Pathfinder International

09/05/2025

There's still time to register for our side event at the Second Africa Climate Summit! If you'll be in Addis for , please join us on Monday for Women-Led Climate Resilience: Focusing on Advancing the Leadership of Women and Girls Towards Better Health and Resilience. Together, we'll explore policy gaps, community-based solutions, and strategies to strengthen health systems against climate-induced challenges.

Learn more and RSVP: https://bit.ly/3HV4dEi

09/03/2025

Since 2015, Pathfinder DRC has had the privilege of walking alongside young people in three underserved communes of Kinshasa: Masina 1, Matete, and Ngiri-Ngiri. With generous support from the Packard Foundation, we implemented Droits en Santé Sexuelle et Reproductive des Adolescents et Jeunes à Kinshasa, called DSSR Ado-Jeunes, a 6-phase project that aimed to:

1️⃣ Improve quality and access of reproductive health and comprehensive abortion care for young people
2️⃣ Improve the psychosocial environment to reduce barriers to accessing care
3️⃣ Advocate for changes to national reproductive health policy and meaningful implementation of the ratified Maputo Protocol

We've learned a lot about responding to emerging youth needs in an evolving legal and political landscape. In our new blog, Pathfinders Marie-Claude Mbuyi, Kabulepa Beatrice Nday wa Mbayo, and Albertine Mavinga narrow down on their top 3 takeaways from DSSR Ado-Jeunes: https://bit.ly/41xYF9i

For all the details on the DSSR Ado-Jeunes project’s key approaches, achievements, and stories of impact from 10 years of implementation, read our legacy brief: https://bit.ly/45LKShZ

DSSR Ado-Jeunes legacy brief available now.

09/02/2025

Global health is at a defining moment. As traditional aid models unravel and institutions are tested, leaders are stepping forward with bold ideas and fresh energy to shape a new era; one that is led by Africans, driven by youth, and powered by innovation.

Join us during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York for The Tipping Point: A New Era of Leadership in Global Health. This high-level convening will bring together Senior African leaders, youth visionaries, civil society, and global partners to chart the future of health leadership. Together, we will explore how to mobilize bold political will, harness private-sector innovation, and translate shared ambitions–from to Africa CDC’s –into tangible action.

When: Monday, September 22, 2025, 8:00–10:00 AM ET

Where: New York City (in-person only; location shared with confirmed participants)

Space is limited. Express your interest here: https://forms.gle/RB1caTJPFcZgCika7

09/01/2025

Next week, we look forward to joining policymakers, practitioners, businesses, and civil society at the Second Africa Climate Summit in building commitment to advancing Africa’s climate agenda and sustainable development priorities. If you'll be in Addis for , we invite you to attend our side event, Women-Led Climate Resilience: Focusing on Advancing the Leadership of Women and Girls Towards Better Health and Resilience, on Monday, September 8. RSVP today: https://bit.ly/4g0cqDB

08/31/2025

We're proud to be a partner of , taking place this week in Kaduna, Nigeria! We invite you to join us at our panel discussion this Tuesday, where we will be closing out our Enhancing HPV Vaccine Awareness and Uptake in Nigeria project. Implemented in collaboration with MWAN and the Nigeria Cancer Society, we worked with state governments, civil society, and local communities to strengthen HPV vaccine acceptance, reduce barriers to access, and empower local champions to advance cervical cancer prevention in Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna states. Together with our partners, we will highlight how local partnerships and innovative strategies are driving HPV vaccine uptake, building community trust, and shaping Nigeria’s cervical cancer prevention response.

08/27/2025

Earlier this month, VoxDevTalks spoke with Zachary Wagner and Manisha Shah about Beyond Bias: our ambitious, multi-country project to tackle prejudices held by health care providers delivering family planning services. Conducted across Burkina Faso, Pakistan, and Tanzania, Beyond Bias addressed the different types of provider biases and behaviors that translate—advertently or inadvertently—into barriers for youth who want access to contraceptive counseling and services. We used an innovative 4-phase approach to gather insights, generate and test solutions, and support adaptation and scale-up.

For more on why these biases exist, how they manifest in contraceptive care, the design of the intervention, and the measurable impact it had on attitudes, counseling quality, and client experience, listen to the VoxDevTalks podcast episode: https://bit.ly/41YZ4Sa

And read the full article in The Economic Journal: https://bit.ly/4mXvKnh

VoxDev

What role can policy play in reducing bias among healthcare providers?

08/25/2025

In , climate disasters consistently threaten healthcare infrastructure, supplies, and systems, making essential care inaccessible for the communities most affected.

To combat this, Pathfinder's Advancing the Leadership of Women and Girls Towards Better Health and Climate Change Resilience project is driving change. In the districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, and Cox’s Bazar, the project's advocacy efforts are successfully mobilizing funds to improve disaster preparedness in health facilities.

These advocacy efforts have already secured crucial resources, including vaccines, relief supplies, and medicines. Funds have also been allocated for building roads and bridges, ensuring people can reach health facilities even during a crisis.

The success of this work is built on solid evidence. We conducted an assessment of 341 health facilities across these five climate-vulnerable districts. Our findings highlighted urgent gaps in structural resilience, resource allocation, staff capacity, and the ability to maintain services during disasters.

Ultimately, our goal is to ensure uninterrupted access to health services for all, no matter what climate change brings.

Read findings from the health facility assessment here: https://bit.ly/4mryLMS

Thank you to Takeda for supporting this important work!

08/22/2025

Rejoignez-nous le mercredi 27 août pour notre webinaire, Des droits en santé sexuelle et reproductive au Burkina Faso : Création d’un environnement Local et communautaire favorable. Inscrivez-vous ici : https://bit.ly/3UT7hDw

Pathfinder et ses partenaires ont utilisé plusieurs approches innovantes et efficaces dans le but de créer un environnement communautaire favorable à la santé sexuelle et reproductive (SSR), à la planification familiale (PF) et à la gestion des conséquences des violences sexuelles des zones d’accès difficile.

Ce webinaire mettra en lumière des expériences concrètes, des résultats probants et des enseignements clés issus de la mise en œuvre d’une approche intégrée combinant plaidoyer stratégique et interventions de changement social et comportemental pour promouvoir un environnement local et communautaire propice à l’accès aux services de SSR, y compris les services d’interruption sécurisée de la grossesse (ISG) selon la loi.

Le PSLV a permis le renforcement de l’engagement de plus 250 autorités locales, leaders communautaires, journalistes /communicateurs, influenceurs, et organisations de la société civile locales sur les DSSR et la création de la demande en SSR.

08/20/2025

In Pakistan, our trailblazing Surmi Ki Sur initiative infuses folk music with climate resilience messaging to enhance the disaster preparedness of rural communities in Sindh. Implemented under our Takeda-funded Advancing the Leadership of Women and Girls Towards Better Health and Climate Change Resilience project, Surmi Ki Sur works with artists to hold culturally rooted performances that resonate in hard-to-reach areas with low literacy rates and limited digital access.

We're pleased to share that Surmi Ki Sur has been spotlighted by many international media outlets, including the Associated Press, The Independent, Arab News, and more. You can learn more about the emotional impact, community engagement, and transformative potential of Surmi Ki Sur in any of the articles below:

https://bit.ly/41bWw31
https://bit.ly/4mq5LoN
https://bit.ly/41fvsjn
https://bit.ly/3HwfpHe
https://bit.ly/4lvapQZ
https://bit.ly/3V6rzcP

08/19/2025

In a year marked by sweeping funding cuts across the global health sector, this is yet another reminder that our work continues.

In February, the US government terminated 83% of USAID programs globally, creating a humanitarian crisis that threatens to reverse decades of progress in global health. In , these cuts impacted the USAID-funded program, for which we served as a partner in work related to , maternal and newborn health, , social and behavior change, and interventions.

Although project documentation was halted as a result of the "stop work" order, PROSANI's 7 years of implementation last left a lasting impact on DRC's health system. Read more about PROSANI's legacy:

In February 2025, the US government terminated 83% of USAID programs globally, creating a humanitarian crisis that threatens to reverse decades of progress in

08/16/2025

In some areas of Uganda, 7 out of every 10 teenage girls are pregnant. These girls face life-threatening risks such as obstructed labor, obstetric fistula, and even death. They are forced to drop out of school as they become mothers.

On this year's International Youth Day, Pathfinder's Pride Ashaba made a critical plea for a collective call to action - across every sector - addressing the teenage pregnancy crisis.

"Imagine if every girl and boy could complete school. Imagine no child was forced into marriage. Imagine every health center offered adolescent-friendly services. Uganda's future would look very different - and we have the power to make this a reality."

Pathfinder's new EMPOWER programme will focus on reducing teenage pregnancy across 80 districts in Uganda, but collective action is needed to reach communities across the country and make a lasting change.

Read more:

By Pride Ashaba Mpairwe This International Youth Day, I write from the heart—not only as an expert, but as a Ugandan, a parent, a sibling, a neighbor, and so...

08/15/2025

Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation announced a $2.5B investment in women’s health by 2030 - a welcome boost for an area that has been underfunded for far too long.

At Pathfinder International, we see the urgency every day, especially as climate change makes it harder for women to access essential reproductive health services. We are responding by integrating climate resilience into health systems - and by using data and research, in close collaboration with communities, to design interventions that truly meet women’s needs.

Recently, our Nigeria Country Director, Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi, had a thoughtful conversation with Nigeria Agency News’ Racheal Abujah about how these efforts are keeping care within reach for women.

This work is possible because of the partnerships, commitments, and shared vision of so many in the global health community. Together, we can ensure women’s health is no longer ignored.

Read more:

The experts called for urgent, data-driven, and locally adapted responses to build climate-resilient health systems.