HR1529 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1529 LRB095 22477 KXB 52850 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Molly Melching on her placement on the Danville High School Wall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Molly Melching has lived in Senegal for the past 28 years; she has written and published books for the children of Senegal, adapted to their culture and environment; and

WHEREAS, She created the non-governmental organization Tostan, which means "breakthrough" in the Wolof language; the mission of Tostan is to provide communities with skills necessary for positive socioeconomic transformation, including democracy, human rights, leadership, and problem-solving as well as literacy, math, health, and management skills; and

WHEREAS, The program has been adopted by other countries, such as Sudan, Burkina, Faso, Mali, and Guinea on an experimental basis; and

WHEREAS, The program has helped reduce maternal and infant health mortality rates; it has implemented successful and sustainable income-generating activities for rural women; and through the program progress has been made to end the tradition of female genital cutting; and

WHEREAS, Molly Melching was awarded the University of Illinois Alumni Humanitarian Prize in 1999 and the Sargeant Shriver Distinguished Award for Humanitarian Service in 2002; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Molly Melching on her placement on the Wall of Fame at Danville High School and thank her for her hard work and dedication to the people of Senegal; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Molly Melching as a symbol of our respect and esteem.