In January Project Muso and Tostan will together open 28 new participatory education classes for over 700 participants in Yirimadjo. In preparation for the launch, Project Muso recently sent 16 men and women to participate in a 23-day facilitator training hosted by Tostan in Koulikoro. Over the course of three weeks, the participants were introduced to Tostan’s human rights-based curriculum. They attended sessions on topics such as democracy, violence against women and children, the right to be protected against all forms of discrimination, and the right to an education. They also learned how to be effective class facilitators by studying Tostan’s participatory education methods and leading sessions themselves. By participating in large group discussions, small group activities, storytelling and diagram drawing, the future facilitators were exposed to the topics from a variety of angles, all the while receiving feedback from their peers and supervisors and building the confidence necessary to lead their own classes.

Afterwards, it was clear that the training had made a major impact on the participants. One woman, upon arriving home in Yiriamadjo, said, “This formation changed my life. Everything I learned here I’m going to apply at home. You have to start at home, then move into the community.” Another woman at the training had brought her daughter along with her to care for her young baby during class sessions, but after learning about a child’s right to an education, she immediately sent the girl back home to resume her schooling. The men too promised behavior change: several admitted that they never included their wives in important family decisions and promised that when they returned home they would take steps to ensure that their wives’ rights were recognized. 

The 14 men and women chosen to be class facilitators in Yirimadjo will spend this month preparing for their classes and installing themselves at their centers, with the program launch expected at the start of the new year.