anyone in the neighborhood who did not comply with the rest of the community in abandoning domestic violence. 

To enforce this collective decision, a law was implemented; they called it the Marietou Law. Marietou was also elected the coordinator of a new community watch committee to protect women and adolescent girls against domestic violence. She shared how glad she was that the imam and entire community became involved in helping to stop domestic violence. 

Strengthened by the knowledge she gained through participation in the CEP and her own personal courage, Marietou emerged as a true champion of human rights. Now she does not need to worry about her mother or other women being abused in her community.

Show your support for girls by sharing Marietou's story with your friends and family! Looking for more? Read other Spotlight on Girls posts here.

Spotlight on Girls: Hamda and the Young Human Rights Defenders of Somaliland

Through our work we have learned that as communities become empowered through human rights-based education, their ability to empower girls amplifies. In celebration of the first ever International Day of the Girl—11 October 2012—we are sharing the inspiring stories of five girls as they pursue their goals and build an empowered future for themselves and their communities in our blog series, Spotlight on Girls. 

Now let’s turn the spotlight on Hamda and the girls from the Maroodi Jeex region of Somaliland.

Story by Birima Fall, National Coordinator of Tostan Somalia

Hamda reading the public declaration for the
abandonment of FGC and child/forced marriage

On July 7, 2012, a young girl named Hamda announced the decision made by 28 communities in the Maroodi Jeex region of Somaliland, to abandon all forms of female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage. Hamda's community helped reach the decision to declare abandonment through participation in Tostan's human rights-based education program, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP). 

Throughout the process that led to that memorable day, the attention of the Tostan team in Somalia was caught by the dynamism and spirit of participation by the girls participating in the CEP.

Even though Hamda is young, she had the courage to stand up for her human rights and realized the importance of her education. Along with other girls her age, Hamda participates in the CEP class sessions centered on human rights. The class sessions help girls to understand the responsibility their parents have to protect their rights, for example the right to be free from all forms of violence. At the same time, they learn they have the duty to participate in the development of their families and community. 

Through the Tostan class sessions, Hamda and other girls her age have learned how to encourage positive social change in their families and communities, and play a big role in community activities such as regular clean-ups and awareness-raising events about FGC, child/forced marriage, violence against women, health, and protecting the environment.

The girls also spread awareness about what they learn through a drama group that performs local songs and poems to advocate for positive social change. While girls take on the lead roles in the drama group, boys also participate to raise awareness about human rights.  

Hamda, along with the 28 declaring communities, pledged to engage hundreds of villages in the ongoing movement for positive social transformation in Somaliland. Together they are fulfilling their responsibilities as human rights defenders.
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Show your support for girls by sharing Hamda’s story with your friends and family! Looking for more? Read other Spotlight on Girls posts here.

Spotlight on Girls: Aissata Ba

Through our work we have learned that as communities become empowered through human rights-based education, their ability to empower girls amplifies. In celebration of the first ever International Day of the Girl—11 October 2012—we are sharing the inspiring stories of five girls as they pursue their goals and build an empowered future for themselves and their communities in our blog series, Spotlight on Girls. 

Now let’s turn the spotlight on Aissata Ba from Kolma Peuhl, Senegal.

Interview and photos by Anna Vanderkooy, Tostan Projects Assistant, Senegal

Aissata Ba

A few weeks ago I traveled to the village of Kolma Peulh in the Kaolack region of Senegal to meet with Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP) facilitator and interview local community members.  The community of Kolma Peuhl began to participate in Tostan’s three year Community Empowerment Program in 2008.

During my visit, community members were eager to share how community learning has influenced Kolma Peulh. They highlighted examples such as: the active involvement of women and adolescents in decision making;increased priority on child health and the creation of a health closet; the abandonment of child/forced marriage; and a new commitment to schooling for girls and boys. With women and men of all ages ready to talk about Tostan’s work in Kolma Peulh, we stayed up late into the night, sharing stories and songs as I scribbled down notes by candlelight.

One of the highlights of my stay was a conversation with a young girl, Aissata Ba. When I asked her if she would like to talk to me about herself and her life in Kolma Peulh, she smiled unassumingly and nodded, and the conversation (translated from Pulaar to French) began. 

Aissata reading Tostan's children's books

Anna: (after introducing myself) A lot of people in Senegal and around the world are interested in what is happening in Kolma Peulh. Could you introduce yourself to them?

Aissata: My name is Aissata Ba, from Kolma Peulh. I am six years old. My mother is Aminata Ba – you spoke to her yesterday.

Anna: Oh yes. I think she said that you will be going to school next year for the first time, right? Are you excited?

Aissata: I’m signed up to start in a few months and I can’t wait! My mother and a lot of her friends learned how to read [in Pulaar during Tostan classes], so they have already been teaching me to read the Tostan picture books. My favorite one is about an antelope who works very hard to cook dinner. But I’ve read all of them now and the older children say that there are lots of new things to read at the school. There will be so much to learn there and I already have a bit of a head start.

Anna: Is there a subject that you’re most excited to learn about?

Aissata: I don’t know how to add numbers or write words, so I’m excited to do that. Actually, I want to stay in school for as long as I can so that I can learn about everything. I’m going to be a teacher, or maybe a nurse, when I grow up, so I need to study all the school subjects.

Anna: Have you heard about or noticed any things that have recently changed for girls growing up in Kolma Peulh?

Aissata: There are more girls who go to school now, and my village has decided that girls can stay in school for as long as they want. My parents have told me the same thing and I always listen to them. They said that they will make sure that I don’t get married [before I finish high school]. I can decide when I want to get married. I want to stay in school for a long time, because you need to learn a lot of things before you become a teacher. I want to be like my mother because she is now in charge of lots of decisions in Kolma Peulh. In my village now, people say that girls can do as much as boys, so I would like to show them that I can do a lot of things and can be a very good student.

Anna: I’m sure you’ll do a great job in school. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about? Do you have any questions for me?

Aissata: I liked the questions that you asked. I was wondering what you want to be when you grow up. I think you should be a writer because you write down lots of things very quickly. You could write new books for children like me who are going to school and I could read them.

Anna: That sounds like a great idea! 
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Show your support for girls by sharing Aissata’s story with your friends and family! Looking for more? Read other Spotlight on Girls posts here.

International Day of the Girl: 12 Days to Celebrate the Power of Girls

What started as a campaign to show global support for the empowerment of girls by the NGO Plan International soon grew into something much bigger—the official recognition of International Day of the Girl Child (11 October 2012) by the United Nations last year. This day will mark a moment when the international spotlight will be turned on girls, drawing attention to the inequalities they face and the innovative solutions they are employing to make a difference.

During the days leading up to the first ever International Day of the Girl, we will share five personal stories,which illustrate that as communities become empowered through human rights-based education, their ability to empower girls amplifies. These inspirational stories will be featured here on the blog in a series called Spotlight on Girls.

We invite you to share these girls’ success stories with your friends and family and, in turn, join the movement to empower girls!

Look out for our first story tomorrow: six-year-old Aissata Ba shares her passion for education and the support she feels from her community in The Gambia.