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Africa Volunteer Program

The Africa Volunteer Program is a great way to gain experience while working to empower communities across Africa. We encourages applicants 18 years and older from anywhere in the world to apply. College/university students, recent graduates, and Masters and Ph.D. candidates are especially welcome. We ask for a minimum commitment of one year and the possibility to stay for two years or more. Placements are full-time and competitive.

Tostan covers housing and weekday lunches and provides a small monthly stipend for all our volunteers. We rely on volunteers to cover expenses incurred during travel between the volunteer’s home country and work country, medical costs, and other personal incidentals.

In exceptional cases, we may consider applications for short-term/part-time volunteer service when there is a specific need. Short-term/part-time volunteers are not entitled to the benefits provided to volunteers who commit for one year full time.

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Community Success
child/forced marriage, girls are likely to stay in school for longer.
Our Mobile Phone for Literacy and Developmentmodule was evaluated in 2010 with promising results in text, numeric, phone literacy, and in closing the gender gap in phone use. After just four months, 73 percent of the total sample reported being able to read the text messages they receive—up from nine percent at the start of the project.
KEY METRICS
42k+
people, mostly women, have improved their reading skills thanks to our innovative training on mobile phones
2,768
children enrolled in school in Senegal in 2013 thanks to CMC activities
447+
CMC-led awareness-raising activities held in Guinea-Bissau to promote education
58
solar engineers have been trained as a result of the Solar Power! Project

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Mobile Phone for Literacy and Development Module What: The Mobile Phone for Literacy and Development Module focuses on using mobile phone technology, specifically SMS text messaging, as a tool to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills. It is now an integrated part of the Community Empowerment Program (CEP). Why: Mobile phones and their networks are becoming increasingly more prevalent in the communities with which we partner. We found that using mobile phone technology is a relevant and innovative way to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills learned in the CEP. How: During the CEP, Tostan facilitators teach participants the practical uses of standard mobile phone functions and how SMS texting can be used as a tool to practice their literacy skills. The mobile phones are used to reinforce literacy, organization, and management skills, as well as to build consensus around local development initiatives. Who: All CEP participants and their extended social networks who have access to mobile phone technology. Impact & Sustainability: SMS texting becomes a sustainable and relevant option for reinforcing literacy and numeracy as access to mobile phone technology increases. Placed within our program, mobile phones and SMS text messaging can be used as a tool to accelerate positive social transformation. They connect women with each other and with their communities; amplify the voice and influence of youth and marginalized groups in a community's decision-making process; provide a platform for exchanging information, broadcasting ideas, and organizing advocacy work; and accelerate large-scale social movements.

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What: The Mobile Phone for Literacy and Development Module focuses on using mobile phone technology, specifically SMS text messaging, as a tool to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills. It is now an integrated part of the Community Empowerment Program (CEP).

Why: Mobile phones and their networks are becoming increasingly more prevalent in the communities with which we partner. We found that using mobile phone technology is a relevant and innovative way to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills learned in the CEP.

How: During the CEP, Tostan facilitators teach participants the practical uses of standard mobile phone functions and how SMS texting can be used as a tool to practice their literacy skills. The mobile phones are used to reinforce literacy, organization, and management skills, as well as to build consensus around local development initiatives.

Who: All CEP participants and their extended social networks who have access to mobile phone technology.

Impact & Sustainability: SMS texting becomes a sustainable and relevant option for reinforcing literacy and numeracy as access to mobile phone technology increases. Placed within our program, mobile phones and SMS text messaging can be used as a tool to accelerate positive social transformation. They connect women with each other and with their communities; amplify the voice and influence of youth and marginalized groups in a community's decision-making process; provide a platform for exchanging information, broadcasting ideas, and organizing advocacy work; and accelerate large-scale social movements.

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Mobile Phone for Literacy and Development Module | Tostan International

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What: The Mobile Phone for Literacy and Development Module focuses on using mobile phone technology, specifically SMS text messaging, as a tool to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills. It is now an integrated part of the Community Empowerment Program (CEP). Why: Mobile phones and their networks are becoming increasingly more prevalent in the communities with which we partner.

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Since we began, our human rights-based education program has reached more than three million people, resulting in:

EDUCATION
42k+people, mostly women, have improved their reading skills thanks to our innovative training on mobile phones

ECONOMIC GROWTH
1,991villages have established their own community funds that help people save, invest, and grow

GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
110k+people have learned about democracy and how to make decision-making equitable

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
19k+women have been selected into leadership positions in their communitiesLEARN MORE

HEALTH
3m+people live in communities that publicly declared an end to female genital cutting

CHILD MARRIAGE
7,000+communities that have publicly declared their daughters will not marry before they are 18

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Tostan (meaning "breakthrough" in the West African language of Wolof)

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We partner with communities in six countries in Africa.

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Mali

Mauritania

Senegal

The Gambia

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The organization I decided to focus on is ‘Tostan’ is a Non-governmental organization. This organization stuck out to me because of the organization’s model, the facilitator, is assigned to live and work with a community for three years. Two classes with 25-30 community members are established, one for adults and one for adolescents. In the first phase of classes, students are introduced to basic human rights concepts and health practices through traditional and non-formal teaching methods, the second phase focuses on reading and mathematical literacy.

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The Tostan Model
Our three-year nonformal education program puts rural communities in charge of their own futures. We help communities develop their own vision for development using an approach that is:

Human Rights-Based
Knowledge of human rights and dignity for all is the foundation for learning.
Respectful & Inclusive
Information is shared in a non-judgmental, inclusive way to create open dialogue.
Holistic & Sustainable
Our program covers five key impact areas and has sustainability at its core.
We envision a world where everyone is treated equally and respectfully; where they are able to live a life free from harm; where they have the tools they need to determine their own future and fulfill their potential.

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EDUCATION

HEALTH

ENVIORNMENT

ECONOMIC GROWTH

GOVERNANCE

CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES

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Mission: To empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights. We believe that through this mission we can ensure every person—woman, man, girl, and boy—is able to live a life of dignity.

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Vision: Dignity for All