Wikipedia
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, and Mauritania. Tostan's mission is "to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights." It employs over 1,000 people and works in mostly rural regions to promote literacy and increase community engagement in projects to promote health and hygiene, child welfare, human rights and democracy, the environment, and economic development.
Tostan takes a holistic approach to development by facilitating a human rights-based, nonformal education program, called the Community Empowerment Program, that aims to empower communities to lead their own development. Although Tostan is well known for its success in accelerating the abandonment of female genital cutting, the program has also achieved results in the impact areas of governance, health, economic growth, education, and environment, as well as four key issues: child protection, empowerment of women and girls, early childhood development, and abandonment of female genital cutting.
Tostan is the winner of the 2007 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize for its "significant contributions to the alleviation of human suffering."