EMPOWERING THE WOMEN OF SENEGALTo Take a Stand
Architects of Change
Katherine Schwarzenegger & Molly Melching
By Katherine Schwarzenegger
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The Women’s Conference celebrates Mother’s Day with a series of blog posts that touch on the joys and challenges of raising children and being a mother.
Next Stop: Senegal
Senegal is an amazing country. One minute you feel like you’re on a beautiful beach in the south of France, and the next minute you’re in a rural slum, jam-packed with people selling handmade goods in order to survive. It was in Senegal that I first met a passionate and fascinating woman whose extraordinary work has empowered so many women to take a stand to change their lives.
Senegal is an amazing country. One minute you feel like you’re on a beautiful beach in the south of France, and the next minute you’re in a rural slum, jam-packed with people selling handmade goods in order to survive. It was in Senegal that I first met a passionate and fascinating woman whose extraordinary work has empowered so many women to take a stand to change their lives.
Molly Melching moved to Senegal in 1974 and created Tostan, an NGO (non-governmental organization) to empower the people in Senegal who don’t have access to proper education. Tostan specifically addresses issues such as child welfare, hygiene, environment, and human rights.
Sitting together at a beautiful restaurant on the beach, Ms. Melching began to tell me about her campaign against Female Genital Cutting (FGC), which is most common in areas of Africa and Asia. FGC is a traditional or religious procedure in which the female genitals are partially or completely removed partially. It’s done with the consent of an adult, usually a parent. FGC is performed for a variety of reasons: to prohibit women from experiencing pleasure during sexual intercourse or to ensure that they remain virgins until they are married. Their husbands can choose to have part of the
Sitting together at a beautiful restaurant on the beach, Ms. Melching began to tell me about her campaign against Female Genital Cutting (FGC), which is most common in areas of Africa and Asia. FGC is a traditional or religious procedure in which the female genitals are partially or completely removed partially. It’s done with the consent of an adult, usually a parent. FGC is performed for a variety of reasons: to prohibit women from experiencing pleasure during sexual intercourse or to ensure that they remain virgins until they are married. Their husbands can choose to have part of the