Tostan, an NGO established in 1991 and headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, works to empower rural and remote African communities to bring about positive social transformation and sustainable development through a holistic empowering education program. Our human rights-based program has reached more than five million people across eight African countries.
Women’s Empowerment
women have been selected for leadership positions in their communities, with many running for public office
Health
people live in communities that publicly declared their intention to end female genital cutting
Child Marriage
communities have publicly declared that their daughters will not marry before the age of 18
The Tostan Model
Our three-year, nonformal education program puts rural communities in charge of their own futures. We support our partner communities to define and fulfill their own vision for well-being, allowing them to create positive and lasting social transformation. Our approach is:
HUMAN RIGHTS BASED
Knowledge of human rights and responsibilities forms the foundation for learning
RESPECTFUL & INCLUSIVE
Information is shared in a non-judgmental and participatory way, using local languages
HOLISTIC & SUSTAINABLE
The program has impact across multiple areas, with sustainability at its core
Sharing our Model
Tostan seeks to respond to ever-increasing demand for its model from a range of local and international partners by providing training and support. Through programs organized at the Tostan Training Center (TTC) in Thiès, Senegal, the organization offers training and support to traditional and religious leaders, local activists, government representatives, and NGO leaders.
News and Stories
![[SENEGAL] Tostan’s soccer team wins the cup](https://tostan.org/wp-content/uploads/Blog-Featured-Media-Foot-400x250.png)
[SENEGAL] Tostan’s soccer team wins the cup
PROMOTING WELL-BEING FOR ALL THROUGH SPORT Since 2016, staff members of the Tostan Training Center (TTC) and young people living in the neighborhood of Silmang in Thies, regularly train at the field located in the Tostan Center. Supported by Tostan, this...
How Tostan is Using a Transformational Gift from MacKenzie Scott to Expand Community Well-being
Since MacKenzie Scott announced that Tostan would be among the organizations receiving her philanthropy in June 2021, Tostan has worked carefully to honor this incredible gift as an opportunity to expand community well-being. The one-time gift Tostan received was...
![[SENEGAL] Red Card! A campaign to end gender discrimination](https://tostan.org/wp-content/uploads/Blog-Featured-Media-CR-400x250.png)
[SENEGAL] Red Card! A campaign to end gender discrimination
On June 27, 2022, was held the official launch of the Red Card Campaign in Senegal at the King Fahd Palace in Dakar with the theme "Sport and culture for the elimination of discrimination and violence against women and girls". This ceremony was...
Join our Network
