Skip to content
Project

Merankabandi (Social Safety Net)

Funder

The World Bank (through the Government of Burundi and UNICEF)

Overview
2020–2022

Merankabandi increases access to quality maternal and child health services in Burundi’s Karusi, Ruyigi, Gitega, and Kirundo provinces. The project supports the Government of Burundi to increase social security coverage to meet the needs of marginalized communities and households. Pathfinder promotes the adoption of healthy behaviors around family planning, early childhood development, nutrition, financial education, and maternal and child health.

Project Activities


  • Empowered and mobilized local communities and households to adopt healthy behaviors.
  • Raised awareness about family planning, maternal and child health, early childhood development, income-generating activities, financial education at the community level.
  • Engaged men and boys to adopt positive attitudes and behaviors toward family planning, gender-based violence prevention, and women’s rights.
  • Advocated for the socio-economic wellbeing of households in rural areas.
  • Engaged the local media and radio stations to broadcast information about healthy behaviors and essential health information and services.
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Inside Kano State’s Bold Effort to Prevent Cervical Cancer

“This topic touches me deeply, as I lost my wife to cervical cancer. That painful experience has shown me how…

Read The Story
Workshop on preventing cervical cancer in Kano State, Nigeria.
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Celebrating High-Impact Maternal Health Innovations

On this International Day of Action for Women’s Health, let’s listen to women and invest in health care that they…

Read The Story
Community Health Worker counsels maternal health client.
Featured Stories & Perspectives

When a Religious Leader Becomes an Ambassador for Family Planning

“A few years ago, in the space of just 25 days, I lost two children; it’s something that I will…

Read The Story
Religious leaders in Boboye, Niger.
Featured Stories & Perspectives

10 actions pour promouvoir l’inclusion linguistique dans le secteur DSSR / 10 Actions for Advancing Language Inclusivity in SRHR

Récap, réflexions et ressources de « Qui n’a pas la parole ? Briser les barrières linguistiques dans le domaine des…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Task-sharing: A High-impact Solution for Improving Health Equity in an era of Dwindling Foreign Assistance

A fresh look at how task-sharing can be optimized in Nigeria By Amina Dorayi, Country Director, and Fanna Mairami, Senior…

Read The Story
Supervision visit with community health extension worker at New Era Hospital in Kaduna state. Photo by: Bayo Ewuola
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Pathfinder Annual Report 2024

Amplifying Local Partnerships for a Sustainable Future Almost 70 years ago, Pathfinder started as a family planning organization—and we have…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Mobilizing Civil Society to Save Women’s Lives

By Amina Dorayi, Country Director, Pathfinder International Nigeria In Nigeria’s Kano state, maternal mortality rates are higher than the national…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

International Women’s Day: In Their Words

Across Pathfinder, we are opening doors for women and girls to forge their own path ahead, live the lives they…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

A wedding invitation you can’t accept: Pathfinder’s campaign against child marriage in Pakistan

By Ali Asghar, Senior Communication Manager, SA-MENA and Sarah Peck, Development Communications Advisor “Please join us in this grand celebration…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Reaching Young People through Edutainment: Reflection from the GAMIVAL Experience!

As the world grapples with the challenges of engaging young people in critical conversations about their health and wellbeing, innovative…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

Pathways December 2024: Women Lead on Climate and Health

The urgency of our mission is underscored by stark realities. In 2022 alone, over 110 million people in Africa were…

Read The Story
Featured Stories & Perspectives

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 The Story

Featured Publication Resources

The Latest

Workshop on preventing cervical cancer in Kano State, Nigeria.

Inside Kano State’s Bold Effort to Prevent Cervical Cancer

“This topic touches me deeply, as I lost my wife to cervical cancer. That painful experience has shown me how…

Read More
Community Health Worker counsels maternal health client.

Celebrating High-Impact Maternal Health Innovations

On this International Day of Action for Women’s Health, let’s listen to women and invest in health care that they…

Read More
Religious leaders in Boboye, Niger.

When a Religious Leader Becomes an Ambassador for Family Planning

“A few years ago, in the space of just 25 days, I lost two children; it’s something that I will…

Read More

10 actions pour promouvoir l’inclusion linguistique dans le secteur DSSR / 10 Actions for Advancing Language Inclusivity in SRHR

Récap, réflexions et ressources de « Qui n’a pas la parole ? Briser les barrières linguistiques dans le domaine des…

Read More
Supervision visit with community health extension worker at New Era Hospital in Kaduna state. Photo by: Bayo Ewuola

Task-sharing: A High-impact Solution for Improving Health Equity in an era of Dwindling Foreign Assistance

A fresh look at how task-sharing can be optimized in Nigeria By Amina Dorayi, Country Director, and Fanna Mairami, Senior…

Read More

Pathfinder Annual Report 2024

Amplifying Local Partnerships for a Sustainable Future Almost 70 years ago, Pathfinder started as a family planning organization—and we have…

Read More

Mobilizing Civil Society to Save Women’s Lives

By Amina Dorayi, Country Director, Pathfinder International Nigeria In Nigeria’s Kano state, maternal mortality rates are higher than the national…

Read More

International Women’s Day: In Their Words

Across Pathfinder, we are opening doors for women and girls to forge their own path ahead, live the lives they…

Read More

A wedding invitation you can’t accept: Pathfinder’s campaign against child marriage in Pakistan

By Ali Asghar, Senior Communication Manager, SA-MENA and Sarah Peck, Development Communications Advisor “Please join us in this grand celebration…

Read More

Reaching Young People through Edutainment: Reflection from the GAMIVAL Experience!

As the world grapples with the challenges of engaging young people in critical conversations about their health and wellbeing, innovative…

Read More
Pathfinder Placeholder

Pathways December 2024: Women Lead on Climate and Health

The urgency of our mission is underscored by stark realities. In 2022 alone, over 110 million people in Africa were…

Read More

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
Our Project Team

Irénée Ndabagiye

Country Director