Skip to content

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 :

More Stories

Contributing to Global Health Security and Protecting Women’s Health

By: Madiha Latif As the world looks to the end of 2024—which has seen COVID-19 and destructive weather become part…

Read More

Women Must be Centerstage in Climate Adaptation Plans

By: Madiha Latif Reflecting on COP29, let’s listen to the most climate-vulnerable among us My participation in COP29 this year…

Read More

Strengthening Health Systems for UHC through a Primary Healthcare Lens: Learning from the African Experience, Building for the Future

By Mengistu Asnake and Rispah Walumbe. This article first appeared in SciDev.net, a global source for news, opinions, and analysis about science and…

Read More

Co-designing programs for youth with youth: an essential approach to localization

By: Manish Mitra Lessons from Pathfinder’s locally led youth programs in India At Pathfinder, we are committed to locally led…

Read More

That’s a Wrap on COP29

Final negotiations at #COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan concluded last week. After two weeks of discussion, this year’s “finance COP” resulted…

Read More

Meet the Climate Champions of Bangladesh 

By Shanaj Parvin Parvin Jonaki, Communications Officer, Pathfinder Bangladesh and Sarah Peck, Communications Advisor  Mosammat Farhana, a college student from…

Read More

Working with Woodabé communities to enhance climate resilience and improve the lives of women and girls

By Ali Adamou Harouna, Communications & External Engagement Advisor – Africa A Sahelian country in the heart of the Sahara…

Read More

Invest in Today’s Health Workforce to Help Tomorrow’s Climate Crisis

By: Crystal Lander, Pathfinder International and Caroline York, IntraHealth The effects of climate change are increasing at meteoric rates, devastating…

Read More

A Global Perspective on Local Action at GHPC 2024

At the Global Health Practitioner Conference (GHPC) 2024, Pathfinder International brought together voices from Kenya, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to explore…

Read More

Reflections from GHPC 2024: Amplifying Community Voices in Climate and Health Action

The Global Health Practitioner Conference (GHPC) 2024 served as a powerful reminder of what we at Pathfinder International have long…

Read More

Nothing About Communities Without Communities

USAID Uganda Family Planning Activity’s Localized Approach to Promoting Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies I am very grateful to…

Read More

Local Nigerien Organizations Working to Reach Women and Girls in Fragile Settings

How MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience reaches communities in crisis In Niger, many communities are now out of reach for international…

Read More