Molly Melching’S Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph

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– AUTHOR SERIES – HOWEVER LONG THE NIGHT: MOLLY MELCHING’S JOURNEY TO HELP MILLIONS OF AFRICAN WOMEN AND GIRLS TRIUMPH Molly Melching Founder and Executive Director of Tostan In However Long the Night, Aimee Molloy tells the story of Molly Melching, an American whose experience as an exchange student in Senegal led her to become a social entrepreneur and to dedicate her life to promoting the rights of girls and women of Africa. Through Tostan, an organization she founded in 1991, Melching has promoted community-led social strategies which have resulted in increased school and birth registration, the emergence of female leadership, and reductions in infant and maternal mortality. Following the organization’s human-rights based programming, more than 4,500 communities in Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Somalia, and Burkina Faso have publically denounced deeply entrenched traditional practices like female genital cutting and child/forced marriage. Molly Melching has lived and worked in Senegal since 1974. Throughout her career, she has focused on using oral traditions, to educate and spur discussions within communities on democracy, human rights, and health. Before founding Tostan, Melching founded a center for street children in Dakar as a Peace Corp volunteer, began a weekly radio program in Wolof, and worked on a USAID-funded rural education program, which was later expanded with the support of UNICEF. Named “one of the most powerful women in women’s rights” by Forbes in 2011, Melching and Tostan have received numerous awards including the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize, and Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Monday, April 29, 2013 at 12 noon Luncheon Program The Wilderness Society 1615 M Street, NW Washington, DC The program will be followed by a book signing with Molly Melching. Space is limited. Advance registration is required. We have now reached capacity for this event. To be added to the wait list, please email [email protected] WFPG Members – $20 Non-Members – $25 Checks should be made payable to: WFPG, 1615 M Street NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20036. Cancellations must be made 2 business days in advance or you will be held responsible for the fee. Please direct any questions to (202) 429-2692 or [email protected]. .

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