FRONTIERS Projects | Evaluation of the Long-Term Impact of the Tostan Program on the Abandonment of FGC and Early Marriage

FRONTIERS PROJECT
Evaluation of the Long-term Impact of the Tostan Program on the Abandonment of FGC and Early Marriage

In 2005–06, FRONTIERS worked with Macro International and the Human Development Research Centre in Senegal to evaluate the long-term impact of the Tostan village empowerment program on the abandonment of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage. This program uses educational modules to help communities, especially women, improve living and health conditions in their villages, and encourages participating villages to hold public declarations supporting the abandonment of harmful practices.

The evaluation found that the Tostan approach led to a significant reduction in the incidence FGM/C and on mothers’ intention to have their daughters cut, but had a limited effect on the elimination of early marriage. Participants said that they felt greater self-confidence and had improved knowledge resulting from the sessions. However, except for activities related to hygiene, many villages and individuals had limited opportunities to put their new knowledge into practice. This was largely due to the extreme poverty in the participating villages and to the poor infrastructure in the area. Combining Tostan’s activities with those of another NGOs focused on income-generating initiatives might increase the sustainability of changes in knowledge and attitudes resulting from Tostan.

Location

Senegal

Duration

October 2005–December 2006

Population Council researcher

Nafissatou Diop

Non-Council collaborators

CRHS

ORC Macro International

Tostan

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2008
Diop, Nafissatou, Amadou Moreau, and Hélène Benga. “Evaluation of the long-term impact of the TOSTAN programme on the abandonment of FGM/C and early marriage: Results from a qualitative study in Senegal,” FRONTIERS Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF, 359 KB)

"Senegal: Education and public declarations contribute to Tostan’s success," FRONTIERS OR Summary no. 70. Washington, DC: Population Council. (full text)