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

In 1998-1999, the Tostan village empowerment programme was implemented in the Thiès/Fatick and Kolda regions of Senegal. This report is the qualitative component of an evaluation conducted for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to assess the impact several years after the programme ended towards its goals of improving health and hygiene, addressing gender inequality, and encouraging the abandonment of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). According to the evaluation, after delivery of the education programme, numerous changes took place in the villages. Informants reported that the programme improved knowledge of rights and responsibilities among both participating and non-participating women, particularly with respect to the place and role of women in the community and the abandonment of FGM/C.

Tostan focuses on two types of activities: an education programme to educate a group of women in a village; and a social mobilisation strategy that, in some cases, leads to a public declaration. Tostan promotes social change by building learners' capacities to become the agents of positive change in their communities. The programme targets mainly adult women, closely involving them in a learning process, the ultimate aim of which is the adoption of healthy behaviours.

The evaluation had two overall objectives:

• To assess the impact of the Tostan programme on daily life in the villages and on their rates of FGM/C and early marriage, according to defined indicators.
• To assess the impact of village participation in public declarations on the incidence of FGM/C and early marriage.

According to the report, most villagers expressed positive perceptions of the programme, though some expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of follow-up and the extent to which the programme helped them in terms of poverty reduction. All of the effects mentioned by the populations were positive: greater control over collective hygiene, women’s health, and girls’ education; assumption of greater leadership roles; and the ability to manage a budget. The report says that the knowledge acquired relates essentially to aspects of daily life such health and mathematics, which was useful for economic empowerment. Other knowledge acquired relates to general and reproductive health, an area that has become accessible to women in these regions. Changes resulting from the programme are also apparent in women's awareness of their role in the community. One of the effects of the Tostan programme seems to have been a revision in women's status. Women now seem convinced that they can hold positions formerly held only by men. The authors say that the impact was not just experienced by participating women, but examples were found of women who had benefited from the knowledge without having received the programme.

Several women interviewed emphasised better communication with their husbands and less quarrelling in situations that had previously been marked by frequent domestic violence. Thus, the results indicate improved gender relations in some cases. The data also shows improvements in women's image and role, with women seeing themselves as capable of taking part in the making and enforcement of decisions in their communities. The Tostan programme also appears to have fostered positive changes in social relations. This is illustrated by changes in inter-ethnic relationships in the villages. Various initiatives were undertaken in the villages in conjunction with the Tostan programme, both during and after project implementation. Tostan appears to have contributed to the creation of coordinating bodies in the villages, commonly known as "committees," whose purposes vary according to community interests and programme components. In many villages, these committees were created after programme implementation.

The report notes that the lack of basic infrastructures in the villages is preventing the populations from making full use of their new capacities. A shortage of drinking water, latrines, health huts, and healthcare personnel stand in the way of actual implementation of the theoretical behaviours learnt in the programme. This is illustrated by the villages' demand for basic infrastructure. In a few isolated cases, Tostan was able to meet these requests through additional financing, but this was rare. Lack of follow-up from Tostan also limits application of the knowledge acquired, resulting in some missed opportunities. With the exception of the village hygiene groups, the committees that were formed during programme implementation no longer seem to be functioning, and so community actions for building a better environment have slowed down. With respect to the practice of FGM/C, a number of measures were adopted to support adherence to the public commitment. These varied from one village to another, but most had to do with putting an end to the practice and monitoring it in the communities. However, because the initiative to abandon FGM/C had been taken collectively, the people held themselves responsible for adhering to it.

According to the report, the assessment raised a number of questions. The effort made by villages to provide classrooms and accommodation for facilitators, even if they are very poor, more or less guarantees their participation in the education programme, thus raising questions about how to reach the most impoverished communities. Other questions may be raised concerning the participants themselves. Inconsistent attendance and dropouts over time may also result in bias. Does this mean that only the most determined women, who probably have the most progressive ideas, benefit fully from the program? In other words, do only the most convinced, those already predisposed to change, end up building their capacities? However, authors say that an interesting result of the study is that any differences between participants and non participants tends to be erased over time, with other women living in the village eventually reporting that they have adopted the movement toward change. The authors also question why the public declarations focused on FGM/C abandonment, even though there were a wide range of components of the programme and FGM/C is only one small section of the curriculum. Several other harmful practices were addressed in the curriculum and several other good practices need to be promoted that really impact on maternal and child mortality.

The report concludes that through the programme villages acquired knowledge, as evidenced by changes at both the social and personal levels. In terms of interpersonal and social relations, positive changes were seen in relationships and perceptions. The Tostan programme fostered better social communication in the villages. According to leaders and participating women, it contributed to improved marital relations, as evidenced by reduced conflict between spouses. The majority of respondents stated that FGM/C is no longer practised in their village, although it is possible that the practice could be continuing secretly, particularly in the Kolda region. The situation with respect to early marriage remains more ambiguous, because the populations do not agree on the importance of abandoning this practice. However, significant obstacles stand in the way of the full application of the knowledge they acquired from the programme. The lack of basic infrastructure and services blocks numerous initiatives that could result in the changes sought by the programme and in more public declarations.

Two main recommendations emerged from this retrospective assessment. Firstly, there is a need to provide support to these villages following the public declaration. For most of the population within the village, the public declaration is the beginning of a questioning process. While leaders play a strong role at the beginning and during implementation of the education programme, including the initiation of the public declaration, the rest of the population is not fully participating. A mechanism of follow up will enable more actions from the leaders to sustain the decision within the village. Secondly, there is a need to provide more support to families/communities that have abandoned the practice. There are a growing number of girls that are reaching the age of adolescence. The influence of modern society is impacting the behaviour of young people, even at village level. Unfortunately some parents attributed these behaviour changes to the lack of education, including circumcision. Good life skills education programmes may reduce this growing concern of adults.