Molly Melching - Years at Tostan

Years At Tostan

In 1991, Molly took the collective lessons and pedagogies developed in Saam Njaay and created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tostan. Tostan's centerpiece is the program Molly and others developed in Samm Ndiaye, Senegal: The Community Empowerment Program (CEP) is targeted at both adult and adolescent learners, and is always delivered in local languages. The nonformal education approach is based on human rights, and is divided into two modules: the Kobi (meaning "to till the soil"), covering democracy, human rights, problem-solving skills, health and hygiene; and the Aawde (meaning "to plant the seed"), covering local language literacy, small enterprise development, and mathematics.

The Tostan program has had a considerable impact on the lives of Senegalese women, empowering them to make important decisions affecting their own lives and that of their families. Tostan participants have begun health and hygiene improvement projects leading to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates. They have ended violence against women through peaceful protest; dramatically increased rates of vaccinations and pre- and post-natal consultation; and led campaigns to enroll girls in school and register thousands of children who had no official birth certificates. They have even begun implementing successful and sustainable income generating activities. Women now participate in decision-making processes and are emerging as confident and effective leaders.

Molly recognized that the Senegalese themselves, and not outsiders, must be the ones to carry forward this culminating social transformation. On July 31, 1997, the Senegalese began a major social movement. One group of Tostan participants from the village of Malicounda Bambara decided to abandon the ancient practice of FGC in their community. This tradition is a social convention in 28 countries of Africa, required in many ethnic groups for girls to marry and become respected members of the community. Since the 1997 declaration in Malicounda Bambara, 2.996 other communities representing about 50% of the communities that practice FGC in Senegal, have also made public declarations to end this tradition along with ending child/forced marriage. Their decision was motivated by the understanding that these traditional practices are harmful to the health of girls and women, and therefore, violations of their human rights and not in accordance with their religious and cultural values. In 2001, Tostan and Mwangaza, a NGO in Burkino Faso, empowered 23 villages in that country to end FGC through public declaration on May 3, 2003. In Guinea, 298 villages, both Tostan-trained communities and nonparticipating villages, have participated in two public declarations: In Lalya, Middle Guinea in December 2006 and Tougnifily, Lower Guinea in June 2007.