After completing Tostan’s training on the key principles and tools of its education model in Senegal, Philemon Puordeme Dong-Uuro, Head of Programmes at Vibrant Village Foundation Ghana, brought what he learned home. In this post, he shares how stepping down these core principles sparked an immediate paradigm shift and practical transformation within his team. “When you learn about an approach and tools so inspiring and humbling, you cannot wait to share the same with your colleagues,” he writes.
From March 17 to 19, 2026, VVF Ghana organized a three-day knowledge-sharing session for its staff on the principles, practices, and tools of Community-Led Development (CLD) inspired by Tostan’s well-being approach. This followed the participation of VVF Ghana’s Head of Programmes, Philemon, in a 10-day training session facilitated by Tostan in Senegal in February 2026. The Tostan training was organized under the Ghana Community-Led Development Collaborative to build the capacity of partner organizations in promoting CLD across Ghana.
The step-down sharing sessions, facilitated by Philemon, brought together 12 staff members. These sessions did not seek to replicate the full Tostan training, but rather to share key insights that would ignite systemic curiosity and a passion for adapting, improving, and deepening existing approaches to community engagement.
Participants discussed ways of promoting meaningful dialogue, aligning individual and communal values, navigating social norms, and applying human rights principles to community-led development. Through practical, participatory exercises, they explored community visioning, Psychological Reactance Theory, and the reinforcement of parental responsibility.
What were the immediate reactions ?
Now I understand why we keep having a tough time fighting early and forced marriages, as well as the elopement of girls. These practices are underpinned by deeply rooted social values… we were treating it as our fight, which made some community members see us as the enemy. Instead, we need to facilitate a process that enables them to recognize the negative impacts of these practices and take up the fight themselves. Only then can we truly support them.
Beyond core methodologies, staff appreciated simple, transformative practices like circular seating arrangements and using dance to open sessions. As another staff member noted:
This training was engaging and refreshing. I realized that after everyone danced—including the facilitator—it became so much easier for us to open up and participate. The circular seating arrangement also fostered real interaction. I know this will work wonders in the communities—there will be no ‘back-benchers.
What are the results so far ?
Realizing that we can refine what we are doing well while embracing new ways of working has sparked tremendous curiosity across our team. Staff are eager to see how these approaches will unfold at the field level.
Small, steady steps are already being taken to integrate these practices into ongoing interventions. For instance, during an education program review meeting in April, the Program Officer introduced the circular seating arrangement—with remarkable results. Teachers participated far more actively than in previous engagements.
What is next for us ?
VVF Ghana prides itself on being a learning organization. We are excited to embrace new methods, learn, unlearn, and relearn. A pilot community has already been selected, and we remain fully committed to participating in future Collaborative events as we walk the Ghana CLD journey alongside like-minded partners.
Note: The original title of this blog post has been modified by Tostan’s Communications Team for editorial alignment.