This interview is part of Takeda's Access to Medicine Report. Read the full interview here.

In February 2024, Takeda entered into a partnership with CARE, a global leader in the fight against poverty, providing financial support for the She Heals the World initiative in the Philippines.

This partnership aims to equip 1,500 frontline community health workers in the Philippines with a comprehensive digital professional development platform by the end of 2026. By blending CARE's local expertise, data and community relationships with Takeda's resources and experience, together we are enabling community health workers to have access to the resources they need to deliver the care that is needed.

Takeda sat down with Joyce Sepenoo, senior director of health, equity and rights, and Emily Janoch, associate vice president for thought leadership and design from CARE, to explore how CARE aligns priorities and mobilizes partners, like Takeda, to create societal value.

CARE's health strategy aims to impact 50 million people by 2030. From a health equity perspective, what does "impact" mean for CARE, and how do you translate that into action on the ground?

For us, impact means more than just reaching people with information or services, it's about ensuring sustainable life-changing outcomes, especially for women and families. We take a localized approach, drawing on data and multi-stakeholder partnerships, including like the one we have with Takeda in the Philippines, to address the specific access challenges that health care systems and individuals face. Central to this is engaging with and listening to communities.

Through engaging with women's groups, youth-led groups, community leaders, government officials, and of course health workers, we are able to understand the health needs and health behaviors of different groups in local settings. This allows our programs not only to reach them, but to drive impact. Take, for example, pregnant women looking for antenatal care, we want to ensure they not only know how to access health facilities or professionals, but that they are taking the steps to do so to support a safe and supportive delivery environment.

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Takeda

This interview/article is part of Takeda's ATM report published on Takeda's website, and the copyrights belong to Takeda.© 2025 Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG. All rights reserved.

Takeda and the Takeda logo are registered trademarks of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. The publication of this interview/article on the CARE website does not constitute any representation, warranty, obligation, or liability on the part of Takeda.

CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE PACKAGE® box, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. Equipped with the proper resources, women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. In 2025, CARE worked in 121 countries, reaching 58.7 million people through 1,467 projects. To learn more, visit www.care.org.