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Story and Perspective

Five Daring African Women to Know for International Women’s Day

Priscilla Addison

Burkina Faso Burundi Côte d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Niger

Imagine a gender-equal world. Women are free to make choices about their bodies and future. There are equal opportunities for all. There are no barriers to female leadership.

Unfortunately, the reality is far from our imaginations. Progress toward closing the gender gap has slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and myriad other issues, including: women perform the vast majority of unpaid care for their families (ILO 2019); women get paid 23 percent less, on average, then men (UN Women 2021); and almost half of women cannot make their own decisions related to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (UNFPA 2020). According to the 2021 Global Gender Gap Index, it will take 135.6 years to close the gender gap worldwide.

This year, on International Women’s Day, we spoke to five women who work or collaborate with Pathfinder International in Francophone African countries— Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Democratic Republic of Congo—and are helping build a gender-equal world.

Learn how these women are audaciously:

  • Encouraging women’s engagement in climate change solutions
  • Speaking out in support of women’s leadership
  • Expanding access to sexual health and reproductive services in underserved populations
  • Carving out space in a male-dominated world
  • Promoting inclusive access to sexual reproductive health among youth

Get to know these daring women!


Cinq femmes africaines audacieuses à connaître à l’occasion de la Journée internationale de la femme

Imaginez un monde égalitaire. Les femmes sont libres de faire des choix concernant leur corps et leur avenir. Il y a égalité des chances pour tous. Il n’y a pas d’obstacles au leadership féminin.

Malheureusement, la réalité est loin de notre imagination. Les progrès vers la réduction de l’écart entre les sexes ont ralenti en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19 et d’une myriade d’autres problèmes, y compris les femmes qui prodiguent la grande majorité des soins non rémunérés à leur famille (OIT 2019) ; les femmes sont payées 23 % de moins, en moyenne, que les hommes (ONU Femmes 2021).et près de la moitié des femmes ne peuvent pas prendre leurs propres décisions concernant leur santé et leurs droits sexuels et reproductifs (UNFPA 2020). Selon l’Indice mondial des écarts entre les sexes de 2021, il faudra 135,6 ans pour combler l’écart entre les sexes dans le monde.

Cette année, à l’occasion de la Journée internationale de la femme (JIF), nous nous sommes entretenus avec cinq femmes qui travaillent ou collaborent avec Pathfinder International dans les pays d’Afrique francophone — le Burundi, la Côte d’Ivoire, le Niger, le Burkina Faso et la République démocratique du Congo — et qui contribuent à bâtir un monde égalitaire.

Découvrez comment ces femmes sont audacieuses :

  • Encourager la participation des femmes aux solutions d’adaptation aux changements climatiques
  • Parler de la nécessité de soutenir le leadership des femmes
  • Élargir l’accès aux services de santé sexuelle et reproductive dans les populations mal desservies;
  • Se tailler une place dans un monde dominé par les hommes
  • Promouvoir l’accès inclusif à la santé sexuelle et reproductive chez les jeunes

Apprenez à connaître :

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