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About the Female Health Foundation Established in 1996 by The Female Health Company, (the developer of the FC female condom), the Female Health Foundation (FHF) is a US registered 501 (C) 3, international not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving women’s health by elevating awareness about their vulnerability and developing innovative, gender-sensitive programs in addressing their needs in family planning and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention. Registered in the US and UK and with partners and friends throughout the world, FHF engages in limited global advocacy and works to develop communication, education and outreach programs at the community level for women (and men) in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Our Mission The Female Health Foundation is dedicated to promoting women’s health and protecting women’s reproductive rights through sexuality education, empowerment, and skills-building programs. Our global efforts help policy makers, program planners, communities and individuals better prepare for, understand, demand and access a range of prevention technologies and skills-building programs. In this way we hope to contribute to a broad, sustainable response to the critical issues facing women and their families, most notably HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). FHF believes that promoting women’s health involves protecting women’s reproductive rights. Policy makers, program planners, community organizations, service providers and women themselves must be fully prepared to advocate for and have access to preventive reproductive health technologies. As the global leader in the field of female-initiated prevention technologies, the Female Health Foundation plays an important role in defining and articulating women’s protection strategies. In so doing, we recognize that gender power inequities shape women’s ability to make and implement reproductive health choices, and that their economic vulnerability fuels their sexual vulnerability. Moreover, we believe that the unequal status of girls and women in many societies is central to any discussion of protection strategies, and that the underlying task of changing the power balance between men and women is essential for real and sustained change. To this end, FHF looks to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and debate on key subjects related to women’s protection - both the technology options as well as the social, economic, and behavioral approaches women need to protect themselves from disease and unintended pregnancy. We see ourselves as a catalyst between the latest research and innovative program initiatives.
The Foundation’s current primary focus is to support information, education, communication, and outreach programs that empower women. In the long-term, the Foundation will seek to contribute to self-sustaining program models and initiatives that improve the health and well-being of women around the world. FHF is an evolving organization and effort. The areas of focus listed below have as a base to move forward, many years of information gathering and experience in fine-tuning an effective approach to bring new women-initiated technologies to the grass-roots of need and demand. Working with the FC female condom, FHF has a wealth of experience in developing programs to teach about women’s anatomy, sexuality, and basic reproductive health in diverse cultural and country contexts. Our ability to critically evaluate programming efforts through the use of policy and program data as well as through feedback from users allows us to distill the essential elements of what works and what doesn’t. Our knowledge base can be adapted and applied to newly-emerging women’s prevention technologies in the future. With this as background, FHF’s work aims to: Introduce female health products and accompanying empowerment programs into diverse health care settings worldwide. Stimulate the innovation and exchange of information needed to develop programs and technologies aimed at enhancing women’s protection strategies. Foster dialogue and debate among global business leaders and public health experts on critical issues of sustainability and public-private sector partnerships. Strengthen the links made on both research and policy levels between women’s economic empowerment, education, and reproductive health. How We Work The Female Health Foundation builds upon its unique strategic partnership with the Female Health Company and its propriety product - the FC female condom - the only FDA- approved safe and effective female-initiated prevention technology on the market today. The Foundation forges strategic linkages and collaborates with both public and private sector organizations involved in related product development efforts. FHF’s primary focus is not to fund research but to develop information, education, communication and outreach programs that focus on empowering women to make sound reproductive health choices. More specifically FHF works with United Nation agencies, other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community based organizations (CBOs) and governments and other groups to develop outreach programs that address specific cultural, economic and social needs within a country and community primarily addressing HIV/AIDS prevention. The majority of this work is funded by The Female Health Company and is carried out by regional staff based in Senegal, South Africa, Thailand, the UK and the US. Our Current Activities • Developing, collecting, and disseminating information, education and communication on sexuality, female anatomy, and essential elements of reproductive health and disease protection. • Conducting education and skills-building programs aimed
at increasing women’s self-awareness and self-confidence in
matters related to sexual health. • Introducing female-initiated prevention technologies in tandem with skills-building programs by collaborating with partners in developing countries and the private sector.
• Identify and convene women leaders in industry, academia, government and NGOs to discuss and debate central issues concerning sustainability and public-private sector partnerships. • Sponsor “Day of Dialogue” series on critical issues at the intersection of women’s economic empowerment and reproductive health. • Seek strategic partnerships with product development entities involved in expanding women’s health care products.
The work of the Foundation is overseen and directed by its Board
of Advisors, a group of public health advocates. These members participate
as individuals and do not officially represent their respective
organizations.
Mary Ann Leeper, PhD, Chair Martha Brady, M S Patrick Friel, Pamela P. French, MD, MPH Erica L. Gollub, DrPH Mary Latka, PhD Mitchell Warren, In addition the following persons are special advisors on an as needed basis: Virginia Gonzales, MSW, MPH, EdD
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