The scale and urgency of the challenge to support millions of girls to rise up in the face of the Triple Threat, take control of their health and dreams, and have a chance to thrive is immense.
As we close the year at Tiko, we aren’t just reflecting on targets met; we are reflecting on a paradigm shift. For an adolescent girl in sub-Saharan Africa, health must not be siloed. A girl facing the risk of unintended pregnancy is often the same girl navigating the risks of HIV and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). When the global health sector treats these as separate “projects,” we fail her.
This is where Tiko’s model is built for impact: to be capable of taking on this challenge, at speed and scale.
A Tiko mobiliser enrolling a new client, showing her how to use her Tiko card to access care, support, and choices that fit her life.
Looking back over 2025, we proved that when you integrate the response, you accelerate the impact for girls. Tackling the “Triple Threat” at scale requires an ecosystem and community-driven approach that understands girls’ lived experiences. Here’s a few highlights from the year:
- Institutionalising the Integrated Response: Our partnerships with the Nasarawa State Government (Nigeria) and Siaya County (Kenya) show the power of working together to bridge the gap between fragmented services for survivor-centered, youth-friendly referral pathways.
- Global Advocacy on girl-centric care at Davos, CSW, UNGA and ICFP: On the global stage at Davos we spoke of why supporting girls was urgent for the corporate sector to focus on, at the Commission on the Status of Women conference, we spoke of the investment case for girls in the context of funding decline, innovative financing and the power of integration, at UNGA we spoke of the need focus on SGBV as an integrated response at Goals House and at ICFP2025, we pushed for the investment case for girls and challenged the sector to move from “activity-based” reporting to “outcome-based” evidence through the launch of the Girls Outcome Platform.
- A Holistic Mandate: Being named an Action for Women’s Health awardee (supported by Pivotal Ventures) with a focus on our integrated wraparound care for survivors of sexual violence, was a powerful validation of our core belief: we cannot protect a girl’s health without protecting her safety and her agency simultaneously.
- Performance on girl-centred delivery: After surpassing delivery targets in Zambia, our expanded partnership with UNFPA proved that verified, integrated outcomes are the most effective way to build donor trust. When the data is transparent, the funding follows the girl.
- Technology with Purpose: Tiko’s technology keeps evolving to reduce barriers for girls. We leverage AI and voice recognition to deliver integrated health services with total privacy, requiring neither a smartphone nor internet access, ensuring transparency and dignity for every girl. At Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF), Tiko spoke of AI and human centred care and how the Tiko platform will further AI to keep girls connected and protected to integrated care ecosystems built around their needs.
- Proof Beyond the Data: Tiko’s girls’ stories, not just our numbers, tell us that integration works. Whether it is Emily in Kenya finding a path from the streets to a new start, or young women in Ethiopia reclaiming their confidence at the Sabriyout clinic, their journeys aren’t fragmented. They don’t seek “HIV services” or “contraception” in a vacuum; they seek a future where they are seen, heard, and supported holistically. When we provide a single, trusted point of entry, we aren’t just delivering health-we are restoring agency and building their resilience.
The bottom line is that integration is more than a strategy; it is a commitment to the lived reality of the adolescent girls we serve. It is about building the right care model that ensures the system follows the girl, rather than forcing the girl to navigate the fragmented system alone.
Thank you to all our Tiko staff, Country Directors and teams, mobilisers, health workers, partners and donors for making 2025 a year of integrated girl-centric care. We are ready to enter 2026 to scale this impact further.