On May 15th, 20 communities in Senegal gathered in the village of Mambounkou to take part in an inter-village meeting. These meetings bring together communities who have participated in our Community Empowerment Program (CEP) with other communities in their social networks, as well as government officials and NGO representatives, to discuss important issues such as the abandonment of harmful social norms. They are often a step towards communities deciding together to abandon female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage. Learn more about inter-village meetings and other ways communities maximize the impact of the CEP.
A celebratory event, a group of women dance the day before the inter-village meeting in Mambounkou.
Participants in the inter-village meeting discuss questions about FGC and child/forced marriage in small group discussions led by Tostan facilitators.
During the CEP and inter-village meetings, skits are often used as a tool to create dialogue around sensitive topics, such as FGC. In Mambounkou, community members perform a skit portraying a community’s response to the practice of FGC.
Several boys from the village of Mambounkou act as village notables in a skit, expressing their disapproval of the practice of FGC in their village.
CEP participants share their views about FGC and child/forced marriage during small group discussions.
The audience claps in time to a song performed by women from Mambounkou.
Check out photos from this inter-village meeting taken by Tostan Volunteer Allyson Fritz!
