When She Leads, Everyone Succeeds
When Canadian women invest in women’s leadership in West Africa, we see shared success. One woman’s rise lifts all women — sparking change that benefits families, strengthens communities, and fuels economic growth.
At Tostan Canada, we believe in the power of women’s leadership to transform families, communities, and entire regions.
For more than 30 years, Tostan has equipped women in West Africa with the tools, knowledge and resources to lead and bring transformational change to their communities — from literacy and financial management to leadership and entrepreneurship.
Tostan’s Impact on Women
- Education: 1.36 million women participants learned literacy, numeracy, health and hygiene, human rights, project management and communication skills.
- Decision-making: 80% of women participants reported increased confidence in public speaking and decision-making.
- Leadership: More than 30,000 women participants were elected to national, regional and community leadership roles.
- Entrepreneurship: 62,000 women participants launched income generating activities with microcredit — from agriculture and food processing to textiles and services — strengthening local economies.
- Investments in women’s leadership have strengthened local economies and improved education, health and well-being for families and communities.
Canadian and West African women share so much: resilience, innovation, and the power to create opportunity. Together, we can unlock leadership across borders.
Learn more about how you can get involved.
We are looking for Canadian women leaders to join us in supporting leadership, education and economic development opportunities for women in West Africa.
To learn more, please contact Dominique Chauvet-Staco, National Director, using the adjacent contact form.
Women who participate in Tostan’s programs learn skills to lift themselves and others up. Watch Daga’s story in this video to see how one woman goes on to create change in her community.
Testimonial from a participant — Ramatulay
Each morning in, 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 herself a businesswoman. But her neighbors do.
A few years ago, Ramatulay—a mother of five—had no steady income. It all started with a low-interest loan of 3,000 Dalasis (about $40 USD) from her village’s Community Management Committee (CMC), established as part of Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program and trained to support collective decision-making. Within four months, she had repaid half the loan. And her business was growing.
“This loan changed my life. Now I can pay school fees, buy food, soap, clothes, and medicine for my children. I feel happy knowing there’s always food on the table. When my children are happy, I’m more than happy,” said Ramatulay.