Experts

Molly Melching is the founder and executive director of Tostan, an organization dedicated to empowering women, adolescent girls, and their communities. In Senegal and other African countries, she has led community efforts to abandon female genital cutting (FGC), as well as to reduce infant and maternal mortality, increase school and birth registration, encourage female leadership, and stop child/forced marriage. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Ms. Melching has lived and worked in Senegal for 34 years and has gained international recognition for her success in implementing programs to improve women’s lives.