Blog

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On April 5, 2013 the reproductive health world believed it was a momentous day, with a move towards equity in contraception, when Federal District Judge Edward Korman ordered the FDA to remove the previous age restriction on emergency contraction within 30 days.

Heran Abebe is a Senior Gender Advisor for Pathfinder’s Integrated Family Health Program (IFHP) in Ethiopia. In this Q&A Heran shares her thoughts on why gender is important in Ethiopia, how she was first drawn to gender work, and IFHP’s exciting gender initiatives on the horizon.

Recently, Pathfinder International released a new video Female Condoms Are…My Power, My Protection, My Pleasure as part of a film contest about female condoms. Winners of the international contest will be announced at Women Deliver 2013 this May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Celia, a maternal and child health nurse in the Machava Area of Mozambique, knows what empowerment looks like. She sees it in the faces of the women she serves when she hands them a female condom.

The calendar is overflowing with occasions to mark. It seems like there's a special day for almost everything. For example, September 19 is celebrated by some as International Talk Like a Pirate Day. But the surplus of observances shouldn't detract from the really important ones, like Friday, March 8, International Women's Day.

Jill Sheffield is the founder and President of Women Deliver, an international advocacy organization dedicated to advancing political action around and investment in maternal health. Jill is a tireless advocate for women’s health who credits her time spent in a Kenyan maternity hospital as the inspiration for her work. Jill’s daring work has been a contributing factor to increased international attention to maternal mortality, an area of continued need given the stalled progress on lowering maternal mortality.

It's no newsflash: women are daring to change the world. Nearly every day there are headlines, from Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan to Hillary Clinton in the US, detailing accomplishments from courageous women of all ages and backgrounds.

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to read so many books—and I’m a pretty voracious reader. Just in time for Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, here are three books about the state of the world’s women—two from international leaders and one from a US business executive. All showcase the importance of fighting for change.

Susan Akajo Oregede has dedicated the past several years of her life to changing gender norms in Uganda, daring to challenge resistance, tradition, and even her community’s leaders to address issues like women’s equality, gender-based violence, and adolescent sexuality.

Nafis Sadik has been called one of the most powerful women in the world. One of the greatest women’s advocates of the twentieth century, Nafis is an obstetrician, author, mother, and global thought leader who, for decades, has emphasized the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights as a means to women’s empowerment.

Pinki Kumari’s life has not been without its challenges. Staying in school meant overcoming financial and societal barriers. She lost her husband at a young age and struggled to support herself because of cultural and religious restrictions that limit her mobility as a woman in India. Against all odds, Pinki not only dared to find her own voice, but found her passion in helping others find theirs.

Pathfinder International—along with four other global health organizations—recently convened more than 100 global health leaders from Boston-based NGOs, philanthropic, faith, academic, and private sector communities to ask, post-London Summit, “Where do we go from here?”

Last week The Economist launched a series exploring what they call "one of the most intriguing puzzles in development: Bangladesh." One of the first—and perhaps most important—points the series highlights is the focus on improving access to contraception.

In June, I travelled with a colleague to Inhambane, a province just north of Maputo, to observe a mobile clinic providing services to a rural community. After our introduction, the meeting attendees stood, faced us, and boisterously began to clap and sing about the benefits of contraception--it was so much more than "just birth control."

In honor of World Contraception Day, September 26, I asked our Senior Contraception Advisor, Candace Lew, for a few of her thoughts on this important topic as well as what motivated her to pursue a career in reproductive health.

To reach the village of Kitugutu, you must be prepared. “The road is not good. You have to move out of your car and walk. It can be terrible, and on a motorcycle—deadly.” None of this stops Harriet Kengonzi, a registered midwife, from making the trip to provide essential family planning, maternal health, and HIV care.

Edna Adan is a beacon of hope for women suffering from fistula and dying from preventable causes in Somaliland. Having spent a week with her, I can honestly say that Edna is my hero.

As part of the Integrated Family Health Program, led by Pathfinder International and funded by USAID, Masreshah and her fellow health extension workers provide sexual and reproductive health information and services to more than 1,700 households. While visiting with these families, Masreshah collects data, which she reviews during weekly meetings with her district supervisor.

Pathfinder International's Country Director in Uganda, Lucy Shillingi, shares her experience as a part of a dynamic project in rural Uganda where young women are empowering themselves and their communities providing family planning services by the light of solar lamps.