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
In Senegal, Daga’s pledge to empower girls in her village
In southern Senegal, Daga Baldé has become a passionate advocate for girls’ and women’s education. Denied the opportunity to complete her own education when she was younger, Daga is now on a mission to ensure that children in her community can stay in school. Daga...
In Guinea-Bissau, Women Break Barriers to Community Finance
In Quinara, a woman stands before her community, ledger in hand. She chairs the meeting of the Community Management Committee (CMC), guiding decisions on repairing a water pump and improving a classroom. Each transaction is read aloud, line by line, for all to hear....
When Marriage Ended Her Schooling, Fatimata Found Another Way to Learn
After early marriage forced her to leave school, Fatimata Madina Baldé found a second chance through Tostan’s education program, rebuilding her knowledge and confidence.
Prosperity through Partnerships
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together" -African proverb This International Development Week, we are celebrating the power of partnership. At Tostan, lasting prosperity doesn’t come from solutions imposed from the outside; it grows when...
Video: Walk On My Own
In 2016, ByKids supported Ndeye Fatou Fall in sharing the story of how Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program helped transform her community of Keur Simbara. Through her film Walk On My Own, she describes growing up as part of the first generation of girls in her...
A Word from founder, Molly Melching, on Celebrating 50 Years Together
"My story, and that of Tostan, are both fundamentally about partnership, collaboration, community, and collective action. To me, it has never been a story of “Molly, a young American woman who went to Senegal” – but rather a story of communities, dedicated...
Gambia: What Happens When Knowledge Meets a $40 Loan?
Each morning in Sankuleh Kunda, a rural village in The Gambia’s Central River Region, 29-year-old Ramatulay arranges vegetables, spices, and packets of spaghetti outside her home. By evening, she switches to selling candles and small essentials. She doesn’t call...
Finding Purpose Through Tostan
By Sophie Champagne Donor and Tostan Canada Board member since 2023 After three decades in marketing, I began searching for a meaningful way to give back. I had volunteered on fundraising committees before, but I was craving something deeper and something that would...
Passing the Torch: How One Family’s Philanthropy Grew With Tostan
By Judy McFarlane I first learned about Tostan several years ago when I met Gail Kaneb and Kelly Baxter. They told me about Molly Melching and what she had accomplished in Senegal and The Gambia. I bought Molly’s book, However Long the Night, and began to understand...
Why We Give: A Family’s Intergenerational Journey with Tostan Canada
By Gail Kaneb and Alexandra Kaneb Board Members, Tostan Canada In our family, giving back is a tradition. For decades, we’ve worked to make a difference—first in our own community, and later through our family foundation. But it wasn’t until we met Tostan that we...