Introduction
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.
Mission
The Batonga Foundation equips the hardest-to-reach girls and young women with the knowledge and skills they need to be agents of change in their own lives and communities.
Vision
Batonga envisions a safer, healthier, and more equitable world in which all girls and women can thrive.
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.
Batonga was founded by Angélique Kidjo in 2006 with the purpose of transforming the most vulnerable adolescent girls in Africa into powerful women. Angélique’s message is unique – she celebrates Africa as a land of hope and talent and sees its youth, particularly its young women, as an investment for the future.
Determined that all girls and young women must choose their own destiny, Angélique works tirelessly with the Batonga team to develop best practices. The girls she meets see that she is a force for good; that she leads by example – dignified, ambitious and fearless.
And who better to promote gender equality and female empowerment than Angélique? A three-time Grammy Award winner, deemed “Africa’s premier diva” by Time Magazine, she was the first woman to be listed among “The 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa” by Forbes Magazine. She was also the first African woman to be appointed as an international Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Today she brings her voice to the world stage to advocate for change on the ground with a platform and legitimacy that is unique, credible, and compelling.
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