The Current State of Tostan's Community Empowerment Program (CEP) and Diffusion Communities

"[If] they go against the [advice] of the community and try to [cut] their daughter, they will be in big trouble, they may even be brought to justice because in our community there are more people who are for the abandonment of FGC [compared to] people who are against it." -Woman, Ranerou village (CEP), Senegal

The flagship programme of the Senegal-based organisation Tostan, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) is a human-rights-based, holistic, and culturally relevant educational experience designed to empower people to improve their well-being. Building upon an existing body of internal and external evaluations and research studies, in 2019-20, Tostan commissioned an external evaluation partner, IDinsight, to carry out a study in five countries (Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal) to understand social norms, social dynamics, and governance structures three to five years after communities had completed the CEP.

Through its empowerment model, Tostan envisions communities that are able to progressively negotiate and create new positive social norms and practices that reflect the community vision of well-being and are aligned with human rights principles. In this vision, community empowerment is evident to community members themselves through the achievement of their collective goals. The CEP's theory of change aims to develop communities with greater self-efficacy, engaging in more collective action that increases all members' well-being and dignity.

Specifically, the CEP, a 3-year programme, includes: (i) a 30-month curriculum provided by a trained facilitator, using participatory learning strategies, for 25 youth and 25 adults on democracy, human rights, problem solving, hygiene and health, literacy, numeracy, and project management skills; (ii) establishment of a Community Management Committee (CMC), a group of 17 community residents responsible for implementing the vision that emerges from the courses, in collaboration with the entire community; and (iii) organised diffusion, whereby participants share lessons learned with other members of their communities and with other localities. To date, the CEP has been implemented in 22 languages in eight African countries in 2,715 communities.

IDinsight's study of CEP, which does not measure causal impact, focused on describing (i) social dynamics, (ii) community practice and vision alignment with human rights, and (iii) abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC). Fifty communities were included in the study: five CEP and five diffusion communities in each of the five countries. IDinsight conducted 416 in-depth interviews, 108 focus groups, and 50 community observations.

Key findings:

• Social dynamics and community well-being - The report notes that: "Social dynamics are characterized by discussion and broad participation and by an increase in respect or harmony - between men and women and in general." Such discussion "seems to be central to how respondents in CEP villages think couples should make decisions or resolve disputes. Respondents who think this is a change from the past often highlight it as among the most important social changes that have occurred." Furthermore, residents of CEP villages report perceiving that violence towards women has decreased. Tostan affirms that relational well-being is a foundation for significant, sustainable progress in the pursuit and attainment of other aspects of well-being, like health and education.
• Social dynamics and community initiation and advocacy for desired changes - IDinsight describes "mixed evidence that CEP and diffusion communities in the five study countries are initiating, leading, and sustaining activities that improve the community's well-being. Where external actors are initiators of positive changes, some are perceived as not sustained when these actors leave the community." That said, "CMCs still exist in most CEP communities, conducting community cleanups, sensitization, and dispute resolution. Community members appreciate these contributions. Communities often cite other activities (desired or actual) that are beyond the normal scope of the CMC as the most important to them."
• Emergence of women - "Evidence indicates the participation of women in discussion and in reaching decisions. Husbands discuss decisions with their wives and village leaders discuss projects and aspirations with community members. This suggests agreement, by men and women alike, that everyone can and should participate in both household and community affairs. This also suggests an underlying capacity for women to form opinions and share them." Such findings reflect the Tostan strategy of addressing gender inequality implicitly, mainly through its human rights sessions, rather than pointing to and passing judgment on the situation of women, which can cause backlash. The CEP also does this by ensuring that the CMCs are democratically selected and made up of more than 50% women members, as well as by emphasising the principles of inclusion and non-discrimination. All the while, men and village and traditional leaders are recognised as ultimate decision-makers, as is mandated in the Qur'an.
• Human rights - Community aspirations are aligned with human rights in that they aim at goals also promoted by rights (e.g., children should go to school, or women should be allowed to attend community meetings). Respondents could cite at least three human rights from Tostan's list that a young girl should have. Tostan is also seen as a promoter of human rights. These findings align with Tostan's expectations that community members are aware of their rights and associate human rights advocacy with Tostan.
• Abandonment of FGC - IDinsight found evidence of social norms against FGC in most CEP villages across all five study countries. These norm manifest as a belief that most members of the community have abandoned the practice of FGC and an expectation that the community will discourage it and sanction individuals who continue to practice it. In CEP communities in Senegal, IDinsight found that FGC was the subject of discussion by residents and by advocates or organisations conducting sensitisation. There were, however, some CEP villages in which larger proportions of people report they are in favour of FGC. Social norms against FGC are also weaker in diffusion villages. The findings align with Tostan's expectations that many community members are aware of the negative consequences of FGC, especially for health, while recognising that some people continue to practice it or see it as a traditional obligation. The findings highlight the importance of measuring social expectations regarding FGC, both at individual and community level, at baseline and following the completion of the programme, to determine whether a change in the social norm may be underway, even though some support for the practice endures.

Tostan is organising an evaluability assessment of the CEP that will be a step toward the design of a rigorous impact evaluation. Undertaken by an external partner, the study will examine and refine the theory of change at the heart of Tostan's CEP and explore possibilities of conducting an experimental or quasi-experimental study to determine the impacts of the CEP in Senegal.