Stories
By sharing regular stories and updates, everyone who is involved with Tostan Canada can remain connected.
Read about the experiences of our generous supporters, our dedicated team members, and most importantly, the communities who are making their vision for the future come alive.
Featured Posts
Empowering Communities to Abandon Harmful Practices
By Dominique Chauvet-Staco For over 30 years, Tostan has been empowering communities across West Africa to lead their own development. As a result, thousands of villages have voluntarily abandoned harmful practices through its unique, human rights-based approach....
The Gatekeepers of Change: Chatting with Soudiane’s Community Management Committee
Written by: Dominique Chauvet-Staco At the core of Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP) is the Community Management Committee (CMC)—a democratically elected group of 19 members, predominantly women, who take the reins of leadership to guide and sustain the...
Celebrating changemaker, Mame Diarra Nah Traoré
Discover the inspiring journey of Mame Diarra Nah Traoré in this powerful video showcasing Tostan's Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in Mali. Watch as Mame, starting as a member of the Community Management Committee, rises to become a municipal councilor,...
What Inspired Me to Support Tostan
By Gail Kaneb I was raised in a close family. We weren’t wealthy, but my parents constantly worked to make a difference. They chaired service clubs, led huge regional fundraising drives for leukemia and local drives to build our school library. By the time I was 12, I...
Important Update – Law Prohibiting Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in The Gambia maintained
July 15, 2024 We're delighted to see that the voices of our communities have been heard in The Gambia! On Monday, July 15, the Gambia National Assembly's decision to reject the proposal to amend the law banning female genital cutting truly reflects the collective...
Canadian Foundation supports partnership project on girls’ empowerment, education and leadership
Matam, June 12, 2024 – The Association pour le Maintien des Filles à l’École (AMFE), Grow Academy and Tostan launched the “Donnons-leur des ailes” (Let’s give them wings) consortium project. Implemented with the support of the Fondation Marcelle et Jean Coutu (FJMC),...
Excerpt from However Long the Night – Molly Melching’s Inspiring Journey To Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph
Cheikh Anta Diop explains the Meaning of Tostan … Thoughts of development began to occupy a lot of her thinking and she was always eager to share them with Cheikh Anta. He was not surprised by what she was observing in the field – how a narrow view of education and...
Information on the Bill to Repeal the Women’s Act of 2015 Prohibiting Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in The Gambia
March 25, 2024 Information on the Bill to Repeal the Women’s Act of 2015 Prohibiting Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in The Gambia Background In the Central River Region (CRR) of the Gambia, where Tostan is currently implementing our Community Empowerment Program, three...
A Teacher’s Journey : Change Through Native Languages
In the heart of The Gambia, Muhamadou B. Drammeh, a teacher, had a transformative idea: ‘What if children in his country who have never been to school could received a non-formal education in their native language? This idea came to him after an encounter with...
Highlights from my inspiring visit to The Gambia
Written by Kelly Baxter Greetings to all our Canadian donors and friends! I have just returned from my annual trip to West Africa for Tostan’s annual Board Meeting. This year we visited The Gambia, where, in addition to holding our board meeting, I had the privilege...