{"id":3580,"date":"2023-04-12T08:59:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T12:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pathfindernew.wpengine.com\/?p=3580"},"modified":"2024-03-11T11:13:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T15:13:32","slug":"pathfinder-names-lydia-saloucou-zoungrana-as-president-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/news\/pathfinder-names-lydia-saloucou-zoungrana-as-president-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Pathfinder Names Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana as President, Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To be based in Burkina Faso, enhancing focus on serving West Africa<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Media Contact<\/strong>: Laurel Lundstrom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 12, 2023 \u2014 <\/strong>Pathfinder has named Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana as President, Africa. As President, Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana will be accountable for the impact, revenue, and operating performance of Pathfinder\u2019s programs in 14 sub-Saharan African countries and expansion strategies on the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am honored to take on this leadership role at Pathfinder. As Pathfinder\u2019s country director in Burkina Faso for the past seven years, I\u2019ve been a part of the remarkable impact the organization has had on strengthening health systems and forging pathways to sexual and reproductive health and rights despite serious challenges, including a political coup and related instability,\u201d said Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana. \u201cEven through these difficulties, we\u2019ve continued to prepare the government and local organizations to receive funds directly from donors, while protecting the health and well-being of thousands of women, girls, and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than two decades of public health experience, Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana has served as Pathfinder\u2019s country director in Burkina Faso since the organization opened its first office there in 2016. Her leadership has allowed Pathfinder to greatly expand its work in Burkina Faso and throughout the francophone West Africa region in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Niger, Togo, and most recently, Guinea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana\u2019s leadership, Pathfinder\u2019s programs in Burkina Faso have served as models for others globally. Since 2016, Pathfinder has strengthened services at more than 850 health facilities and opened five additional offices in Burkina Faso. More recently, Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana has been Pathfinder\u2019s \u201cfiduciary agency director,\u201d managing donor funds on behalf of the government to ensure they are properly used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana\u2019s relationship with the government of Burkina Faso began more than 20 years ago, when she introduced a sexual and reproductive health component to one of the government\u2019s largest programs for young girls. This relationship, sustained over decades, has allowed her to be the driving force behind efforts to bring together donors and partners to fund the Ministry of Health\u2019s vision for universal health coverage. Prior to joining Pathfinder, based in Nairobi, she was a regional team leader at the International Planned Parenthood Federation for multiple African countries, where she focused on strengthening the capacity of member organizations to provide integrated services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Saloucou Zoungrana will co-lead Pathfinder with Tabinda Sarosh, Pathfinder\u2019s President, South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa, and Lois Quam, Pathfinder\u2019s CEO. This shift in leadership structure from having one CEO and President based in the US to having shared, global leadership is part of Pathfinder\u2019s country-led strategy, which is granting greater control of operations, resources, and decision-making to local teams in countries where programs are run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe majority of our programs operate in sub-Saharan Africa, where many communities still cannot access essential health care,\u201d said Lois Quam, CEO, Pathfinder. \u201cLydia\u2019s innovative thinking, ability to build strong relationships with donors and partners, and deep experience advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights will be instrumental to expanding our work on the continent and globally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the new President positions, Pathfinder has recently made several organizational and operational shifts to become an organization that is truly global. This has included transferring decision-making powers and resources to offices around the world; creating a Global Leadership Council that joins country directors outside of the US with US-based executives; diversifying the Board of Directors; applying a strategic framework that is more completely driven by the needs and priorities of the communities served; and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving a President like Lydia, based in Africa, is essential to delivering impact under our mission,\u201d said Collin Mothupi, Pathfinder\u2019s first Board Chair from outside of the US, with roots in southern Africa. \u201cCountries in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous challenges to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, but there is also so much possibility. Harnessing the capacity that is already on the African continent, under a strong leader with deep understanding of the local contexts in which we work, will ensure a bright and promising future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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. Pathfinder builds lasting and trusted local partnerships to strengthen health systems, forging resilient pathways to sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Taken together, Pathfinder\u2019s programs enable millions of people to choose their own paths forward.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pathfinder nomme Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana au poste de pr\u00e9sidente pour l’Afrique<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Contact M\u00e9dia<\/strong> : <\/strong>Ali Adamou Harouna, ali.adamouharouna@pathfinder.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 avril, 2023<\/strong> \u2014 <\/strong>Pathfinder a nomm\u00e9 Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana au poste de pr\u00e9sidente pour l’Afrique. En tant que pr\u00e9sidente, Mme Saloucou Zoungrana sera responsable de l’impact, des revenus et des performances op\u00e9rationnelles des programmes de Pathfinder dans 14 pays d’Afrique subsaharienne ainsi que des strat\u00e9gies d’expansion sur le continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab C’est un honneur pour moi de prendre ce poste de leadership chez Pathfinder. En tant que directrice de Pathfinder au Burkina Faso depuis sept ans, j’ai particip\u00e9 \u00e0 l’impact remarquable que l’organisation a eu sur le renforcement des syst\u00e8mes de sant\u00e9 et l’ouverture de voies vers la sant\u00e9 et les droits sexuels et reproductifs malgr\u00e9 de s\u00e9rieux d\u00e9fis, notamment un coup d’\u00c9tat politique et l’instabilit\u00e9 qui en a d\u00e9coul\u00e9 \u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Mme Saloucou Zoungrana. \u00ab Malgr\u00e9 les difficult\u00e9s, nous avons continu\u00e9 \u00e0 pr\u00e9parer le gouvernement et les organisations locales \u00e0 recevoir des fonds directement des donateurs, tout en prot\u00e9geant la sant\u00e9 et le bien-\u00eatre de milliers de femmes, de jeunes filles et de leurs familles \u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forte de plus de deux d\u00e9cennies d’exp\u00e9rience en sant\u00e9 publique, Mme Saloucou Zoungrana a occup\u00e9 le poste de directrice pays de Pathfinder au Burkina Faso depuis que l’organisation y a ouvert son premier bureau en 2016. Son leadership a permis \u00e0 Pathfinder d’\u00e9tendre consid\u00e9rablement son travail au Burkina Faso et dans toute la r\u00e9gion francophone de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, en C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, au Niger, au Togo et, plus r\u00e9cemment, en Guin\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sous la direction de Mme Saloucou Zoungrana, les programmes de Pathfinder au Burkina Faso ont servi de mod\u00e8les \u00e0 d’autres pays. Depuis 2016, Pathfinder a renforc\u00e9 les services de sant\u00e9 dans plus de 850 formations sanitaires et a ouvert cinq bureaux additionnels au Burkina Faso. Plus r\u00e9cemment, Mme Saloucou Zoungrana est devenue la \u00ab directrice de l’agence fiduciaire \u00bb de Pathfinder, g\u00e9rant les fonds des bailleurs au nom du gouvernement pour s’assurer qu’ils sont correctement utilis\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La relation de Mme Saloucou Zoungrana avec le gouvernement du Burkina Faso a d\u00e9but\u00e9 il y a plus de 20 ans, lorsqu’elle a introduit une composante de sant\u00e9 sexuelle et reproductive dans l’un des plus importants programmes gouvernementaux destin\u00e9s aux jeunes filles. Cette relation, qui dure depuis des d\u00e9cennies, lui a permis d’\u00eatre la force motrice des efforts visant \u00e0 rassembler les bailleurs de fonds et les partenaires pour financer la vision du minist\u00e8re de la sant\u00e9 en mati\u00e8re de couverture sanitaire universelle. Avant de rejoindre Pathfinder, bas\u00e9e \u00e0 Nairobi, elle \u00e9tait chef d’\u00e9quipe r\u00e9gionale \u00e0 la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration internationale pour la planification familiale pour plusieurs pays africains, o\u00f9 elle a travaill\u00e9 sur le renforcement de la capacit\u00e9 des organisations membres \u00e0 fournir des services int\u00e9gr\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mme Saloucou Zoungrana co-dirigera Pathfinder avec Tabinda Sarosh, Pr\u00e9sidente de Pathfinder pour l’Asie du Sud, le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique du Nord, et Lois Quam, Directrice G\u00e9n\u00e9rale de Pathfinder. Cette \u00e9volution de la structure de direction, qui passe d’une PDG bas\u00e9e aux \u00c9tats-Unis \u00e0 une direction mondiale partag\u00e9e, fait partie de la Strat\u00e9gie dirig\u00e9e par les pays de Pathfinder, qui accorde un plus grand contr\u00f4le des op\u00e9rations, des ressources et de la prise de d\u00e9cision aux \u00e9quipes dans les pays o\u00f9 les programmes sont mis en \u0153uvre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab La majorit\u00e9 de nos programmes sont mis en \u0153uvre en Afrique subsaharienne, o\u00f9 de nombreuses communaut\u00e9s n’ont toujours pas acc\u00e8s aux soins de sant\u00e9 essentiels \u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Lois Quam, Directrice G\u00e9n\u00e9rale de Pathfinder. \u00ab La pens\u00e9e innovante de Lydia, sa capacit\u00e9 \u00e0 \u00e9tablir des relations solides avec les bailleurs de fonds et les partenaires, ainsi que sa grande exp\u00e9rience en mati\u00e8re de promotion de la sant\u00e9 et des droits sexuels et reproductifs seront d\u00e9terminantes pour l’expansion de notre travail sur le continent et \u00e0 l’\u00e9chelle mondiale \u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outre les nouveaux postes de pr\u00e9sidents, Pathfinder a r\u00e9cemment proc\u00e9d\u00e9 \u00e0 plusieurs changements organisationnels et op\u00e9rationnels pour devenir une organisation v\u00e9ritablement mondiale. Notamment, l\u2019organisation a transf\u00e9r\u00e9 des pouvoirs de d\u00e9cision et des ressources aux bureaux du monde entier, a cr\u00e9\u00e9 un Conseil mondial de direction qui r\u00e9unit les directeurs pays et les cadres bas\u00e9s autour du monde, a diversifi\u00e9 le conseil d’administration, a d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 un cadre strat\u00e9gique ax\u00e9 davantage sur les besoins et les priorit\u00e9s des communaut\u00e9s locales et a encourag\u00e9 la diversit\u00e9, l’\u00e9quit\u00e9 et l’inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab Avoir une pr\u00e9sidente comme Lydia, bas\u00e9e en Afrique, est essentiel pour que notre mission ait plus d’impact \u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Collin Mothupi, le premier pr\u00e9sident du conseil d’administration de Pathfinder \u00e0 \u00eatre originaire d’un pays autre que les \u00c9tats-Unis, avec des racines en Afrique australe. \u00ab Les pays d’Afrique subsaharienne sont confront\u00e9s \u00e0 de nombreux d\u00e9fis pour faire progresser la sant\u00e9 et les droits sexuels et reproductifs, n\u00e9anmoins il y a aussi beaucoup de possibilit\u00e9s dans la r\u00e9gion. L’exploitation des capacit\u00e9s qui existent d\u00e9j\u00e0 sur le continent africain, sous l’\u00e9gide d’une dirigeante forte qui conna\u00eet parfaitement les contextes dans lesquels nous travaillons, nous assurera un avenir brillant et prometteur \u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pathfinder est anim\u00e9e par la conviction que toutes les personnes, quel que soit leur lieu de r\u00e9sidence, ont le droit de d\u00e9cider si et quand elles veulent avoir des enfants, de vivre \u00e0 l’abri de la peur et de la stigmatisation, et de mener la vie qu’elles choisissent. Pathfinder \u00e9tablit des partenariats locaux durables et fiables afin de renforcer les syst\u00e8mes de sant\u00e9 et d’ouvrir des voies solides vers la sant\u00e9 et les droits sexuels et reproductifs pour tous. Ensemble, les programmes de Pathfinder permettent \u00e0 des millions de personnes de choisir leur propre voie.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the News:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Burkina Faso:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n