Executive Director

Having lived and worked in Senegal since 1974, Molly Melching has received international recognition for her groundbreaking educational programs that have led communities to affect life transforming changes including the abandonment of female genital cutting and child/forced marriage.  More than 4,500 communities in Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Somalia and Burkina Faso have made public declarations for abandonment of harmful traditional practices following a human rights-based education program implemented by Tostan, the NGO founded by Molly in 1991.Other breakthroughs include reduction in infant and maternal mortality, wide-spread school and birth registration, and the emergence of female leadership.