Latest news with #MohamedBinZayedFoundationforHumanity
Arabian Post
30-04-2025
- Health
- Arabian Post
Philanthropic Coalition Unveils $500 Million Initiative to Combat Maternal and Newborn Mortality in Africa
A consortium of philanthropic organisations has launched a $500 million fund aimed at reducing maternal and newborn mortality rates across sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative, known as the Beginnings Fund, was announced in Abu Dhabi and is spearheaded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, and other partners. The fund aims to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and infants by 2030 through targeted interventions in ten African countries. The Beginnings Fund seeks to address the alarming statistic that over 800 women and 7,000 newborns die daily from preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. These deaths are predominantly due to infections, postpartum hemorrhage, and respiratory issues, which are often exacerbated by inadequate healthcare infrastructure and limited access to essential medical supplies. The initiative will focus on implementing low-cost, high-impact solutions in hospitals with high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. These solutions include the provision of intravenous iron to treat anemia, the use of antibiotics like azithromycin to prevent infections, and the administration of oxytocin and misoprostol to manage postpartum bleeding. Additionally, the fund will support the deployment of portable ultrasound devices equipped with artificial intelligence to assist healthcare workers in remote areas with prenatal diagnostics. A distinguishing feature of the Beginnings Fund is its emphasis on collaboration with local governments and organisations. By partnering with entities such as the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, and the ELMA Foundation, the initiative aims to ensure that interventions are culturally appropriate and sustainable. The fund's operations will be coordinated from Nairobi, Kenya, facilitating closer engagement with the target regions. See also Washington Accord Signals New Phase in Congo-Rwanda Peace Efforts This substantial investment comes at a time when international aid for maternal and child health has seen significant reductions. The World Health Organization has warned that such cuts could reverse decades of progress in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. The Beginnings Fund represents a concerted effort by private philanthropies to fill the void left by dwindling public funding and to reinvigorate global commitments to maternal and newborn health. Complementing this initiative, the Gates Foundation has also pledged $200 million to improve access to medical supplies and contraception in low- and middle-income countries. This funding will be divided equally between Unitaid and the United Nations Population Fund , supporting efforts to expand healthcare access and reproductive health services. At the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris, philanthropists including the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Jackie and Miguel Bezos committed over $2 billion to combat global child malnutrition. These pledges underscore a growing recognition among private donors of the critical need to invest in maternal and child health, especially in regions where public funding is insufficient. Despite previous gains in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, progress has stalled in recent years. The Gates Foundation reports that maternal mortality rates have remained static globally since 2016, with two-thirds of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing underlying vulnerabilities, such as malnutrition and lack of access to quality healthcare, is essential to reversing this trend.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Gates, others launch $500 million maternal, newborn health fund, bucking aid cuts trend
London: A group of philanthropies including the Gates Foundation has set up a fund backed with nearly $500 million to help save the lives of newborn babies and mothers in sub-Saharan Africa, standing out against a bleak global health funding landscape. The Beginnings Fund was launched on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the home of another key backer - the United Arab Emirates' recently established Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. The project has been in the works for at least a year. But its role has become more important as governments worldwide follow the U.S. in pulling back from international aid, its chief executive Alice Kang'ethe told Reuters in an interview. "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. "Two generations ago... women in the UAE used to die during childbirth. More than half of children did not survive past childhood," said Tala Al Ramahi at the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation, saying the lessons learned in what worked to change those outcomes would help inform the effort. The Beginnings Fund aims to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborn babies by 2030, and expand quality care for 34 million mothers and babies. The partners also pledged $100 million in direct investments in maternal and child health, separate to the fund. It plans to operate in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, focusing on low-cost interventions and personnel in high-burden hospitals. The work will track and target the key reasons babies and mothers die, including infection, severe bleeding for mothers, and respiratory distress for infants. The world has made major progress in reducing newborn and maternal deaths, halving the neonatal mortality rate between 1990 and 2022. But that progress has stagnated or even reversed in nearly all regions in the last few years, according to the World Health Organization, which has warned that aid cuts could make this worse. "Mothers and newborns should not be dying from causes we know how to prevent," said Dr. Mekdes Daba, minister of health for Ethiopia, stressing that the majority of deaths are avoidable. Kang'ethe said the Beginnings Fund, like other philanthropies, was getting calls to fill gaps in global aid funding, but remained focused on its long-term aim of changing the trajectory of mother and newborn survival. The fund is also backed by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies and the ELMA Foundation, among others. It will be led from Nairobi, Kenya.
Arab News
29-04-2025
- Health
- Arab News
UAE and Gates Foundation launch $500m maternal health fund for Africa
LONDON: A group of philanthropies including the Gates Foundation has set up a fund backed with nearly $500 million to help save the lives of newborn babies and mothers in sub-Saharan Africa, standing out against a bleak global health funding landscape. The Beginnings Fund was launched on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the home of another key backer — the United Arab Emirates' recently established Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. The project has been in the works for at least a year. But its role has become more important as governments worldwide follow the US in pulling back from international aid, its chief executive Alice Kang'ethe told Reuters in an interview. '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 programs. 'Two generations ago... women in the UAE used to die during childbirth. More than half of children did not survive past childhood,' said Tala Al Ramahi at the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation, saying the lessons learned in what worked to change those outcomes would help inform the effort. The Beginnings Fund aims to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborn babies by 2030, and expand quality care for 34 million mothers and babies. The partners also pledged $100 million in direct investments in maternal and child health, separate to the fund. It plans to operate in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, focusing on low-cost interventions and personnel in high-burden hospitals. The work will track and target the key reasons babies and mothers die, including infection, severe bleeding for mothers, and respiratory distress for infants. The world has made major progress in reducing newborn and maternal deaths, halving the neonatal mortality rate between 1990 and 2022. But that progress has stagnated or even reversed in nearly all regions in the last few years, according to the World Health Organization, which has warned that aid cuts could make this worse. 'Mothers and newborns should not be dying from causes we know how to prevent,' said Dr. Mekdes Daba, minister of health for Ethiopia, stressing that the majority of deaths are avoidable. Kang'ethe said the Beginnings Fund, like other philanthropies, was getting calls to fill gaps in global aid funding, but remained focused on its long-term aim of changing the trajectory of mother and newborn survival. The fund is also backed by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies and the ELMA Foundation, among others. It will be led from Nairobi, Kenya.
TimesLIVE
29-04-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
$500m maternal, newborn health fund launched for sub-Saharan Africa
A group of philanthropies including the Gates Foundation has set up a fund backed with nearly $500m (R9.26bn) to help save the lives of newborn babies and mothers in sub-Saharan Africa, standing out against a bleak global health funding landscape. The Beginnings Fund was launched on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the home of another key backer — the UAE's recently established Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. The project has been in the works for at least a year, but its role has become more important as governments worldwide follow the US in pulling back from international aid, CEO Alice Kang'ethe told Reuters in an interview. 'It is an opportune moment,' she said earlier this month, stressing the fund aimed to work with African governments, experts and organisations rather than parachuting in experts or technologies, an approach she said differed from many traditional donor programmes. 'Two generations ago women in the UAE used to die during childbirth. More than half of children did not survive past childhood,' said Tala Al Ramahi at the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation, adding the lessons learnt in what worked to change those outcomes would help inform the effort. The Beginnings Fund aims to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborn babies by 2030 and expand quality care for 34-million mothers and babies.
AsiaOne
29-04-2025
- Health
- AsiaOne
Gates, others launch $654m maternal, newborn health fund, bucking aid cuts trend, World News
LONDON — A group of philanthropies including the Gates Foundation has set up a fund backed with nearly US$500 million (S$654 million) to help save the lives of newborn babies and mothers in sub-Saharan Africa, standing out against a bleak global health funding landscape. The Beginnings Fund was launched on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the home of another key backer — the United Arab Emirates' recently established Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. The project has been in the works for at least a year. But its role has become more important as governments worldwide follow the US in pulling back from international aid, its chief executive Alice Kang'ethe told Reuters in an interview. "It is an opportune moment," she said earlier this month, stressing that the fund aimed to work alongside African governments, experts and organisations rather than parachuting in experts or technologies, an approach she said differed from many traditional donor programmes. "Two generations ago... women in the UAE used to die during childbirth. More than half of children did not survive past childhood," said Tala Al Ramahi at the Mohamed Bin Fayed Foundation, saying the lessons learnt in what worked to change those outcomes would help inform the effort. The Beginnings Fund aims to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborn babies by 2030, and expand quality care for 34 million mothers and babies. The partners also pledged US$100 million in direct investments in maternal and child health, separate to the fund. It plans to operate in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, focusing on low-cost interventions and personnel in high-burden hospitals. The work will track and target the key reasons babies and mothers die, including infection, severe bleeding for mothers, and respiratory distress for infants. The world has made major progress in reducing newborn and maternal deaths, halving the neonatal mortality rate between 1990 and 2022. But that progress has stagnated or even reversed in nearly all regions in the last few years, according to the World Health Organisation, which has warned that aid cuts could make this worse. "Mothers and newborns should not be dying from causes we know how to prevent," said Dr Mekdes Daba, minister of health for Ethiopia, stressing that the majority of deaths are avoidable. Kang'ethe said the Beginnings Fund, like other philanthropies, was getting calls to fill gaps in global aid funding, but remained focused on its long-term aim of changing the trajectory of mother and newborn survival. The fund is also backed by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies and the ELMA Foundation, among others. It will be led from Nairobi, Kenya. [[nid:716877]]
