Gates Foundation, others unveil Sh64 billion maternal, newborn health fund

A coalition of philanthropic organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has established a nearly Sh64.7 billion fund aimed at protecting the lives of mothers and newborns across sub-Saharan Africa.

This initiative offers a ray of hope amid a global downturn in health funding.

Dubbed the Beginnings Fund, the initiative was officially launched on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi — the base of a major supporter, the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, which was recently founded in the UAE.

According to its CEO, Alice Kang’ethe, the fund has been under development for over a year.

However, its significance has grown sharply as many countries, following the lead of the United States, scale back their international aid commitments, she noted in an interview with Reuters.

"It is an opportune moment," she said earlier this month, stressing that the fund aimed to work alongside African governments, experts, and organizations rather than parachuting in experts or technologies, an approach she said differed from many traditional donor programmes.

Tala Al Ramahi from the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation shared that two generations ago, childbirth in the UAE was a significant risk, with many women dying and over half of children not surviving beyond childhood.

She emphasized that the lessons learned from overcoming these challenges would guide future efforts.

The Beginnings Fund has set an ambitious goal to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborns by 2030. In addition, it aims to enhance quality care for 34 million mothers and infants.

Alongside the fund, partners have committed Ksh.12.9 billion in direct investments into maternal and child health.

The initiative will focus on countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

It will emphasize affordable interventions and staffing in hospitals with high maternal and child health burdens.

The initiative will focus on addressing the primary causes of maternal and infant mortality, including infections, severe bleeding in mothers, and respiratory distress in newborns.

Significant progress has been made globally in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths, with the neonatal mortality rate halving from 1990 to 2022.

However, recent data from the World Health Organization shows that progress has stalled or even reversed in most regions, with aid reductions potentially exacerbating the situation.

Dr. Mekdes Daba, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, emphasized that the majority of these deaths are preventable, stating, "Mothers and newborns should not be dying from causes we know how to prevent."