Pathfinder International is a global non-profit organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including reproductive health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and maternal and newborn health. The organization operates in more than 15 low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia. According to its website, "Pathfinder is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose."
History
Pathfinder International was originally incorporated as The Pathfinder Fund in 1957. Its family planning work began in the late 1920s when its founder Clarence Gamble, heir of the Procter & Gamble soap company fortune, supported efforts to introduce contraception to women and couples in the United States and 60 other countries. In addition to his eugenicist work, he worked towards easy access to contraception in minority communities. He also launched the first community-based service model, which is still the foundation of Pathfinder's operations.
Sarah Gamble, Clarence Gamble's wife, named the organization in honour of a quote by the poet Antonio Machado, "Traveler, there is no path, paths are made by walking."
Pathfinder surpassed revenue of US$100 million for the first time in the 2010 fiscal year. In 2011, Pathfinder announced the retirement of Daniel E. Pellegrom, the longest-serving president of a global reproductive health organization in history after becoming CEO of Pathfinder International in 1985. In 2012, Purnima Mane joined Pathfinder as president and CEO, after serving as deputy director of United Nations Population Fund.
Lois Quam, named three times to Fortune magazine's list of the most influential women leaders in business, became Pathfinder's President and CEO in 2017. She was chief operating officer of The Nature Conservancy and a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She was selected by President Barack Obama to head his signature Global Health Initiative at the Department of State, which provided more than $8 billion annually to help solve major health challenges facing millions of individuals across 80 countries. In 2022, Dr Tabinda Sarosh was named President, of South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Pathfinder was one of several nonprofits mentioned in the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn and first published in September 2009.
Activities
Pathfinder International works with many organizations, ranging from national ministries of health to local NGOs, to deliver reproductive health, family planning information, and services to women, young adults, and rural populations. Pathfinder's programs also integrate HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities. The group has worked with UN Women, the UNFPA, the World Bank, and several other partners to organize different programs and projects.
Pathfinder's programs in more than 15 countries in Africa and South Asia expand access to modern contraception and comprehensive abortion care, and improve adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health, fostering gender equality and resilience.