Tostan Inc.

“The form 990 was prepared by the outside accountants. A draft of the return was reviewed by senior management and audit committee. The final form 990 was provided to the board of directors before filing with the irs.”

“All employees and board members are asked to annually submit any conflicts of interest in writing. New hires will be asked if there is a conflict and notice will be given to the senior management immediately and board yearly. If a conflict arises, the board of directors determine whether the conflict exists and, if so, the board votes to authorize or reject the transaction or take any other action deemed necessary to address the conflict and protect tostan's best interests. Board members have a duty to disclose any possible conflict of interest. The board of directors determines whether a conflict of interest exists and, if so the board votes to authorize or reject the transaction or take any other action deemed necessary to address the conflict and protect tostan's best interests. Votes will be by a majority vote, without counting the vote of any interested director, even if the disinterested directors are less than a quorum provided that at least one consenting director is disinterested. An interested board member, officer, or staff member will not participate in any discussion or debate of the board of directors, or of any committee or subcommittee in which the subject of discussion is a contract, transaction, or situation in which there may be a perceived or actual conflict of interest. However, they may be present to provide clarifying information in such a discussion or debate unless objected to by any present board or committee member. Anyone in a position to make decisions about spending tostan's resources (i.e., transactions such as purchases contracts) - who also stands to benefit from that decision - has a duty to disclose that conflict as soon as it arises (or becomes apparent); s/he will not participate in any final decisions.”

“The board committee reviews comparable salaries before making any recommendations for senior staff salaries. The process is documented. A review was last conducted in june 2013. The board committee also reviews comparable salaries before making any recommendations for the key employees salaries. The process is documented. Tostan's compensation policy is to pay at the 25th percentile of the market for senior management and towards the 75th percentile for around 900 african staff members in the field.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“Jennifer received $4,348 in compensation for her services as a coo for the month of january. After her resignation she received $6,000 as a consultant to tostan in april. She then became a board member in october. The compensation that she received in 2014 was unrelated to her duties as a board member.”

“In 2014, tostan operated in 6 countries: guinea: tostan worked with 40 communities, with a total of 2,945 class participants. Guinea-bissau: tostan worked with 40 communities, with a total of 2,417 class participants. Mali: tostan worked with 40 communities, with a total of 3,352 class participants. Mauritania: tostan worked with 30 communities, with a total of 2,792 class participants. Senegal: tostan worked with 180 communities, with a total of 9,999 class participants. The gambia: tostan worked with 30 communities, with a total of 3,307 class participants. Total number of class participants in 2014 in the 6 countries: 24,812 in 360 african communities. Community empowerment program (cep): our unique three-year program empowers community members in six west african countries with the skills and knowledge they need to lead their own development. The cep is a non-formal education program, based on human rights, and is implemented in 22 local languages. It combines modern education techniques with traditional african oral teaching methods and is underpinned by a respectful approach to local beliefs and culture. Impact areas: our work uses a holistic approach for community-led development, and our impacts are found across five key areas: governance, education, health, environment, and economic growth. Each impact area is elaborated upon below: governance: cep participants learn about the fundamental elements of defending and respecting those rights. In 2014, 360 communities were participating in the cep across the countries in which we work. Each community democratically selects 17 members to form a community management committee (cmc) who are trained in the skills necessary to implement projects in their communities. These committees become a strong leadership presence in tostan communities, contributing to the growth of good governance and democracy. They work to increase democratic participation by encouraging residents to register to vote and participate in national elections and by helping them obtain national identity cards and register births. The participation and leadership of women in cmcs is highly encouraged, and in 2014, 100% of cmcs in guinea, guinea-bissau, mali, mauritania and senegal had a majority of female members. These women emerge as community leaders, activists, and role models, showing young girls and boys alike that women can succeed in leadership roles and work alongside men as equals. Education: cmcs organized during the cep lead initiatives that ensure girls and boys are enrolled in school. When a family is considering removing their child from school, cmc members meet with them to discuss other possible solutions. Child/forced marriage is one practice that is a key factor in determining whether a girl will stay in school. Following their participation in our holistic program, 209 communities across the countries in which we work pledged to abandon child/forced marriage in 2014, bringing the total number to over 7,310. As a result, thousands of girls are likely to have the opportunity to stay in school for longer, rather than be married at a young age. In the final module of the cep, the aawde, participants learn to read and write in their local languages, as well as basic math skills. Learning how to send and receive sms text messages through the mobile phones for literacy and development (mpld) module, described below, encourages participants to practice and share their newly acquired literacy skills. 2014 also saw the growth of our reinforcement of parental practices (rpp) module, funded by the william and flora hewlett foundation. This module builds on knowledge gained during the cep to enable parents and communities to create an environment which supports children's early development and learning in order to better prepare them for success in school and life. Health: during the cep, participants learn about their right to health and the right to be free from all forms of violence, about hygiene a”

“The child protection module strengthen the capacity of communities to provide protection for children and prevent violations of children's rights by reinforcing the capacities of communities and their surrounding villages to identify at-risk children, reinforcing the capacities of communities to prevent the trafficking or migration of children to urban centers, reinforcing the capacities of communities to help children in difficult situations such as sexual abuse, incest, forced marriage and fgc, and fostering the creation of dynamic and functional commissions for child protection in all communities. All communities who participate in the cep, specifically the cmcs, are trained in the child protection module. After the training, cmcs establish commissions for child protection (ccps), which lead the community in advocating for children's rights and transforming existing social norms that sustain harmful practices. Thousands of children have been registered at birth by cmcs, improving their access to school and legal recognition. In addition to leading these community-wide projects, cmcs also intervene directly in cases of child abuse. Early childhood development: in order to address this issue, we developed the reinforcement of parental practices (rpp) module. The rpp module conducted a successful pilot program in 2012 ahead of its launch in march 2013 and in 2014 was introduced in 110 communities in senegal. The module aims to reinforce knowledge gained in the cep that encourages parents and other community members to create an environment for children's development. As a result, the module will help improve children's early development and learning, allowing them to perform better and stay in school. Research has shown that certain social norms and traditional practices in senegal can hinder the brain development of infants. For example, the belief that infants must be protected from dangerous spirits: to protect them certain parents avoid looking newborn babies in the eye and speaking regularly and directly to them. However, recent discoveries about brain development in young children have shown importance of stimulating interactions between parents and their children. During the rpp module, facilitators share with community members simple techniques that enrich interactions between parents and their young children and are all linked to children's basic human rights to education and health. These techniques include speaking to their young children using a rich and complex vocabulary, asking their children questions and helping them respond, playfully copying their children, telling them stories, and describing objects in detail to them. Primary caregivers in each community are trained to teach others the same skills after tostan leaves. This module is implemented in wolof, pulaar, and mandinka communities in senegal. Empowerment of women and girls: women and girls make up more than half of our cep participants. During our program, women develop leadership skills, engage in dialogue, and demonstrate their ability to make important decisions for themselves and their families, showing how important they are to their community's development. We also work to engage men and boys in the cep, encouraging them to participate in discussions about human rights. Men and women work together to promote equality and develop new social norms around respecting the human rights and dignity of all. We encourage women to take on leadership roles in their communities. In 2014, 100% of cmcs in guinea-bissau, guinea, mali, senegal, mauritania and the gambia had a majority of female members. Cmcs: as part of the cep, each participating community democratically selects a cmc to coordinate development activities. Each cmc has 17 members, nine of whom must be women. Each committee is made up of several commissions, including health, environment, child protection, education, income-generating activities, and social molbilzation, which continue to lead”

“The peace and security project first strengthens peace-building at the community level by reinforcing the prevention of violence skills learned in the cep. These skills include improved communication and problem-solving skills as well as the peaceful resolution of community and familial conflicts. The project also works to develop strategies for fostering peace and security across social networks through research and collaboration. The peace and security project researched the function and nature of major social networks in senegal, gambia and guinea-bissau, and identified persons of influence in terms of peace and security in pular, mandinka, and diola communities. It also works to connect grassroots communities and their social networks with regional and international institutions. With this increased collaboration, regions and nations as a whole can work together to identify barriers to the peace and security of their area and create solutions that will overcome those barriers. The peace and security project conducted preliminary research in 2012, was formally launched in march 2013 in 60 communities spread across guinea-bissau, senegal and the gambia. The solar power! Project: the solar power! Project was launched in 2009 in collaboration with the barefoot college in india, and it aims to address the issue of limited access to electricity by empowering rural communities across africa with the skills to provide low-cost and sustainable electricity for themselves. Many rural communities with which we partner are not connected to their country's electrical infrastructure. Without access to electricity, community members' productivity is limited by the hours of daylight. Through the solar power! Project, we sponsor women from rural african communities to attend the barefoot college in india, where they complete a six-month training program in solar electrical engineering. The comprehensive training provides participants with the knowledge and skills to install, maintain, and repair solar panels. Back in their home villages, each solar engineer installs one solar unit in at least 50 homes, providing each family with a fixed lamp, a bright solar lantern, an led flashlight, and a plug for charging mobile phones. Each participant also trains women from neighboring rural communities in solar electrical engineering, spreading the impact of the program and providing each engineer with a means of income. The solar power! Project provides rural communities with access to a clean and renewable energy source, allowing for greater environmental sustainability. The project also allows women to emerge as leaders and entrepreneurs in their communities. Through their training, they build a marketable skill set and the ability to share their knowledge with others. The prison project: aims to help detainees reintegrate back into their communities through participation in a modified version of the cep. Participation builds their knowledge of human rights and equips them with practical skills to start income-generating activities. We also facilitate family meditations to help integrate former detainess back into their communities upon release. An international agreement addressing prison conditions in africa allows prisons to form partnerships with organizations and ngos like tostan to provide rehabilitation services. These services encourage successful reintegration of prisoners into society upon their release. As part of the modified version of the cep we implement in prisons, facilitators lead class discussions on topics including human rights education, problem solving, hygiene, health, and literacy, as well as provide family meditation and skill trainings in project management and income-generating activities. Upon release, participants also have access to start-up funds for the establishment of small businesses. The revenue generated from the skills trainings and economic activities of the prisoners who are still imprisoned make these funds”

“The organization also has additional staff of 908 located in africa.”

“In 2013 the organization received a $500,000 loan from a director that was converted into a donation.”

“Exchange rate gain -205. Deobligation of restricted awards -18,609. Refund of restricted funds to donors -4,442.”