abstract:Tostan (meaning “breakthrough” in the West African language of Wolof) is a US-registered 501(c)(3) international nongovernmental organization with current operations in over 450 communities in Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Somalia, and Djibouti. Tostan’s mission is “to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights.
Tostanworkersencouragecommunities to make public declarations of the standardsfortheir children, so that noonegirlis singled out as different if not married young.
Last year one organisation, called Tostan, had some success informing hundreds of villages of the health risks and encouraging open discussion of the matter.
The World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNES CO, USAID, and others have recognized Tostan for its ability to bring about social change and mobilize communities to improve their own lives, and in Senegal the government has officially adopted a national action plan that calls for using the human rights approach pioneered by Tostan to totally end FGC by 2015.