ONE is embarking on a listening and learning trip to Senegal, Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya with members of our board and other supporters. ONE’s Morgana Wingard checks in:

Recently we sat down with Molly Melching in Senegal, the founder and Executive Director of Tostan – an NGO focusing on community-led development in 8 countries in Africa. Operating primarily in remote regions, Tostan provides participatory human rights education to adults and adolescents who have not had access to formal schools.

For 2 decades Tostan has demonstrated that providing such an education transforms learners and their communities, leading to meaningful and sustainable social change. Their 30-month education program includes community-led outreach strategies that engage program participants in their own and neighboring villages. As a product of their programs, their participants have built schools, wells, health centers, organized inter-village meetings and public declarations to abandon harmful practices such as female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage. They have also helped communities establish their own public health initiatives, such as campaigns to prevent malaria, increase vaccination rates, and promote family planning.

Here’s video of Molly Melching discussing Tostan in more detail. For more information about Tostan, visit www.tostan.org: