Who we are

Batonga was founded in 2006 by fearless gender equality advocate and celebrated Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo. With strong support from both the creative industry and the social impact sector, Batonga addresses the pressing issues faced by adolescent girls and young women most in-need on the African continent. We focus on dismantling the norms and barriers holding them back, and help them transform their potential into the power to lead healthy, independent, safe, and fulfilling lives.

The Batonga Foundation equips the hardest-to-reach girls and women with the knowledge and skills they need to be agents of change in their own lives and communities.

Batonga envisions a safer, healthier, and more equitable world in which all girls and women can thrive.

We find the girls who are often left behind by traditional development initiatives and government services. We work with communities to transform the potential of these girls into power.

We work with community leaders and local mentors to identify girls, often hard to locate, likely to be socially isolated or disadvantaged. Many live on less than $2 a day.

We serve adolescent girls from 12-18, and young women from 19-30.

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