Because We are Women: Showing Solidarity on International Women’s Day with UN Women

Article and photographs by Shona Macleod, Communications Assistant, Tostan International.

View more photos from the event in our Flickr photostream!

In the dusty terrain of Guédiawaye, on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal, hundreds of women and men gathered to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. The atmosphere of the event, organized by UN Women, was one of celebration with musicians, singers, and dancers. I had the honor of participating in the event with other Tostan team members.

A banner signed by local women calls for an end to domestic violence.

The theme of the day was ‘A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women’. Some of the women attending the event carried posters calling for an end to gender-based violence and many others were draped in UN Women banners. While waiting for the speeches to begin, I asked some of them why they had wanted to take part.

Marème Sow had come with a delegation from an organization called COFLEC (le Collectif des femmes contre l’émigration clandestine or ‘Women’s Collective Against Illegal Migration’). Marème represents immigrants in Spain. For many of these women, she told me, gender-based violence is an everyday reality. Later, the president of COFLEC spoke to the audience about how the effects of this violence are not just physical but psychological as well. She shared how women unfortunately receive little support to help them move on with their lives after experiencing gender-based violence.

Khady Ba, President of the Guédiawaye Association of Disabled Women.

Khady Ba, the president of the Guédiawaye Association of Disabled Women, came to show her conviction that women living with disabilities have both the same rights and the same challenges as able-bodied women. She said they must work to overcome the challenges they have in common with all women as well as the challenges caused by their disabilities.

Although many of the women attending the event had come in groups as members of organizations, some had come individually. One local woman named Maymana came to show her solidarity for ending gender-based violence because she sees its negative effect every day in her neighborhood.

A large number of excited school girls were also in attendance. One group enthusiastically announced that they think every day should be women’s day, before continuing to chant the day’s theme in French: il est temps de mettre fin à la violence à l’égard des femmes.

A group of schoolgirls excited to be included in the celebrations.

The speeches from government officials as well as prominent members of civil society reinforced the day’s theme. The speakers focused on the fact that gender-based violence continues to be an issue in Senegal despite recent advances in the law. It can happen at home, at work, or in the street. It is not, of course, a problem unique to Senegal, but one that is seen in every country of the world and affects women of every color, of every age, and in every social class.

Despite the differences between the women and girls I spoke to at the event, they all shared one common sentiment: they had come to the event because they recognized that the problems faced by women are universal. They had come, they told me, simply because they are women.

Mother's Day Spotlight: Coumba Diouf, A Dynamic Community Leader

Each Mother's Day, we at Tostan celebrate the power of women in our partner communities by highlighting the story of one remarkable woman who is making an impact in her family and community.  

Coumba Diouf: mother, community advocate,
 and empowered woman

Coumba Diouf is one of the thousands of women who are using what they've learned through Tostan's Community Empowerment Program (CEP) to create lasting change.

A mother of seven, Coumba was married at the age of sixteen. Though forced to leave school early, she was still able to complete her primary education and learn to read and write. Since participating in Tostan's CEP, she has become a dynamic community advocate. She was elected as a member of the Rural Council and is volunteering to support a government project that aims to give employment and skills to young people.

Coumba, who is now also a grandmother, believes that the impact of the CEP is still very evident in her village. Her community created committees focused on topics including health, the environment, and education. Coumba, along with her fellow Tostan participants, encourages people to bring their children to the health center to be weighed, organizes village clean-ups, and helps promote enrollment of children in school.

In the future, Coumba hopes to continue the income-generating activities that she began through the CEP, using the profits to build a poultry house and to expand her activities by employing others.

Mother's Day is May 13th. Join us for our Mother's Day Campaign, an annual event that is a favorite for many of our supporters who choose to honor remarkable women with a gift to Tostan. Donate today and we will send one of our beautiful e-cards to someone special.

Just $120 can provide a woman just like Coumba with a year's worth of empowering education and training. Plus, Tostan's unique social mobilization method, which encourages participants to "adopt" friends and family members as learners, means that every gift will not only empower one woman, but will also transform her family and many members of her community.

Give a unique Mother's Day gift and make a difference in the lives of women everywhere.

Solar Panel Catalog: An Innovative Solution Ensures Electricity in Rural Regions of Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau has one of the poorest electrical power infrastructures in the world. Even in the capital city, Bissau, where state electricity is available, residents regularly experience 10-hour power outages. Five local women from the remote Oio, Bafata and Gabù regions, however, take the matter into their own hands and light up their communities with solar power.

Solar engineers hard at work

As part of Tostan’s SolarPower! Project, these courageous women attended a six-month training program to become solar engineers at Barefoot College in India. Upon returning home, these newly-trained women were eager to harness their new knowledge and skills but encountered a linguistic complication—they had learned the terms for parts and tools in Hindi and English but not their local languages. Consequently, finding replacement materials at home was a challenge.

Tostan Regional Volunteer Matthew Boslego developed an innovative solution. Matt created a solar panel catalog to provide the solar engineers with “total linguistic access” to everything that they needed. Matt collaborated with local supervisors and Tostan facilitators to build a catalog identifying key items in a variety of local languages. In this interview with Dakar Communications Assistant, Alisa Hamilton, Matt explains his process.

Alisa: How did you get the idea to make a catalog?

Matt: One time I was visiting a village where the panels are installed and I met with one of the solar engineers. One of her screwdrivers had broken. It was a really simple part, a Phillips head screwdriver. The ones they had been buying locally were of a much inferior quality to the ones they had originally been given by Barefoot College. Finding any kind of tools in the rural communities is really difficult because there is close to zero availability for such things. So I had the idea to make a catalog to give them a way to have access to high quality tools, which can be found in the capital but not in the rural regions.

Alisa: What does the catalog look like?

Matt: There are two different copies of the catalog. One of them is written in Portuguese, Creole and Fula. The second one is in Portuguese, Creole and Mandinka in order to give them total linguistic access. The first section explains step-by-step how to use the catalog. If you need a piece, find it in the catalog, call Tostan, send the money for the item to Bissau and a Tostan team member will find the piece for you. They have to pay for it, but Tostan will find it for them. Then someone will bring it out to them during a trip to their communities.

Fatima Seidi finishing solar lanterns in Mambonko

The second part of the catalog has pictures and names of pieces as well as information as to where they can be found. I wanted the engineers to be able to find the pieces themselves just in case, for example, Tostan leaves. I took a picture of every single piece they were given in India  had as well as some other pieces that I thought might be useful—basic things like screwdrivers and wrenches as well as more specific things like soldering irons, additional solar panels, solar batteries, charge regulators, wires. I included anything that they might need that can be found in Bissau.

Next to the picture, I put the name of the piece that they know, which is in English/Hindi, as well as the name in the local language, either in Creole, Portuguese, Fula or Mandinka. I also put the price, location and contact information of the store where the piece can be found.

Alisa: Did anyone help you make the catalog?

Matt: I had a lot of help translating. Tostan supervisors helped me with the Portuguese and Creole, and facilitators, who are the experts in the local languages, helped with the Mandinka and Fula.

The catalog will be distributed to all five solar engineers this spring during in-country trainings. The five women will teach apprentices so that the Solar Power! Project can continue to light up remote regions in Guinea-Bissau for many years to come. 

Tostan FAQ: Education for All

In response to a brief profile of Tostan, a reader on the website Goodreads recently emphasized the importance of educating women. A common question asked of us is Why does Tostan’s nonformal education program, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) engage women and men, girls and boys? Why don’t we focus exclusively on women?

At Tostan, we pride ourselves in being a learning organization, which means that we will make adjustments to our program if a certain initiative or approach is not as effective as we know it can be.

With that said, the first version of the Tostan Community Empowerment Program (CEP) was designed for female participants exclusively. While the program was effective in educating and empowering the women and girls who participated in the program, it also caused some distrust and tension in families when wives and daughters came home with new ideas about rights and responsibilities - ideas to which the their husbands, fathers, and other male family members had not been exposed.

When Tostan facilitators communicated this issue to leadership, Tostan shifted approaches and redesigned the program to include both women and men, adolescent girls and boys. In doing this, male and female participants learned about their human rights (as opposed to only women’s rights or children’s rights) and then in turn became advocates in their communities for the rights of both women and men. This shift has led to a human rights movement that is spreading across West Africa and parts of East Africa. To date, over 6,000 communities in eight countries have publicly abandoned the traditional practices of female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage because of such community-wide discussions of human rights.

Click here to read more about Tostan’s CEP. To read about how empowered individuals are improving their communities and leading social change, please click here. We feel that the work of our partner communities to date is a testament to what is possible when we move towards a shared vision of education as a right, fully supported for all, by all.

Sincerely,

Luzon Pahl Kahler
Director of Administration, Tostan

Former Tostan volunteer Sydney Skov shares her Tostan story on Stirring the Fire

Stirring the Fire, an organization focused on raising awareness about gender equality, connects individuals seeking internship, volunteer, study abroad, and political advocacy opportunities with international organizations involved in promoting human rights and gender empowerment.

Stirring the Fire’s Volunteer Insights series highlights individual volunteers from various organizations and their stories. One of their most recent Volunteer Insights videos features Sydney Skov, Tostan’s Communications Assistant in Dakar, Senegal from January 2010-11. During her time with Tostan, Sydney was involved in various communications projects, including developing social media platforms and website resources for Tostan’s Anglophone and Francophone audiences. In the video, Sydney speaks to her experience as a Tostan volunteer, and describes how witnessing grassroots initiatives and women’s empowerment personalized the connection she saw between gender issues and development.

To view this Volunteer Insights video featuring Sydney Skov, please click the image below.

Volunteer Insights - Tostan from Phil Borges on Vimeo.

In addition, Stirring the Fire also interviewed Gannon Gillespie about his experiences as a Tostan volunteer in Senegal in 2004 and his current role as Tostan’s Director of Strategic Development. To watch Gannon Gillespie featured in an exclusive video interview, click here.

If you are interested in learning more about Tostan's volunteer and internship opportunities and application process, please click here.

The village of Tankanto Mauondé, Senegal: A Village of Activists

Story by Caitlin Snyder, Tostan Volunteer in Kolda, Senegal

Rich in tradition, the village of Tankanto Mauondé prides itself on a history that spans over 400 years. These villagers speak with even more pride, however, when they discuss the future of their daughters. The next generation of girls will grow up in a community which has declared to abandon female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage.

Takanto Mauondé was once a community of Fulani farmers who cultivated rice, maize, and peanuts, crops which once constituted the main source of revenue for the original 700 inhabitants. Today, the most important value in the village is that of teranga, or Senegalese hospitality. A strong interest in the well being of others is reflected in the character of the villagers and it is this interest that influenced their participation in the Tostan program. After Tostan began implementing the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in the community in 2008, the 76 participants – 66 women and eight adolescents – responded enthusiastically to the lessons on health and human rights. Women created a Community Management Committee (CMC), a group of 17 democratically elected individuals, and initiated awareness-raising campaigns to introduce nearby villages to the negative effects of harmful traditional practices. 

Boubakry Baldé, the husband of a CMC member, described the committee’s work: “We have seen many changes in mentality in the village and there is now greater potential for the development of young girls.” Today, the villagers speak about the importance of sending children to school, and they proudly insist that no girl will be forced to quit school due to an early marriage.

“It’s the women who took the initiative,” said the village chief’s representative. Today, women have a more central role in the village. “Before, women didn’t speak during meetings,” recalled Fatoumata Baldé, the coordinator of the CMC. “Now, even during baptism ceremonies, marriage celebrations, and religious events, women are involved in the decisions.” 

The changes brought about by the CMC are extraordinary. The CMC initiated a dialogue on the importance of birth registration as well as registering children for school. Women have won respect and now have the full support of everyone in Tankanto Mauondé, from the village chief to religious leaders.

Thanks to knowledge gained in the areas of mathematics and project management during the Tostan program, the CMC leads income generating activities such as selling vegetables and dried fish. Entrepreneurs meet two times a month to calculate their expenses and the benefits of their sales. They speak with enthusiasm regarding projects they will begin in the coming year.

The community’s decision to abandon harmful traditional practices ─ which they shared with the world in a grand declaration held on November 28th ─ shows a strong wish to preserve the health and the rights of their daughters. According to Mamoudou Baldé, “We will show the government, neighboring communities, and other countries that we have decided to abandon FGC and child/forced marriage.” On the 28th of November, the village of Tankanto Mauondé was one of 700 villages investing in the future of every girl in Senegal. 

Photos by Caitlin Snyder

91 Villages in Wack Ngouna, Senegal Abandon FGC Thanks to the Power of Social Mobilization

Story by Sydney Skov, Tostan Volunteer in Dakar, Senegal.

In the village of Wack Ngouna, I watched as dust spiraled up from the quick steps of countless dancing feet.

Celebrating a collective decision which will effectively change the future for girls in Wack Ngouna, a district near Kaolack, Senegal, hundreds gathered to watch as representatives from 91 communities shared with the nation their decision to abandon female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage. 

As I listened to local dignitaries speak, sharing their enthusiasm for Tostan and for the future of women and girls in the surrounding communities, I realized the magnitude of this public declaration. While a much smaller event than the giant public declaration in Kolda last month during which 700 communities declared abandonment of FGC, this declaration was particularly powerful because none of the 91 declaring villages had taken part in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP), a 30-month, holistic education program teaching human rights, democracy, health, hygiene, and literacy, among other subjects. 

The villages of Wack Ngouna are proof of an incredible feat of community-led development: social mobilization. A group of five Community Management Committee (CMC) members – individuals who have been elected as leaders within their respective communities – was led by Tostan’s Ousmane Ndiaye and Marietou Diarrou, responsible for social mobilization in the Kaolack region. The team traveled from village to village, sharing knowledge they had gained from the Tostan program with other communities while encouraging village leaders to address issues of women’s rights and health. This  method of social mobilization allows shared knowledge to spread from one village to the next, creating a web of communities connected by the understanding that harmful traditional practices undermine the health and human rights of women and girls.

Skits performed by local youth during the celebration in Wack Ngouna illustrated their understanding of the negative effects of FGC and child marriage. One skit portrayed a 12 year old girl who was to be married to an older man in exchange for a dowry. But the girl stood up in protest saying, “the money that you put in your pocket today is the happiness that you take from me tomorrow.” She then convinced her father that she should continue her education so she could one day find a good job to help the family. 

Within the last two months alone, almost 800 villages have declared their abandonment of FGC and child/forced marriage thanks to the dedication of thousands across Senegal who, by sharing knowledge and discussing ideas learned through the Tostan program, are creating positive social change. The incredible movement continues. 

Photos by Sydney Skov and Verneva Ziga. Top- members of the performance group Alalaké. Middle- The social mobilization team in Kaolack. Below- local youth perform a skit which discussed the harmful consequences of FGC.   

700 Villages in Kolda, Senegal Declare Their Abandonment of FGC and Child/Forced Marriage

Story by Sydney Skov, Tostan Volunteer in Dakar, Senegal

Over 3,000 people gather in the school yard. Community Empowerment Program (CEP) participants, government officials and delegations from Guinea Bissau, The Gambia, and Mali, as well as representatives from 700 communities in the Kolda region of Senegal take their seats. I hurry to find a place in the shade of an enormous tree and sit, propped up by ancient roots. The crowd is a rainbow of color, spilling out onto the dusty ground, painting the day.

This event, complete with speeches, dances, and inspired musical performances, marks a historic change in the lives of thousands. In one of the largest public declarations the country has seen since the movement began in the village of Malicouda Bambara in 1997, communities declare their abandonment of harmful traditional practices such as female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage. Today, communities call for an end to practices that have undermined the rights of women and girls for centuries, and add their voices to the abandonment movement. A national action plan adopted by the Senegalese government looks to have the practice of FGC completely abandoned throughout the country by 2015; the thousands who have gathered today in a grand display of solidarity make it clear that this goal is within reach. 

50 young performers from local villages sing and dance for the crowd, expressing through song the harmful consequences of both FGC and child/forced marriage. Thanks to the CEP, Tostan’s 30-month human-rights based education program, communities come to understand the negative effects of certain social norms and are equipped to make their own decisions regarding change.

Tostan originally implemented the CEP in 23 villages in the Kolda region. Through impressive awareness raising activities conducted by each village’s Community Management Committee (CMC), a group of 17 elected leaders who handle everything from awareness raising activities to microcredit loans, 677 more villages learned about human rights and joined the movement to abandon FGC and child/forced marriage.
  

The declaration text is read to the gathered crowd in three languages: French, Mandinka, and Pulaar. Delegations from Mali, Guinea-Bissau, and The Gambia have arrived to attend the event and show their support for Tostan and for the movement to abandon harmful practices.

As the celebration comes to a close, the feeling of excitement doesn’t fade. Dancers in traditional costumes create an atmosphere of gaiety as communities take pride in their heritage and in the human rights education that has led them to this momentous declaration day.

To read more about the public declaration, check out the article from AFP on the incredible Kolda declaration or read the report written by Tostan volunteer Caitlin Snyder.

Photos by Sydney Skov

Find more photos from the public declaration on Flickr!   

The Festivities Begin for the Public Declaration in Kolda, Senegal

Story by Sydney Skov, Tostan Voluteer in Dakar, Senegal 

November 27— Engulfed in a singing sea of people, we dance our way into the rural village of Tankanto Mauondé near the city of Kolda, Senegal. Voices celebrating education and human rights welcome our small delegation; Tostan staff and volunteers, including myself, have arrived to take part in an afternoon of cultural activities and celebrations preceding the department-wide public declaration scheduled for tomorrow. In the morning, thousands of people from local communities will add their voices to the international movement advocating for human rights by announcing to Senegal, to Africa, and to the world their commitment to abandon harmful traditional practices such as female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage.

Khady Baldé, the vivacious president of the Tankanto Mauondé women’s association, greets us and invites us to dance (above). 

The energy of the women is infectious, the happiness pervasive. High spirits are almost louder than the clacking calabashes, the high-pitched whistles, and the pounding drums.

Young girls hold up posters proclaiming No to Female Genital Cutting, [The Village of] Tankanto Welcomes Tostan, No to Child/Forced Marriage,The Community Thanks You for Everything.

Thanks to an understanding of human rights gained from Tostan’s 30-month, holistic education program, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP), both men and women of the community have made the decision to abandon the practices of FGC and child/forced marriage. 

Harmful traditional practices not only undermine women’s rights, but often lead to devastating and even fatal health complications. A new generation of women and girls in this community, and in thousands of communities across Senegal, will have the opportunity to live free of the harmful effects of FGC.

Photos by Sydney Skov 

Gnima Diamé, Treasurer of the Mbour Association of Ex-Cutters

Story by Matthew Manley, Tostan Volunteer in Mbour, Senegal

It has been five years since Gnima Diamé last performed female genital cutting (FGC), the trade her mother taught her.

Originally from Biñona in the Casamance region of Senegal, Gnima has been a resident of the city of Mbour since 1992, as well as the treasurer for the Mbour Association of Ex-Cutters since its formation in 2004. The organization—comprised mostly of women of Mandinka ethnicity except for Gnima who belongs to the Diola ethnic group—raises awareness about the risks associated with FGC and supports women who have abandoned careers as cutters.

The goal of the group of ex-cutters is to attain government-recognized status as an economic interest group. This status will enable the women to acquire financial assistance from government lending agencies and other sources. Other goals include implementing income-generating initiatives and developing awareness-raising programs focused on the health of young women.

For Gnima, her decision to abandon a career as a practitioner of FGC stemmed from recognizing the health hazards related to the procedure. However, abandoning her career took a leap of faith. Over the course of six months in 2004, she took classes in order to become a physician’s assistant and is now certified as a childbirth specialist. She is currently looking for a health related post in Mbour.

Gnima has four daughters and one son of her own. None of her daughters have undergone FGC, and according to Gnima, they will never feel pressured to cut their own daughters.

Molly Melching Representing Tostan at Major Women’s Conference in California

We are excited to announce that this week, Molly Melching, Executive Director of Tostan, will be participating in a major event: The 2010 Women’s Conference in California. Organized by the First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, and the Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Women’s Conference is the premier forum for women in the US.  The goal of the conference is to empower women to be architects of change in their own lives, their communities, and in the world.  More than 150 remarkable speakers—including women leaders, politicians, and actresses— will come together with 30,000 conference participants to educate, motivate, and inspire one another.  The Women’s Conference is also a global online community, where more than one million women unite to exchange ideas about how to really change the world.

Molly will be presenting Tostan's experience directly to this high-level audience as a part of a panel discussion at the main event entitled "Overcoming the Unimaginable." Molly's participation is a wonderful opportunity to share Tostan's mission and experience. The invitation alone is a testament to the ever-growing recognition for Tostan and the Community Empowerment Program.  
 

Please see the links below for more information.
 

More information on the conference 

A list of speakers which includes Molly Melching

Molly Melching's page

Portrait of a Leader: Fatimata Ba

Story by Michelle Rintelman, Tostan Volunteer in the Fouta

Fatimata Ba, a Tostan Facilitator in the village of Ranérou, Senegal,  brings a wealth of experience and conviction to the Community Empowerment Program (CEP). As a facilitator, Fatimata leads CEP courses within the community, spearheading the discussion of topics like democracy, human rights, health, and hygiene. 

Fatimata first participated in the CEP in her home village of Bokidiawe, Senegal in 1992. She says that she was originally drawn to the program because of the program’s emphasis on human rights and how that focus aligned with her belief that everyone has the right to peace, security, health, and education.

In a recent interview, Fatimata shared that she has grown as a person through her involvement with Tostan.  There was no hesitation in her voice when she spoke of her aspirations.
“I want to live a better life. Take charge on my own so that I don’t have to wait for others to give to me.”

But for Fatimata, it doesn’t stop there. She has a passion for sharing knowledge. Fatimata has already seen widespread, positive change in Ranérou since the Tostan CEP was first implemented there. As a result of the health and hygiene components of the CEP , community members are more eager to keep their neighborhoods clean. They are also more conscious of preventative health measures including vaccinations and pre- and post-natal care, and in general are more willing to get help when they are sick. Women carry a heavy burden of work, but Fatimata affirms that men have realized that they need to participate in the household work as well.

Fatimata humble but proud of her role in the community and for that, she is well respected. Wherever she travels, Fatimata Ba is an agent for change, embodying and sharing the vision of human dignity for all.  

Photo by Michelle Rintelman

Tostan's Solar Power! Project Brings Light to 50 Households in Keur Simbara

Gannon Gillespie of Tostan's office in Washington, D.C. shares the story of his trip to the Senegalese village of Keur Simbara where the community celebrated the arrival of solar generated electricity.  

It rained all night. A hard rain like one only finds in deserts, rain that seems as if the clouds are falling to earth whole. It is windy, too, and the sound the wind makes it seem identical to that of the cold, dry winds that always came plunging across the plains of my childhood home in Nebraska. Yet the lightning, then thunder (after 6 seconds, for those of us who lie awake, counting), and the moist, stuffy air leave little room for winter fantasies. The deluge stops near dawn, and as I get up, I can hear the trickle of lingering water pattering down from the roof onto the earth outside the window, as the birds venture out to tell the world their opinions of the storm.

My first thought: All this rain is not a good sign for a sun-related project. Today, Tostan and one of our rural community partners, Keur Simbara, have planned to celebrate the launch of the Solar Power! Project. As we drive, it begins to sprinkle again and as we approach, we start to wonder if the event will even be held at all. Several partners and government officials are coming from Dakar, and the roads can flood at any time. Indeed, they may have already flooded.

 As we approach the rain softens, then stops as our Tostan delegation composed of myself, Tostan's ED Molly Melching, Board Chair Gail Kaneb, Senegal Director Khalidou Sy, our African Communications Manager Malick Gueye, and others, pulls into the village. We roll in behind the representatives from the Government of Senegal, who have been a vital part of this project.

I know this village well, having been here at least three times before. Keur Simbara is quite famous; it was one of the first communities to abandon female genital cutting (FGC), back in 1998. Indeed, Keur Simbara's Village Chief and Imam Demba Diawara came to Molly Melching with the critical insight that to end this practice, communities must engage their extended social networks. As we get out of the car and join the procession entering the village, it is clear that today has nothing to do with FGC. No, today is about power: power in the form of solar-generated electricity that will be coming to 7 villages, and the powerful women who are making it happen.

After we have taken our seats, Dame Gueye of Tostan Senegal steps up as emcee, welcoming everyone and giving background information about the project. Everything that has transpired to bring these solar units to Keur Simbara seems far-fetched when laid out so plainly. Doussou Konate, a local woman leader who participated in Tostan's Community Empowerment Program, traveled to Tilonia, India in 2009, staying for six months, along with six other African women. Doussou trained at the Barefoot College where she became a solar engineer. The Barefoot system works only with mothers and grandmothers, and uses an all-picture-based training system to overcome language barriers. In other words, Doussou was trained to become a solar engineer without being able to speak to her teachers. After her training was complete, Doussou packed up the materials she would later use to install solar panels on fifty households in Keur Simbara and surrounding communities, and returned home. This event--moreover, these women's accomplishment-- is even more remarkable in a place where women aren't normally allowed to travel to neighboring villages, let alone India.

Photos by Gannon Gillespie. To see more photos from the event, click here. 

Diola Women in Mbour, Senegal discuss FGC

Story by Matthew Manley, Tostan Volunteer in Mbour, Senegal

Last week in Mbour, Senegal, Tostan welcomed representatives of three Diola women’s associations from Thies, Dakar, and Mbour for a film screening of Walking the Path of Unity and an accompanying discussion. Titled, Buru bújojenuma sísukas in the language of Diola, Walking the Path of Unity was a collaborative effort of the Belgian NGO RESPECT, Tostan, and the Diola community of Diégoune in the Casamance region of Senegal. Told from the community’s perspective, the film shares the story of Diégoune’s decision to abandon female genital cutting (FGC).

Walking the Path of Unity is unique both because of its directors— the community members of Diégoune— but also because of the intended audience. While most films about traditional practices are created with the intention of educating foreign audiences, Diégoune’s film was created to share with other Diola communities the reasons behind Diégoune’s decision to collectively abandon FGC.

Following the film, organizers facilitated a discussion of the film. Madame Diamé, a woman present at the screening, shared her story. Originally from Casmance, Madame Diamé was a cutter by profession until 2005, when she decided to abandon the practice. After training to become a physician’s assistant, she helped to form the 15-member group of ex-cutters in Mbour. She concluded her story by encouraging others to abandon what she now views as a harmful practice. 

Photos by Matthew Manley

Religious Leaders of Guinea-Conakry Issue a Declaration Against FGC

Story by Tostan International, Dakar, Senegal

Project Hope, a collaboration between Pathfinder International, Population Services International (PSI), and Tostan, organized a two day event on May 26 and 27, devoted to the discussion of Islam and female genital cutting (FGC). More than 60 religious leaders from Guinea-Conakry, including both Muslims and Christians, took part in the discussions held under the patronage of the Secretary General of Religious Affairs, the Minister of National Solidarity for the Promotion of Women and Children, and the Minister of Public Health and Hygiene.

The Minister of Public Health and Hygiene, Dr. Rachid Madina, reminded those gathered at the discussion that 96% of women in Guinea undergo FGC, and he humbly asked the religious leaders to actively engage in efforts to help the country abandon the practice.

Taking place at the Islamic Center of Donka in Guinea-Conakry, the discussions allowed leaders to harmonize their position on harmful traditional practices such as FGC and child/forced marriage. A declaration was then issued which condemned the harmful practice and called on the country’s political leaders to do the same. Through the declaration, Guinea-Conakry’s religious leaders demonstrated their belief that the physical as well as mental integrity of a girl or woman is negatively affected when she is cut. 

To read a list of recommendations issued by the country’s religious leaders adding momentum to the international movement for the abandonment of FGC, click the read more link below. 

Photo: Women in Guinea. Religious leaders in Guinea-Conakry acknowledge the harmful effects of FGC on women and girls and call for a ban on the practice. 

Women Deliver Conference 2010: Delivering Solutions for Girls and Women

Josephine Ndao, a volunteer in Tostan’s International Program Team, reports from the Women Deliver Conference 2010, in Washington, D.C.  In early 2010, Josephine was selected from a pool of thousands of applications to attend the conference.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 10 2010 – Over the past three days, I have had the privilege of attending the 2010 Women Deliver Conference in Washington, D.C. alongside political leaders, medical practitioners, members of advocacy groups and youth groups, and representatives from NGOs, international organizations, and donors.

Powerful words on the first day of the conference from Ban Ki-Moon, Melinda Gates, and the former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, set the stage for a truly educational and inspiring conference, which focused on improving reproductive and maternal health around the world. The conference was an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made in improving maternal health, but also served as a platform for individuals in the sector of reproductive and maternal health to learn from their peers and to build on the international momentum toward reaching Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 (reducing maternal mortality by 75%).

Testimonials from the likes of Maribel Guitierrez Lopez, a young woman native to Guatemala, reinforced the fact that in order to improve the health of women and girls, diverse fields such as education and community empowerment should be taken into account when setting health policy. Health practitioners and experts from the field insisted that women’s health should be addressed as a lifecycle matter and not as an age specific issue. Healthful living is a lifestyle that starts at a girl’s birth, and which develops during her youth, her child bearing, menopausal, and post-menopausal years. Women should have knowledge about and access to services that allow them to make healthy, hygienic, and safe decisions: from nutrition to assisted child birth.

3.3 Billion Ways to Change the World: The G(irls)20 Summit

Story by Sydney Skov, Tostan Volunteer in Dakar, Senegal

The World Cup will have to share the spotlight as the global movement to empower women and girls takes center stage in June. The Women Deliver conference, at which Tostan was present, wrapped up this week in Washington, D.C. and later this month, a new campaign will add even more momentum to the movement. 
 
A powerful innovation—the coupling of a compelling awareness campaign and ground-breaking summit—is set to give a new voice to the world’s 3.3 billion women and girls in the form of the first ever G(irls)20 Summit.

The global campaign, modeled on the G20 Summit, is currently gathering grassroots ideas on how to reach the MDGs most important to women and girls before the inaugural summit in Toronto on June 16, just ten days before the G20. Hosted by a group of international organizations including Tostan partners from the Nike Foundation and the ONE Campaign, The G(irls)20 Summit will focus on child and maternal health as well as education and economic prosperity of girls and women.  The conference will include one girl as a representative from each G20 member: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK, USA and the European Union.

Empowering women and girls isn’t just a hot topic; it’s something that we at Tostan work to help communities to achieve every day, bringing human rights based education to thousands of men and women across Africa. Add your voice to the movement by finding your number on the G(irls)20 website. Help empower women and girls as the world gears up for the inaugural summit and don’t forget to follow events leading up to the Toronto event on the G(irls)20 Twitter and Facebook pages.   

Representatives from Tostan’s DC Office Attend a Conference on Empowering Adolescent Girls

Story by Kate Acosta, Communications Intern in Washington, DC

On June 3, 2010, Tostan’s Washington, DC, office attended the Interagency Youth Working Group’s conference, “Protecting and Empowering Adolescent Girls: Evidence for the Global Health Initiative.”  The event brought together many NGOs and non-profits to discuss effective program approaches, research results, and to further dialogue concerning women- and girl-centered approaches as a part of global health initiatives.  This day-long event was an informative and thought-provoking conference, and Tostan interns appreciated the opportunity to connect with other organizations that share the same passion for creating sustainable changes for girls and women worldwide.

In addition, this conference provided the opportunity to reflect and critically analyze Tostan’s approach towards development. It is essential to learn from and build off of the strategies and findings of other programs in order to strengthen Tostan’s abilities to meet communities’ needs in innovative ways.  We look forward to continuing this discussion next year and hope that the conference will raise issues regarding other important stages in the lives of girls and women in developing countries.

A Solar Power Success Story: Women Bring Light to Villages in Djibouti

Story by Sydney Skov, Tostan Volunteer in Dakar, Senegal

A great change has taken place in the Djiboutian communities of Khor Angar and Assamo thanks to the bravery, determination, and dedication of five outstanding women.

In March 2009, these mothers and grandmothers travelled thousands of miles from Djibouti, East Africa, to spend six months training to become solar power engineers at the Barefoot College in India. Entrepreneur Bunker Roy has been running the college - a non-profit organization pioneering solar electrification in rural villages – for women in India since 1989 and, more recently, in East and West Africa. Since their return in September 2009, the Djiboutian women have applied their training to install and maintain solar panels in their villages, which originally lacked basic infrastructure, bringing electricity to 70 households as well as to local shops and mosques.

The Tostan Solar Power! Project, launched in 2009 in collaboration with the Barefoot College empowers communities to provide sustainable and low-cost electricity for themselves. Tostan, along with Barefoot College, has supported the training of women from three African countries: Senegal, Djibouti, and most recently, Guinea Bissau. Through training at the Barefoot College, the women are taught to install, maintain, and repair solar panels as well as how to train others to do so, strengthening and spreading the impact of the program. Management committees are created in each participating community to organize the collection of funds from each household in exchange for solar power; through these small contributions ownership of the individual solar panels is established allowing the community to take development into their own hands. 

Check out more photos from the Solar Power! project in Djibouti on our Flickr page. 

Photos: A light bulb in the village of Khor Angar lit by solar power. Below: An engineer takes stalk of her equipment including light bulb and battery powered by solar energy.
 

Tostan in an LA Times Op-Ed about FGC

Tostan in an LA Times Op-Ed about FGC

Tostan is highlighted in a Los Angeles Times op-ed about female genital cutting (FGC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reversal of its April 26, 2010 policy that suggested American doctors be allowed to perform a “nick” as a symbolic procedure.  The article references the wide-spread movement in West and East Africa in which communities are abandoning FGC in order to protect the human rights of women and girls. To date, over 4,000 communities have publicly abandoned FGC after either completing Tostan Community Empowerment Program or interacting with other communities who have worked directly with Tostan. Also highlighted is Tostan’s belief that respect for human rights and responsibilities leads to many positive outcomes in addition to FGC abandonment: girls’ education and women’s involvement in small businesses and the economy.   To read the full article click here.