Immediate complications resulting from FGC include severe pain, infections, shock, and haemorrhage that can lead to death. The use of a single unsterilized instrument in cutting multiple girls may facilitate the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Some longer-term consequences include infertility and a dramatically elevated risk of labour complications such as haemorrhage, infection, maternal death, and stillbirth or brain damage of the baby.

The Kobi: (“to till in the soil,” in Mandinka) – Democracy, Human Rights, Problem Solving, Hygiene and Health

The Aawde: (“to plant the seed,” in Fulani) – Literacy, Mathematics, Management Skills, Microcredit Training

Impact of the Tostan Community Empowerment Program

The implementation of the Tostan program has significant impacts in thousands of African Communities, including:
• Increased knowledge and application of human rights and responsibilities
• Improved communication between all members of society
• The abandonment of harmful traditional practices such as female genital cutting (FGC) and child forced marriage
• Promotion of a clean and healthy environment
• Increased vaccination rates and use of reproductive health services
• Systematic birth registration
• Increased enrolment of children in school, particularly girls
• Empowerment of women and the emergence of female leadership
• Increased financial resources and new entrepreneurial skills

The program’s sustainability is ensured by democratically chosen Community Management Committees (CMC’s) of 17 people who coordinate and manage all class activities and oversee community projects.

The knowledge and practical skills learned during the CEP reach well beyond the class and the village. Participants “adopt” friends, neighbours and relatives to share their learning. Class groups also present information to the community at large and to neighbouring countries. This process of “Organised Diffusion” means that the dedicated work of participants leads to region-wide consensus on important issues.

Upon completion of the CEP, communities have the opportunity to continue their work with Tostan through the Empowered Communities Network (ECN). By connecting dynamic communities with NGO’s and other resources, the ECN allows the Community Management Committees trained during the Tostan program to take on new projects and continue their development.

Tostan’s expansion will require additional funding, additional human resources, logistical support, and an updated operating plan that serves as a road-map for the implementation of the expansion plan.

The VPC team through an entrepreneurial approach to the objective, will deal formulate a plan which deals with the challenges of expansion, and the desire to accelerate the implementation program but will do so without affecting the continued on-going Tostan operations, which have been the basis for Tostan’s success to date.

The Venture Philanthropy Company (VPC) propose to work closely with Tostan’s key management team to create the Expansion Implementation Plan (EIP) that will provide the step-by-step approach for Tostan to achieve its expansion objectives.

The Expansion Implementation Plan will include for all items of the project, from the expansion of Tostan’s back-office and administrative capabilities, local, regional and international logistical support, as well as fund raising of the capital and operating expenditure that will be required to implement the expansion objectives.

Having met with Molly Melching and the Tostan Team in Senegal, VPC believe that they have a sound understanding of the project and its future objectives, and are fully capable of assisting Tostan in the creation of their solution that enables the expansion of their operations across Africa.

The core of Tostan’s operations and success is the Tostan Community Empowerment Program (CEP) which has been implemented in more than 2,600 communities in Nine Countries in Africa.
The Tostan Community Empowerment Program provides African communities with the means to improve their living conditions in a sustainable way, and by equipping participants with knowledge, skills, and experience in human rights and responsibilities, grass roots democracy, problem solving, hygiene, health, literacy, mathematics and management.
Key to the CEP’s success is its all-encompassing approach which has produced positive results in many areas, including:

• Increased pre- and post-natal consultations,
• Increased vaccination rates,
• Improved community health services,
• Emergence of female leadership,
• Reduction of domestic violence,
• Increased enrollment of girls in school
• Active citizen community participation.

One of the most visible results of the program to date, has been the abandonment of the traditional practices of both Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and Child Marriage and is evidenced by more than 1,700 villages in Senegal – representing approximately 30% of the 5,000 communities that practiced FGC in Senegal as at 1997.

Following past program successful implementation in Burkina Faso and the Sudan, Tostan runs its current updated CEP program in Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, and Somalia.

Testimony to the success of the project is evidenced through international demand for Tostan, which continues to grow, and is encouraged by both international aid agencies such as UNICEF and SIDA as well as at Government levels.

To respond to this demand, Tostan wish to scale up their operations with a view to launching Tostan centres across Africa, and rolling out the impact and reach of their CEP program.

The 5 year Strategic Plan is detailed in its content, but falls short of providing the procedural and structured requirements necessary to implement an expansion plan, particularly if this is to be properly resourced in order that it can be rolled out in a timeous manner, yet retaining the impact it has come to be recognised as having.

Erratic and often delayed funding of Tostan’s current operational requirements has had an impact on the efficiency with which the Expansion Plan has been effected to date, resulting in objectives not being met in the desired time frame.

Reporting requirements for the various donors currently funding Tostan operations, are extensive, draining Tostan’s resources and having a significant impact on the ability for Tostan to focus on its core strength, and objective and expand the implementation of the CEP in existing and new countries.

Limited human resources, logistical requirements and the ever-present need to source and secure additional philanthropic funding, are impacting on Tostan’s ability to concentrate on and develop its expansion plan.

It is for these reasons that Tostan have requested assistance from the Venture Philanthropy Company (VPC), to whom they were introduced through a Tostan benefactor Mr James Greenbaum of the Greenbaum Foundation.

VPC’s understanding of the Tostan expansion objective, has been gained from a desk study of various existing reports commissioned by Tostan, together with meetings between Philip Warren of VPC, James Greenbaum of the Greenbaum Foundation and most critically a site visit to Senegal to meet with Molly Melching and her Team as well as witnessing first hand the impact of the CEP on a community.

Based on Tostan’s track record, its significant potential for expansion, and the philanthropic impact that is possible were this project afforded the resources, direction, and funding it requires, VPC consider Tostan an excellent example of a project they would Endorse.

Accordingly, and in order to provide Tostan with an Expansion Plan, VPC propose to work together with the Tostan Team to update their Strategic Plan, and incorporate an Expansion Implementation Plan (EIP) that will set-out the step by step approach through which Tostan would most effectively implement their expansion program.

For Tostan the outcomes of utilising VPC’s services are as follows:

1.) An updated Strategic Plan
2.) An Expansion Implementation Plan
3.) Entrepreneurial review and Endorsement by VPC.
4.) Confidential Cost Estimate of the timing and requirements to Implement the Expansion
Plan
5.) Sourcing and securing of the philanthropic funding required to Implement the
Expansion Plan