Community Development Grants Plant the Seeds for Community-led Development in Guinea

Article and photographs by Julie Dubois, Tostan Guinea.

The roads of Guinea Forestière.

The lush region of Guinea Forestière is always spectacular during the coffee bean harvest because if you take the time to smell the fresh air, the odor of the roasted coffee will tickle your nose and transport you directly in front of a cup of espresso.

On February 5, Tostan Guinea had the opportunity to discuss with the coffee bean producers at a Community Development Grants Project meeting in the community of Gnalakpalé. The meeting brought together all of the Community Management Committees (CMCs) of the zone of N’Zérékoré in order to evaluate the project, which gives small grants to CMCs so that they can lead their own development initiatives in their villages.

The community of Gnalakpalé was chosen as the location of the meeting for its dynamism. Since the last meeting held eight months prior, Gnalakpalé has demonstrated very productive use of the community grants through its activities.

Early in the morning, we were greeted by the village elders offering the traditional ten kola nuts and reciting the phrase “you have left your home, you are home here.”

Community Management Committees (CMCs) from the zone of N'Zérékoré gather for the meeting.

After greetings and an introduction, representatives from each CMC took the stage to share with neighboring communities how their village used the community grants. This allowed them to learn about the inspiring initiatives of other communities, sharing successes and learning from one another’s mistakes.

The coordinators and treasurers of each CMC currently participating in Tostan's Community Empowerment Program (CEP) as well as CMCs from communities that have completed the CEP were invited to the meeting.  Former participants were given the opportunity to come together with current participants, several years after completing Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP), to demonstrate that communities remain active and engaged in their development initiatives after the Tostan program thanks to CMC efforts.

Each community benefited from a grant of two million Guinean Francs (approximately $290). Most of the CMCs chose to use the money from the community grant to support agricultural production in the region, such as the production of coffee. At the beginning of the growing season, CMCs give money to farmers who reimburse them in goods, such as rice and coffee, which are then resold by the CMCs at higher prices. This system allows the CMCs to support the farmers who often face financial difficulties when leaving the fields to sell their goods.

Sacks of coffee for sale by the Gnalakpalé CMC.

Other CMCs put community grant funds towards a rotating credit system for the community, which enables groups and individuals to lead development initiatives and small business ventures.

In the community of Duola, the CMC has put in place a shared fund, which provides interest-free loans for the purchase of medicine in case of illness. In Tamoé, funds were used to buy school supplies for the recreation center. In Kpoulou, Koakpata, Ouléla, and Komata, roads and bridges were improved, and currently the villages are collaborating on the construction of a health center and an addition to the local school.

The day ended with a delicious meal and a visit to the granary where the CMC of Gnalakpalé stores bags of coffee. The CMC has more than 40 bags of coffee that can sell for upwards of 500,000 Guinean Francs (approximately $70) each. By selling this coffee, they will raise the funds for their most recent development initiative: the construction of a nursery school. 

Read this post in French on our French blog!

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.

Community Management Committee Encourages Income Generating Activities through Fabric Dyeing Session

Story by Angie Rowe, Tostan Volunteer in Kolda, Senegal 

Our year-end fundraising campaign concludes today. Throughout this campaign, we have been highlighting different stories from Community Management Committees (CMCs) - democratically selected groups in each community trained in project development and management. CMCs plan and carry out local initiatives and truly lead the way in community development, providing inspiration as we head into the year 2013. Support their efforts by donating today and have your gift matched by The Greenbaum Foundation! 

Sikilo, a small community in the Kolda region of Senegal, completed Tostan's Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in June of 2012. The CMC remains active, engaging in activities such as trainings on soap making and fabric dyeing, community wide clean-ups, and community fund distribution. 

CMC members in Sikilo were trained in fabric dyeing to generate income for their community

In August, the CMC organized a fabric dyeing training, which was attended by all 17 members. During the training session participants learned how to mix dye, practiced fabric dyeing techniques, and discussed effective sale strategies. The fabric subsequently produced is sold in various markets throughout Kolda, providing necessary funds to support further development activities led by the CMC. 

Community Management Committees Encourage Education for All Community Members in Guinea

Story and photos by Julie Dubois, Assistant to the National Coordinator, Tostan Guinea

Our year-end fundraising campaign is going strong! This year, The Greenbaum Foundation will match every gift received, which means your impact will be instantly DOUBLED! 

As a part of our campaign, we will spotlight different stories from Community Management Committees (CMCs) - democratically selected groups in each community trained in project development and management. CMCs plan and carry out local initiatives, laying the foundation for community-led change and ensuring the sustainability of the Tostan program. Contribute to sustainable development by donating today!

“With solidarity, all is possible,” explains the CMC Coordinator Lansanna Souhmah in Brika, a village in lower Guinea.  Brika began the Community Empowerment Program in 2004, one of the first villages to participate in Tostan’s program in Guinea.  Joined by neighboring villages, Brika participated in the first public declaration for the abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage in Guinea on June 9, 2008. Since that day the Community Management Committee (CMC) has continued to champion human rights in Brika as well as mobilize support in other communities for social change.

Members of the CMC and their children in Brika, Guinea

Education has completely transformed the residents of Brika.  Like many early Tostan partner communities, Brika participants did not benefit from the literacy and project management modules that were later incorporated as core elements of Tostan’s CEP.  Despite this, the CMC took the lead in establishing a learning center where, three times a week for the past several years, women and men have learned how to read and write in their national language.

Before the community of Brika began the CEP, community members did not send their children to school.  Education was not a priority, especially because the nearest school was located too far away.  Although Brika is about a mile from the school in Tougnifily, children had to take a detour of nearly eight miles to cross the river that intersects the two communities. The CMC raised awareness about the importance of education for each and every child, and the community became determined to build a bridge so that the children could easily travel to and from school. Now, every child in Brika receives formal education.  The CMC is even mobilizing once again to raise funds to reinforce the bridge, ensuring community access for years to come.

If you come across Brika children running across the bridge and ask them to tell you about their favorite subjects, you will hear girls’ answers filled with hope and ambition.  They dream of becoming ambassadors, social workers, and even journalists.  All of them recognize that their dreams would not be possible without education.  And the adults in the community agree that by abandoning child/forced marriage, girls will stay in school and have brighter futures.

For many children from Brika, they will be the first in their families to complete formal education.  For two junior high students, Mohammed Ali Camara and Abdoulaye Barry, schooling has opened the path for more opportunities.  They, along with many others, have a strong will to attend school and relish in the fact that they will decide their own futures.

Mohammed Ali Camara and Abdoulaye Barry will be the first
in their families to complete formal education

  
In countries where Tostan works, there are thousands of communities like Brika that have improved the lives of women, men, and children through their participation in Tostan’s proven model of nonformal education.  The CEP reinforces human rights, while CMCs take the lead on development projects that promote the well-being of every woman, man, and child in the community.  

A Community Management Committee Harnesses Solar Energy in Rural Guinea-Bissau

Story by Matt Boslego, Internal Communications Assistant, Tostan International 

Our year-end fundraising campaign is going strong! As a part of our campaign, we are highlighting different stories from Community Management Committees (CMCs) - democratically selected groups in each community trained in project development and management. CMCs plan and carry out local initiatives and truly lead the way in community development, providing inspiration as we head into the year 2013. Support their efforts by donating today or share this campaign with your friends and families.

 

Fatima Seidi and Awa Mané are trained in solar power maintenance

The village of Mambonco in rural Guinea-Bissau’s cashew-growing heartland is proud to have a primary school within its limits, offering public education to several hundred children from the surrounding area. As is the case in most of the country, children’s study time is drastically limited by the hours of daylight. Guinea-Bissau’s electricity infrastructure, though improving, rarely reaches rural populations.

The Community Management Committee (CMC) of Mambonco, in partnership with India’s Barefoot College, has been able to implement a solution: affordable solar power. Two CMC members, Fatima Seidi and Awa Mané, were trained on solar panel maintenance and installation in India. Today, they work with the village CMC to ensure that the panels stay in good condition and reach as many residents as possible. 

Residents pay the CMC a small monthly fee to rent a panel. The proceeds are kept in a fund which is used to support the solar engineer’s full-time work and to pay for replacement equipment. The additional revenue goes into the CMC’s community support fund, financing community development projects such as planting a community cashew orchard and lending money to small-business ventures in the village. 

Community Management Committees Ensure Sustainability: Village Cleanup in Mauritania

Story by Matt Boslego, Internal Communications Assistant, Tostan International 

Our year-end fundraising campaign has begun, and this year, the Greenbaum Foundation will match every gift received, which means your impact will be instantly DOUBLED! As a part of our campaign, we will spotlight different stories from Community Management Committees (CMCs) - democratically selected groups in each community trained in project development and management. CMCs plan and carry out local initiatives, laying the foundation for community-led change and ensuring the sustainability of the Tostan program. Contribute to sustainable development by donating today!

Created in 2011, the dynamic Community Management Committee (CMC) of Boghe Escal in Mauritania made extraordinary advancements during the past year thanks to participation in the Community Empowerment Program (CEP).  The CMC, which includes 17 democratically elected members (nine women, eight men), spread information through organized diffusion to almost every area of the community.  The CMC is responsible for everything from monitoring the vaccinations of children to promoting village cleanliness through education.
 
The CMC of Boghe Escal educates thousands of people through awareness-raising activities, which focus on topics including human rights, the harmful consequences of FGC and child/forced marriage, promotion of girls’ education, and the importance of birth registration.  These activities often use theater as a way to reinforce specific themes that participants study during the CEP—for instance how FGC can affect the health of girls and women and how to effectively and peacefully resolve disputes.
 
In addition to education, the CMC recently collaborated with the city to effectively remove trash from the village, creating a clean and safe environment for all the families. This is just one among many projects carried out by the CMC to develop their community.

A donation to Tostan today will give us the capacity to implement the CEP in 1,000 more communities by 2013—this means the creation of more CMCs that actively promote and implement development activities at the grassroots level.  Donate today!

Community Management Committees Ensure Improved Access to Healthcare in Rural Guinea

Story and photographs by Julie Dubois, Assistant to the National Coordinator at Tostan Guinea

Our year-end fundraising campaign has begun, and this year, the Greenbaum Foundation will match every gift received, which means your impact will be instantly DOUBLED! As a part of our campaign, we will spotlight different stories from Community Management Committees (CMCs) - democratically selected groups in each community trained in project development and management. CMCs plan and carry out local initiatives, laying the foundation for community-led change and ensuring the sustainability of the Tostan program. Contribute to sustainable development by donating today!

The renovated health center of Koba M'bendia.

Koba M’bendia is a community near Basse, Guinea that began Tostan’s holistic Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in 2005. As an essential part of the three-year program covering human rights, hygiene and health, problem solving, and project management, communities form Community Management Committees (CMCs). CMCs are 17-member leadership bodies designed to organize and carry out awareness-raising events and lead community development projects.

In the community of Koba M’bendia, the CMC succeeded in improving the health of their community by renovating and raising awareness about the local health center. Before the CEP, community members did not frequent the clinic. The health center was seen as the “property of the doctor” and community members considered the nurse a stranger. As soon as someone became sick, they preferred to be treated by the local healer with traditional or folk medicine.

After learning about health and hygiene in the CEP, such as germ transmission and common diseases, participants gained a better understanding of the importance of visiting a trained medical practitioner. Realizing that the clinic was in need of a renovation, CMC members began going door to door in Koba M’bendia and the neighboring village to raise awareness about the center. Thanks to their encouragement and insistence as well as the financial support of the World Bank, the center was renovated in 2008. Residents of Koba M’bendia financed 10 percent of the renovation and finished the project, painting and decorating the clinic. 

CMC members with their children.

The CMC is now part of the Health Center Management Committee, which is in charge of awareness-raising activities. Women now give birth at the health center, children receive regular vaccinations, and community members consult the nurse for health concerns. Already, there is a visible decline in both minor and fatal illnesses because of the community’s increased awareness and access to the renovated health center.

The success of the health center of Koba M’bendia has drawn patients from nine neighboring villages, showing both its success but also a greater need for more health posts in rural Guinea.  Unfortunately, the clinic cannot support everyone at its current capacity, but the CMC of Koba M’bendia uses social mobilization activities, such as inter-village meetings, to encourage other communities to invest in the creation of their own health centers.

Community Management Committees (CMCs) Ensure Sustainability: Nutrition in The Gambia

Story and photograph by Elizabeth Loveday, Regional Projects Assistant at Tostan The Gambia 

Our year-end fundraising campaign has begun, and this year, the Greenbaum Foundation will match every gift received, which means your impact will be instantly DOUBLED! As a part of our campaign, we will spotlight different stories from Community Management Committees (CMCs) - democratically selected groups in each community trained in project development and management. CMCs plan and carry out local initiatives, laying the foundation for community-led change and ensuring the sustainability of the Tostan program.  Contribute to sustainable development by donating today!

The Community Management Committee (CMC) of Kolibantang has taken a lead in ensuring the health and well-being of their youngest community members. On October 25, the CMC led a Nutrition Day to provide practical advice to children and their parents on healthy eating. 

The morning was spent preparing nutritious meals made with local produce such as beans, dried fish, vegetables, and mangoes from the 84 trees planted by the CMC. Sixty-five children from Kolibantang and the neighboring community of Yero Bawol were served a delicious meal, and it is sure to be a lesson that neither the parents nor the kids will forget. 

With over 8,000 Gambian Dalasi (approximately $264) in their community fund, raised through monthly contributions and fundraising activities, the CMC of Kolibantang can continue leading community initiatives, similar to Nutrition Day, spreading community awareness on issues of child health and nutrition. 

 

Portrait of a Leader: Coumba Samba Camara

Story and photograph by Anna Vanderkooy, Tostan Projects Assistant, Senegal

The community of Vélingara is located in the district of Ranérou in one of the most conservative regions of Senegal. In January 2012, Vélingara began Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP) thanks to one woman, Coumba Samba Camara, who mobilized her community to participate in the program.

As part of Tostan’s community-led outreach approach called ‘organized diffusion,’ it broadcasts radio programs on themes covered during the CEP such as democracy, hygiene and health, problem solving, and project management. These radio broadcasts, which are hosted by Tostan facilitators and participants, allow messages that are key to inspiring community-led development to spread to villages that are not directly participating in the program.

Coumba first learned about Tostan through these radio broadcasts. She was so interested in what she heard that she made sure to be around a radio every time a show was scheduled. As was the case with Coumba’s village of Vélingara, communities that learn about Tostan through the radio often choose to invite the program to their own villages. 

Serving as a member of the Vélingara’s Rural Council, president of the local women’s group, and treasurer of the women’s dairy collective, well-respected Coumba was able to convince her peers of the benefits of participating in the Tostan program. When she learned that Tostan was working in her area, she arranged to meet local Tostan staff to get more information and encourage them to hold an information session in Vélingara. 

Through this process of bringing the CEP to her village, she also became involved in Tostan’s awareness-raising and social mobilization initiatives. She began to accompany their local team on trips to many nearby villages in order to share accurate information about harmful social norms such as female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage.

Since January 2012, when her village began CEP classes, Coumba shares that communication and decision-making in Vélingara has already improved. Regular village-wide meetings are now held, and community members are demonstrating their commitment to community-led development through village clean-ups, increased number of health visits, better collaboration with local authorities, increased community solidarity, and a new freedom of expression for women and adolescents.

Coumba is now a member of Vélingara’s recently formed Community Management Committee (CMC), and she works with her community to identify cases of human rights violations and take action to ensure that the human rights of every community member are respected. Coumba is a dynamic and active leader in her community, eagerly learning and sharing the new skills and knowledge from CEP classes. With this energy, she will continue to empower her own community of Vélingara and beyond.

MDG3 in Action: Health and Human Rights

In support of the Global Festival, we will post a story each week during the month of September featuring Tostan's commitment to Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG3), 'Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women' in the series MDG3 in Action.

Join us in the movement to end extreme poverty by becoming a Global Citizen. Watch, view, and share stories on the Global Citizen website to earn tickets to the Global Festival!

Leading Health and Human Rights Initiatives in Sahre Bookar

Story by Anna Vanderkooy, Tostan Projects Assistant, Senegal

Ramatou and her daughter Miriama

Mamadou Ramatou Diallo (Ramatou) lives in Sahre Bookar, Senegal. She is the Coordinator of the Health Commission of Sahre Bookar’s Community Management Committee (CMC). Sahre Bookar formed a CMC when it began Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program in 2010. Composed of up to six commissions (health, environment, child protection, education, income-generating activities, and social mobilisation), the CMC is a 17-member democratically-selected group that organizes awareness-raising events and leads development projects designed by the community. A minimum of nine of the members are women.

In 2011, inspired by the knowledge of health risks and human rights violations gained in Tostan's Community Empowerment Program (CEP), her community of Sahre Bookar held a village-wide meeting to discuss the abandonment of FGC and child/forced marriage. Consensus was reached, as community members confirmed that these two practices harmed the well-being of girls and women in the community. 

Now, as the head of her community's Health Commission, Ramatou is confident that all girls in the community, including her 13-year old daughter Miriama, will benefit greatly from this new respect of their rights. Girls were formerly married as young as 13 to men of their parents' choosing, but today they are assured the right to remain in school and to choose their own husbands after the age of 18. 

Through the Health Commission, Ramatou has organized a number of awareness-raising campaigns in the community related to vaccinations, malaria, and risk reduction during pregnancy. She has seen changes since the arrival of the program, citing that all villagers now sleep under mosquito nets, parents now respect the vaccination calendars set out by the local health post, and expectant mothers attend pre- and post-natal consultations, giving birth at local health centers instead of at home. 

Ramatou also started a health fund, with everyone in the village contributing 100 CFA ($0.25) three times a year. This fund supports health initiatives in the community, giving loans to villagers to assist them in the payment of hospital fees and transportation to appropriate facilities. Next year she hopes to use money from this fund, along with support from the local health post, to start a health closet that will ensure access to basic medication in Sahre Bookar.

With her knowledge and skills gained from the Tostan program, Ramatou has been empowered to play a leadership role in her region of Senegal, striving for better health and well-being for Sahre Bookar and surrounding communities. 

MDG3 in Action: Community Management Committees

In support of the Global Festival, we will post a story each week during the month of September featuring Tostan's commitment to Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG3), 'Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women' in the series MDG3 in Action.

Join us in the movement to end extreme poverty by becoming a Global Citizen. Watch, view, and share stories on the Global Citizen website to earn tickets to the Global Festival!

Community Management Committees: Encouraging Gender Equality and the Emergence of Women Leaders 

Story by Anna Vanderkooy, Projects Assistant, Tostan Senegal

Khady Sow (right) and fellow Health Commission member,
Binta Diallo (left).

Khady Sow lives in the community of Kolma Peulh in western Senegal. Kolma Peulh participated in Tostan’s holistic Community Empowerment Program (CEP) from 2008 to 2011. Khady became a member of the CommunityManagement Committee (CMC) shortly after the start of the CEP.

In every community where Tostan implements the CEP, a CMC is formed to coordinate activities in and out of the Tostan classroom. Composed of five commissions (health, environment, child protection, education, and income-generating activities), the CMC is a 17-member democratically-selected group that organizes awareness-raising events and leads development projects designed by the community. A minimum of nine of the members are women.

CMCs provide a structure, which often does not previously exist, from which woman can emerge as leaders and spearhead development initiatives in their communities. CMC members engage peers who are not part of the CMC, and women’s participation in community decision-making processes and development projects greatly increase as a result of the CMC.

Khady’s role as the CMC Health Commission Coordinator has provided her with an effective platform to lead health initiatives in Kolma Peulh.  A community health agent before the arrival of the Tostan program, Khady eagerly welcomed the creation of the CMC as a way for her to address persistent health risks in the community and garner support for new health initiatives. The Health Commission has used knowledge gained in the CEP’s health sessions to conduct awareness-raising activities related to child/forced marriage, malaria, diarrhea, family planning, medical visits, vaccinations, and latrine use.

In the case of malaria, Khady contacted the nurse from the health post several kilometers away, and now has all the necessary materials and know-how to conduct in-village malaria tests in Kolma Peulh. Thanks to the literacy component of the CEP, Khady now keeps written documentation of test results, filling out forms in her native language of Pulaar. To treat some of the most common illnesses in the community, she also organized the creation of a health closet, which ensures access to basic medication within Kolma Peulh. 

The Health Commission has reached out to neighboring villages where Khady and her fellow Health Commission members now lead vaccination campaigns and coordinate with other local leaders to organize a variety of health, human rights, and education-related activities. For Khady, the next step for improving health in Kolma Peulh is to construct a simple health center in the village, making healthcare even more accessible to community members.

Through participation in the CEP, both men and women in communities like Kolma Peulh learn the importance of respecting human rights and welcoming female leadership to help reach community goals. Tostan’s non-formal education program empowers existing female leaders and facilitates the emergence of new ones by providing women with the knowledge and structures to lead initiatives in their communities.

Community-led Development in Guinea

Story and photographs by Julie Dubois, Assistant to the National Coordinator, Tostan Guinea

Earlier this summer, Tostan Guinea along with representatives from Guinea’s Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, and Ministry of Literacy visited ten villages in central Guinea in order to see first-hand the impact of Tostan’s work in the field.

Tostan Volunteer, Julie Dubois, having just arrived in Guinea five days prior also participated in the trip.

Representatives from Tostan and the Government
with community members in Koobèn. 

After arriving in Guinea mid-June, I set off with the National Coordinator of Tostan Guinea, Mouctar Oulare, and three members of the Ministry of Social Affairs for a seven-day mission. We were going to visit ten communities where Tostan implements its holistic human rights-based education program, the CommunityEmpowerment Program (CEP).

In each village, community members welcomed us with songs and dancing. Program participants then responded to questions from ministry representatives about the CEP and the changes they were seeing in their everyday lives. Community members often accompanied the question and answer sessions with skits and speeches about different aspects of the program: democracy, hygiene, health, problem-solving, project management, and much more. Everything was conducted in local languages, but I was fortunate to have Mouctar translating for me.

Women performing a skit in the village of Hindè.

Driving through the country where the rainy season has just begun, I was amazed at the green mountains and waterfalls, but more so by the amazing development initiatives people are leading in their communities. In the village of Tanènè, I saw the newly built community center, which functions as a pre-school during the day and houses the CEP class sessions in the evening. The village of Madina Horoya has started implementing a registry system for social mobilization, birth registrations, and other community-led activities.

The rainy season in rural Guinea.

I was incredibly impressed by the women during the community presentations. Before the Tostan program, it was not culturally acceptable for women to speak publicly and participate in the decision-making process of the community, but the female leaders I saw expressed themselves clearly and confidently. They spoke about the positive changes in their communities, such as improved cleanliness of the village, greater solidarity between community members, and more peaceful relationships between spouses.

One elderly woman in the village of Koobèn who had never learned how to read or write explained the process of birth registration in front of her community and representatives of Tostan and the Ministry. It is estimated that 43 percent of Guinea’s children are not registered. This poses many problems when they try to enroll in school and later when they reach voting age. Tostan teaches about birth registration and the Right to a Nationality, and more parents are registering their children in rural Guinea thanks to the awareness raising done by Community ManagementCommittees (CMC) in villages where Tostan implements the CEP.

Speaking to the representatives of the Government, they told me that they were very impressed with the development initiatives being led by the communities themselves and hoped to partner with Tostan on other projects. 

Over the course of the week, I learned more about rural Guinea and Tostan than I ever could have from a book. As I begin my year of volunteering, I am excited to discover more about Guinea, the people who live here, and the positive changes they are leading in their communities.

Honoring Maimouna Traoré, a brave pioneer of the movement for the abandonment of FGC in Senegal

by Molly Melching, Tostan Founder and Executive Director

Maimouna Traoré and Molly Melching at the tenth anniversary
of the Malicounda Bambara declaration.

We were very saddened today to learn of the death of Maimouna Traoré, Coordinator of the Community Management Committee (CMC) and Chair of the Advisory Committee of Women of Malicounda Bambara, a village in western Senegal.  

Maimouna was one of the first pioneers of the female genital cutting (FGC) abandonment movement that is sweeping through West Africa.  She led the group of courageous women who on July 31, 1997 stood before 20 journalists, government and NGO officials and declared before the world the decision of their village to abandon FGC, a tradition which had been practiced for centuries in their community.

Their decision was not only courageous, but ignited national dialogue on the subject. There was much initial criticism around the abandonment and Maimouna and the women of Malicounda Bambara often had to vigorously defend their decision, which they did using their knowledge of human rights and by encouraging dialogue around how the practice hindered African development. 

Following the Malicounda Bambara declaration and another declaration by Nguerigne Bambara in November 1997, the then-President of Senegal, Abdou Diouf announced his support for the declarations and FGC abandonment in a speech to the 33rd Congress of the International Federation of Human Rights held in Dakar on November 20, 1997. 

Now, 15 years later, over 5,000 communities in Senegal have abandoned FGC, and the Tostan approach has been incorporated in Senegal’s National Action Plan for FGC Abandonment 2010-2015. 

None of this would have been possible without Maimouna Traoré.  

Maimouna’s impact on the lives of girls and women across Senegal and her belief that education is the key to positive social change cannot be overstated.  Despite many hardships and criticism following that first announcement by herself and the "evolutionary" women of Malicounda Bambara, her commitment never wavered.   

As Maimouna affirmed:  "Today we are more in harmony with our traditions and culture. We are Bambara more than ever. We strengthened our positive traditions and abandoned those that are harmful to our well-being. We changed because we are now more responsible and caring and proud of what unites us. "

The courage and determination of Maimouna Traoré will continue to inspire millions of women across Senegal, Africa, and the world.   

Maimouna, we valued your spirit, knowledge, friendship; you will leave behind a legacy that will pass through the generations. You will be greatly missed.