Egypt
Since 1978, Pathfinder has worked with the government of Egypt to provide quality reproductive health and family planning services, while simultaneously empowering individuals and communities.
During that time, the country has seen fertility rates drop from 5.3 children per woman to 3, and modern contraceptive use among married women rise from 24 to 60 percent.
During Pathfinder's five-year Takamol project, more than 500,000 home visits were made by community health workers to distribute information on family planning, reproductive health, and maternal, child, and neonatal health.
This progress inspires our work today. Having carried out decades of successful programming in Egypt, Pathfinder is looking to the future. We are focusing on a critical, but underserved group—young people.
Half Egypt’s population is under 25 and their needs extend beyond reproductive health. In the poorest rural areas of two governates, Pathfinder helps provide immediate job opportunities for young people, while expanding access to quality health services.
Poverty is one of the greatest problems confronting Egypt today. Despite the relatively high levels of economic growth over the past few years, living conditions for the average Egyptian remain poor. Only half of Egypt’s population was employed in 2012, and among those who were employed, 14 percent live on less than $2 per day.
The recent political situation in Egypt has aggravated the problem, as many people have lost their jobs and the unemployment rate has risen. Contributing to the problem of poverty is continued population growth, as nearly all of the country's 89 million inhabitants live on the 2.8 percent of land that is arable.
Since 1978, there has been mutual cooperation between Pathfinder and the Egyptian government to develop an institutional framework for family planning, promoting and distributing methods of contraception, and increasing the availability of quality reproductive health and family planning services among Egypt's most remote and underserved populations.
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Mohamed Ahmed Abou Nar
Country Representative in Egypt & Senior Program Director
Mohamed Ahmed Abou Nar is Pathfinder's Country Representative in Egypt and Senior Program Director.
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Our Projects
Mobilizing Community-level Stakeholders in the Prevention of Early Marriage
With support from the Ford Foundation, Pathfinder will establish a replicable model for nongovernmental organizations and community development associations to engage community-level stakeholders and gatekeepers in contributing to the prevention of early marriage.
Community Refugee Support in Greater Cairo
Pathfinder looks to develop and pilot a model of health systems strengthening based on the Ministry of Health family health package, in order to increase the quality of health care serving refugee populations and their host communities.
Toward Healthy Adolescent Girls
With support from the Ford Foundation, Pathfinder continues its work in Egypt to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents.
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Change Starts Here: Pathfinder International 2014 Annual Report
We believe change starts with expertly trained providers and pharmacies that never run out of supplies. It starts with open conversations among women, young people, men, religious leaders, mothers-in-law, policymakers, and others, joining to discuss their beliefs and remove barriers to their health and well-being. Our 2014 Annual Report shows a few highlights of how Pathfinder has served as a catalyst for change over the past year.
Expanding Local Partnership Opportunities With a Two-Tiered Implementation Model
This technical brief discusses Pathfinder's experience designing and operationalizing a two-tiered implementation model for partnering with local organizations in Egypt.
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When a girl is robbed of her childhood, what happens to her future? This issue of Pathways explores Pathfinder's work to break the cycle of violence, early marriage, and unintended pregnancy that prevents millions of young people from having a choice.
The Way We Live: Advancing Health & Rights Through Integration
In a year of remarkable achievement, including Pathfinder’s landmark victory at the US Supreme Court and our return to Bangladesh with a $53.8 million project, what was most exciting? The answer—integration—is the theme of Pathfinder’s 2013 Annual Report.
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