Senegal: Keeping Girls’ Education in the Spotlight

This week, the bustling Senegalese city of Dakar has become the epicenter for discussion on gender equality in education as great minds gather to keep the issue of girls’ education in the spotlight. Over 200 international experts – including Tostan’s Executive Director, Molly Melching – have gathered for a conference from May 17-20, marking the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). UNGEI was launched by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000. Organized in partnership with the Government of Senegal, the “Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality,” or more simply, the E4 discussions, were opened by His Excellency Mr. Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye, Prime Minister of Senegal.

Bringing human rights based education to villages in Senegal as well as across Africa, Tostan believes in the empowering effects of education for girls and for all children.

Please visit Tostan.org for additional stories about how education can truly empower communities. Read more about the conference here and stay tuned for more developments as Dakar increasingly becomes an international hub for the promotion of human rights.