Company Profile
Pathfinder International
Company Overview
Reproductive health is essential for creating better opportunities throughout life. When people take charge of their life choices such as when and how often to have children, they gain confidence and strength. They can better pursue their education, contribute to the local economy, and engage in their communities.
Pathfinder International places reproductive health at the center of all that we do—believing that health care is not only a fundamental human right but is critical for expanding opportunities for women, families, communities, and nations, while paving the way for transformations in development.
Company History
Pathfinder International was originally incorporated as The Pathfinder Fund in 1957. Our pioneering family planning work, however, began decades earlier in the late 1920s when Pathfinder founder, Dr. Clarence Gamble, supported efforts to introduce contraception to women and couples in the United States and 60 other countries. He also launched the first community-based service model, which is still the foundation of Pathfinder’s success today.
Despite the highly sensitive and complex nature of our work, Pathfinder has steadily expanded operations since 1957. Over the decades we have taken difficult positions to increase access to high-quality reproductive health services. This has earned Pathfinder wide recognition and respect throughout the world, highlighted by the 1996 United Nations Population Award.