Story by Penda Mbaye, Senior Program Officer in Dakar, Senegal Many years ago I was a facilitator of Tostan’s human rights-based education program, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP), in the small district of Hersent in Thiès, Senegal. There, I saw a 15-year-old...
A few years ago, Yama Bathia experienced gender-based violence in her own home. Since that day, she has worked hard to create a safe space for problem solving in her community of Bougnadou Manjaque and to challenge harmful social norms, such as female genital...
20 years ago, Marième Bamba’s life changed in a way she had not expected. Growing up in a Bambara village in rural Senegal, her fate as a woman seemed decided when she was born; becoming a young bride, forgoing formal schooling, starting a family and caring for...
