Guinea: Education at the Heart of Development

Story by Julie Dubois, Tostan Volunteer in Guinea.

In western Guinea, the community of Simbaya, and specifically its Community Management Committee (CMC), is inspiring other communities as a leader of ambitious development.

In 2009, the village was integrated as a neighborhood of the urban commune of Dubréka and also began Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP). Since its participation in the CEP, a number of development projects have been carried out in the community including bridge repairs and the electrification of the village.

At the center of Simbaya’s changes, though, was the construction of the Community Mentoring Center – a place for learning at the heart of their community. 

When the CEP first began in 2009, the messages shared about the importance of education resonated with the adult CEP participants. Suddenly, there was an influx of children attending the CEP classes, compelling the CMC to come up with a solution for the children of Simbaya who were eager to learn.

The closest school is located on the other side of a highway considered one of the most dangerous roads in Guinea because of the many trucks traveling at high speeds towards the cement manufacturers of Conakry. In addition to the difficult route, the school is often unable to accommodate younger children because it already lacks space for the older students. As a result, school only lasts half a day in order to fit in two classes per grade level.

The CMC came up with a creative solution, choosing to build their own Community Mentoring Center to provide each child of Simbaya with the opportunity to attend classes.

What began as two rooms in the home of a village elder soon grew to be a learning center accessible to all the children in Simbaya. This development was made possible by the ambitious plans of the CMC and Tostan facilitator who were able to secure funding for the new six-room center as well as a mosque and a drill with a water pump.  Currently, the CMC has drafted a plan for their next project: a community health center.

Thanks to awareness-raising activities led by the CMC, 180 children currently go to the Community Mentoring Center, the majority of them being girls.  Children ages four through 12 are divided into three classes according to their level and split time learning between Arabic and French courses. 

Although the Community Mentoring Center operates quite smoothly, it is still working to overcome specific challenges, including limited funds for school resources and teacher training. Regardless, the CMC and community are committed to improving the Community Mentoring Center, a place that in just three years has transformed the lives of 180 children who are learning valuable lessons inside and out of the classroom.

This story was translated from French. Visit our French blog, to read the original version!

The Social Mobilization Team of Sédhiou, Senegal plans to make an impact on FGC abandonment in their region

Article by Angie Rowe, Tostan Volunteer in Kolda, Senegal

What is the key to mobilizing entire social networks around the promotion of human rights? The answer is to utilize the greatest and most effective advocates for positive change: passionate community members themselves, social mobilization agents. 

Social mobilization is organized information-sharing through awareness-raising campaigns and activities.  In villages who are participating in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP), teams of social mobilization agents are created to extend the reach of knowledge shared in CEP classes. This ensures that entire networks of people are informed and feel a part of any decision to promote positive social change in their area. Social mobilization teams also organize inter-village meetings to discuss important issues and achieve consensus on decisions affecting the extended social network.

As part of our continuing partnership with Orchid Project, two social mobilization teams were created in Kolda and Sédhiou in southern Senegal to lead awareness-raising activities that will engage neighboring communities around human rights and accelerate the movement for female genital cutting (FGC) abandonment in regions where rates are the highest. Read more about this social mobilization project in a great article on Orchid Project's blog. 

Each team consists of a supervisor and five social mobilization agents specifically selected for their skills in communication and their dedication to positive social change. We introduced Kolda’s social mobilization team last week, and now we are glad to introduce to you the social mobilization team of Sédhiou, Senegal! 

Abdoulaye Kebe, Supervisor, Sédhiou

Abdoulaye works for Tostan because he strongly believes in the promotion of human rights and the preservation of human dignity. Excited to be a part of this new project, he hopes to use his previous experience with social mobilization activities to support positive behavioral change in villages throughout Sédhiou. Outside of work Abdoulaye enjoys reading the Koran and tending his garden.  

Mariama Doumboya, Social Mobilization Agency (SMA), Sédhiou

In the past, Mariama worked for Tostan as a Community Empowerment Program (CEP) facilitator in Sédhiou, where she focused specifically on social mobilization activities. She continues to work with Tostan to increase her knowledge of human rights and health and share that knowledge with communities. In her free time, Mariama loves to cook—especially dishes with couscous. 

Mamadou Sao, SMA, Sédhio

Mamadou was born and raised in Sédhiou and is very passionate about improving the well-being of people in his region. He is particularly interested in helping to bring an end to violence against women and children. He hopes that as a member of the social mobilization team he can provide information to villagers, encouraging them to abandon harmful practices such as female genital cutting (FGC), child/forced marriage, and early pregnancy. Outside of work he enjoys playing soccer, scrabble, and reading.
 

Seydi Bouba, SMA, Sédhiou

Seydi is an advocate for education rights and enjoys working for Tostan as its program makes nonformal education accessible to community members. He is interested in working with Orchid Project because its goal aligns closely with something he is passionate about: the abandonment of FGC. He hopes to use his skills to inform people of the harmful consequences of FGC and child/forced marriage throughout the duration of this project. Outside of work he enjoys farming and other agricultural activities.  

Mouskeba Konte, SMA, Sédhiou

Born in Sédhiou, Mouskeba has always felt passionate about health issues in her community. She was happy to find work that supported her beliefs and hopes that the work of Tostan will further develop her country positively. She is excited to be part of the social mobilization team where she can use her knowledge and experience to prompt meaningful discussion in local communities.  She hopes this work will eventually lead to total abandonment of FGC in Senegal. Although Mouskeba is kept busy as a member of the social mobilization team, she always makes time outside of work to spend with her children.

Bamba Lylla Marena, SMA, Sédhiou

Bamba believes that education and literacy are key components of sustainable development, and he enjoys working with Tostan in its efforts to accomplish these goals. He believes that child/forced marriage and FGC pose serious and significant health problems and hinder the development of Senegal in general. He believes that total FGC abandonment is both necessary and possible. When not working, Bamba enjoys playing the piano and socializing with friends.

The above portraits are based on short interviews that were held on an informal, respectful, and voluntary basis in the participants’ own language with the assistance of an interpreter.

Voices of Tostan: Farba M'Bow

Farba M’bow spent his childhood in Senegal and moved to the United States. His mother, once a participant in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP) herself, encouraged Farba to look into jobs within international development. Farba rediscovered Tostan in Washington, DC where he interned as Communications Assistant from September to December 2012. Here, he gives a personal account of his journey and how his experience with Tostan has impacted his life. 

Story by Farba M’Bow, former Tostan Communications Assistant in Washington, DC

Farba and his mother, a former Tostan participant 

When I finished college, I came back home full of ambitions but not truly knowing exactly what the near future had in store for me. I began a manufacturing job still trying to figure out what to do next. Several months later, I joined AmeriCorps where I provided academic support to at-risk youth at a local high school. The experience was great, and I found myself easily interacting with the students, but I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue a career in education. Then one day my mother suggested that I look into international nonprofit organizations after my time with AmeriCorps. I have yet to understand the reason she mentioned this, but it was exactly what I was planning on doing.

A few months later, out of the blue, my mom asked if I could find her the types of reading manuals that she used to study with in Pulaar back in Senegal and suggested that I search for them on the Internet. Well, I knew that the books she read came from an organization called Tostan and I started my search.

I was immediately drawn to Tostan’s website; seeing the incredible work that Tostan was doing in at least eight African countries was so amazing and very appealing. Then later, I discovered that ‘tostan’ was a Wolof word that meant “breakthrough”. Well, I knew what breakthrough meant in English, but I did not recall using ‘tostan’ in any of my Wolof conservations back in Senegal. I asked my mom, who actually speaks better Wolof than Pulaar, but she didn’t know either. I guessed that it had probably been replaced by a French word during the process of colonization. I went ahead and continued searching.

I forgot all about the reading manuals I was asked to look for and started a search of my own. I felt the urgent need to delve deeper into Tostan. I watched every video that I could find and read every article about Tostan. Then one day, I came across a video of Molly Melching explaining the word ‘Tostan’! I listened thoroughly to the point where she explained the meaning of the word as “the hatching of an egg”. Then it hit me! I picked up the phone and explained it to my mother and she went on to say, “Oh yeah, now I remember what that means.”

The analogy of Tostan as “the hatching of an egg” made perfect sense to me. Putting this into context, I knew from personal experience that many women and children hide their opinions because of social and cultural norms and expectations. I was automatically reminded of the example of a girl who gets married at the age of 14 and is forced to live in a confined village of only a couple of hundred people with all the societal and cultural components that come along with this situation. The only way that person can overcome her difficulties and rise above social expectations or ‘hatch out of the egg’ is through education.

My mother hatched out of her own egg in 2000 when she decided to participate in Tostan classes. She had never attended school before. In the Tostan classroom, they started with very basic skills. She went from putting syllables together to reading themes that we could all relate to at home. My four brothers and I were all eager to help. By doing so, we were also able to read in Pulaar, which is something that the school system in Senegal did not teach students. I particularly remember very entertaining and pedagogical animal stories, such as “The Dog and Monkey Wrestling” and another that talked about health and hygiene and ended with the phrase, “When mom and dad are unclean, there is no way they can raise a clean baby.” As children, we found this very funny but also understood it was true.

One thing we did not fully comprehend, however, was just how important the impact that Tostan’s nonformal education program was going to have on our mother. She put everything she learned into practice. She even went on to expand her business by buying dyed cloth from Mali and selling it back to other businesses. A few years after her experience with Tostan, she came up with the incredible idea for us to apply for visas to the United States. As children, we just needed to attend the interviews and within six months, we packed up all our belongings and got on to the plane to the US!

Years later, inspired by my mother’s story, I kept researching Tostan until I found the volunteer and internship opportunities. With a background in political science and women’s studies, everything that Tostan worked on interested me. I was convinced that this was the type of organization in which I could apply what I studied to the real world. On my last day of service with AmeriCorps, I interviewed for the Communications Assistant position with Tostan and received my acceptance within the same week! 

On my first day of orientation, I showed up at the office, rang the bell, adjusted my tie, and patiently waited.  Tostan was everything I expected it to be! The décor on the walls made me think that I was in an actual African community. The pictures of happy looking faces of Tostan participants from African villages automatically reminded me of Tostan’s vision, “Human dignity for all.” I remember thinking that this was the perfect place for me to intern. Everyone at the office was very welcoming. The diversity at Tostan was amazing. From the staff to the interns, everyone spoke another language other than English or had lived in a developing country. I could easily engage in conversation with someone in French, Wolof or Pulaar, and my personal story and that of my mother was well understood.

Working in the Communications Department at Tostan was very rewarding. Every week, we would go over all the activities that Tostan was planning: events, media coverage, and voyages to reach out to the furthest African communities. Tostan’s presence in Senegalese villages that I didn’t even knew existed was proof that community-led development and organized diffusion work. I was stunned to see all the behind-the-scenes activities and the effort, dedication, and cohesiveness the staff contributed so that projects would be completed on time. I was also pleased to discover Tostan’s strategic approaches in terms of changing social norms without harming tradition. Abandoning female genital cutting (FGC); promoting children’s and human rights; establishing social justice; keeping girls, boys, men, and women in school; and reducing domestic violence against women and children in numerous African villages were just some of the momentous results I witnessed while at Tostan. 

I finished my internship very humbled to see all that it takes for an organization like Tostan to educate someone like my mother and thousands more women, men, and children. Leaving Tostan’s office with an invaluable knowledge in nonprofit management will significantly impact my professional career. Hatching from a shell of my own, I will bring with me all that I have learned at Tostan on to my future endeavors.

Social Mobilization Agents play key role in the movement for FGC abandonment in Kolda, Senegal

Article by Angie Rowe, Tostan Volunteer in Kolda, Senegal

What is the key to mobilizing entire social networks around the promotion of human rights? The answer is to utilize the greatest and most effective advocates for positive change: passionate community members themselves, social mobilization agents. 

Social mobilization is organized information-sharing through awareness-raising campaigns and activities.  In villages who are participating in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP), teams of social mobilization agents are created to extend the reach of knowledge shared in CEP classes. This ensures that entire networks of people are informed and feel a part of any decision to promote positive social change in their area. Social mobilization teams also organize inter-village meetings to discuss important issues and achieve consensus on decisions affecting the extended social network.

As part of our continuing partnership with Orchid Project, two social mobilization teams were created in Kolda and Sédhiou in southern Senegal to lead awareness-raising activities that will engage neighboring communities around human rights and accelerate the movement for female genital cutting (FGC) abandonment in regions where rates are the highest. Read more about this social mobilization project in a great article on Orchid Project's blog.  

Each team consists of a supervisor and five social mobilization agents specifically selected for their skills in communication and their dedication to positive social change. This week we’re introducing you to the social mobilization team of Kolda and check our blog next week for the social mobilization team of Sédhiou!

The social mobilization team of Kolda working together to plan upcoming social mobilization activities in the region.

Thierno Yaayaa, Supervisor, Kolda

Thierno has been working for Tostan for nearly ten years, and is extremely experienced in social mobilization activities. One of his key areas is health, particularly in remote rural villages where access to healthcare is limited. His work with Orchid Project is a continuation of years of passionate service in the effort to help communities abandon harmful practices that hinder positive social change in Senegal. When he is not busy working with communities, Thierno likes to farm and occasionally works as a local merchant.

Fatoumata Balde, Social Mobilization Agent (SMA), Kolda

Born and raised in Kolda, Fatoumata enjoys creating positive change in local communities. She believes her work with Tostan is necessary and will aid the development of impoverished communities and decrease the rate of violence against women and children. As a social mobilization agent, she hopes to use her passion and her beliefs to promote FGC abandonment throughout Kolda. When not working, Fatoumata sells goods at the local market.

Lamarana Balde, SMA, Kolda

Lamarana is a Koranic scholar who enjoys working for Tostan because he believes that community participation is important to the development of his region. He hopes that the social mobilization teams are able to deliver important and accurate information to local villages, and in doing so, encourage them to abandon practices that are harmful to their health and development as a community. When not working with Tostan, Lamarana does agricultural work and teaches children in his village.

Moussa Diallo, SMA, Kolda

Moussa is a Marabout (religious teacher) in his village in Kolda. He works with Tostan because he is passionate about local health, youth education, and democracy. Moussa believes that complete abandonment of FGC is necessary to achieve progress throughout Senegal. When he is not working with Tostan he teaches the Koran to youth in his community.

Fatoumata Binta Balde, SMA, Kolda

Fatoumata believes that working with Tostan is extremely important, and she is dedicated to addressing the issues faced by young women and girls, specifically those related to child/forced marriage and FGC. She is particularly keen to share important knowledge about health with communities.  When not at work, Fatoumata enjoys cooking and finding new ingredients at the local markets.

Keloutang Diao, SMA, Kolda

Keloutang was born in Kolda and has seen the importance of good health in his village firsthand. He works with Tostan to fulfill important health needs in local communities that he believes are critical for development. Being a member of the social mobilization team, gives him the ability to directly participate in the development of his country. Outside of work he enjoys tending his garden and working with livestock.

The above portraits are based on short interviews that were held on an informal, respectful, and voluntary basis in the participants’ own language, with the assistance of an interpreter.