Africa - Pathfinder International

Our President of Africa, Lydia Saloucou

Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana is an executive leader in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights and women’s empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa. She has nearly 25 years of public health experience, particularly management of reproductive and maternal health programs in challenging contexts affected by climate shocks, political coups, and conservative movements.

Learn More

Women are half of humanity, and it is widely known that their leadership is integral peace and prosperity for all.

Additionally, Africa is the youngest continent on the planet with those younger than 15 making up 40 percent of the population. Pathfinder engages women and young people as levers of change—ensuring their access to sexual and reproductive health services as a foundation for health, resilience, and well-being.

We support women and girls to have agency over some the important decisions in their lives, including whether or when to marry, engage in sexual activity, and have children. At the same time, we know that reproductive health and rights are not enough to respond to the complex contexts where we operate. We strengthen services and entire systems that allow women to prosper—economically, educationally, and civically—ensuring women actively participate in the family, community, and political decision-making processes that govern their lives.

The places we work are diverse—from urban and rural areas to long-established communities and refugee camps. Our programs rely on the leadership, knowledge, and expertise of our local teams and trusted networks of government, health workforce, and civil society partners. Being locally led, our programs are built for sustainability, impact, and scale in the communities and countries we serve.

Across Africa, Pathfinder enhances women’s agency and reproductive choice, and strengthens health systems to offer quality services at scale and withstand shocks and stressors. Guided by our local partners, we offer integrated programs that meet the unique needs of each community we serve and contribute to gender equity for women and girls. In sub-Saharan Africa, Pathfinder focuses on the following areas:

Contraception & Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Care

Pathfinder works with our local partners to ensure everyone of reproductive age can exercise their right to quality modern contraception and engage freely and fully in their communities. We partner with decision-makers to make sure modern contraception is available wherever needed at an affordable cost so people of all ages can choose the method that’s best for them. We also work within each country’s laws to offer women access to life-saving safe abortion and post-abortion care.

Women-Led Climate Resilience

Countries across sub-Saharan Africa are facing some of the most severe impacts of climate change, threatening the sustainability of entire communities and having detrimental impacts on health. Pathfinder prepares local health systems to withstand climate-induced shocks and stressors and works with local communities to lead resilient, local, and rights-based solutions to climate adaptation. Our commitment to women’s leadership of climate adaptation, our conviction in the power of local community-based solutions, and our passion for innovation and partnership across sectors drive our women-led climate resilience programs.

Women’s Economic Empowerment

Pathfinder encourages women’s participation in the workforce; generates demand for financial services; promotes tailored, market-based solutions to women’s economic empowerment; and strengthens gender-based violence prevention and response so that women become more economically and socially resilient.

Integrated Health Services and Programs

Pathfinder responds to the unique needs of each community we serve. We work with health system partners to integrate contraceptive services within maternal, newborn, and child health; gender-based violence; cervical cancer prevention; and HIV and AIDS prevention services. Our climate and health programs often include these types of integrated services along with support for things like natural resource management; women-owned eco-friendly businesses; water, sanitation, and hygiene; climate-smart agriculture; and nutrition.

Our Results

Pathfinder has played a big role in offering Congolese women the option of injectable contraception—supporting 11 million women in more than half of DRC’s provinces with access to DMPA-SC

Find Out More

Photo: Lovington Kambugu

Jamida Kyamumi, a member of a Village Health Team, conducts a health education session.

Photo: Abiy Mesfin

Health work with a client at Alaba Health Center.

For almost two decades, Pathfinder worked with the ministry of health in Ethiopia to roll out youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health care across 400 health facilities, reaching 25 million young people with information and 8 million with services.

Find Out More

In Kenya, Pathfinder has provided substantial guidance, training, and technical support to 250 local partners, including the ministry of health, and civil society, faith-based, and community-based organizations.

Find Out More