About us

OUR HISTORY

In his efforts to find a cheap and simple contraceptive, Pathfinder’s founder, Clarence Gamble, led research in using a sponge soaked in a saline solution as an effective contraceptive method.

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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.