This morning the Skoll Foundation named Tostan as a recipient of the 2010 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Tostan is to be honored at the Skoll World Forum, taking place in Oxford, April 14-16, 2010, alongside four other organizations employing innovative resources to catalyze change in global issues, ranging from climate change to community development.
Created in 1999 in an effort to promote a more peaceful and prosperous world, the Skoll Foundation supports social entrepreneurs who address the world’s most pressing economic and social issues. The Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship is the foundation’s flagship program and groups more than 60 prestigious organizations that work individually and together to deliver solutions to these critical issues.
This year, the Skoll Foundation recognizes the work of Tostan and Executive Director Molly Melching in developing an innovative method that utilizes human rights education as a framework for community development in rural Africa. As part of the award, Tostan will receive a three-year $765,000 grant that will be used to further support community development efforts and extend the Tostan program to new communities in East and West Africa.