The fund will make targeted investments in the products, people, and systems required to improve and scale maternal and newborn health.
Kenya is among ten African countries that will benefit from a $600 million initiative which aims to save more than 300,000 lives and ensure 34 million women and newborns across Africa receive quality care by 2030.
The initiative, known as the Beginnings Fund was launched last week by a coalition of global philanthropies.
The Fund will operate in up to 10 countries comprising Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
It will work in partnership with African governments, national organisations, and experts to prevent.
“African governments, with support from philanthropic and bilateral organisations, are at the forefront of advancing maternal and newborn health and making groundbreaking innovations. The continent is making remarkable strides, but achieving lasting change requires collaborative action,” said Alice Kang'ethe, chief executive officer of the Beginnings Fund, said at the launch on April 20 in Abu Dhabi.
The initiative was established through a philanthropic commitment of nearly $600 million, including $100 million in direct funding for initiatives that further the fund’s mission.
This joint commitment was enabled by a major grant from the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity that unlocked matched funding from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, The ELMA Foundation, Gates Foundation, joined by funding from Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Patchwork Collective, and others.
Over the next five years, the Fund will partner with up to 10 African countries to make targeted investments in the products, people, and systems required to improve and scale maternal and newborn health, a statement from the coalition said.
These investments will advance maternal and newborn survival in high-burden hospitals, health centres, and referral networks, in which most maternal and newborn deaths – the majority of which are preventable – occur.
The Beginnings Fund will focus on strengthening the workforce and equipping facilities with a bundle of low-cost, evidence-based interventions. By harnessing innovations, empowering a skilled workforce, and building strong data and referral systems, the Beginnings Fund aims to support governments in giving mothers and babies the best chance at a healthy future, the statement said.
His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs in the UAE, said at the launch: “In the earliest days of the UAE, our nation faced high maternal and newborn mortality rates. This journey taught us the profound importance of quality healthcare that is available to all, at every stage of life, and this knowledge continues to guide us today. Through this partnership, we further our dedication to working hand in hand with governments and partners to build a healthier, more hopeful future for generations to come.”
Newborn deaths in the first month of life are the single biggest driver of mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 70 per cent of maternal deaths also occur. Most of these deaths are preventable with trained health workers providing essential care to mothers and babies.
Sir Chris Hohn, founder and chair of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, said: “Mothers and babies dying in childbirth from preventable causes is a travesty – but ending this travesty is within our reach. Working with African governments, the Beginnings Fund will have a profound impact, giving millions of children a healthy start in life. However, this should only be the beginning. To achieve its ambitious targets for 2030, the Beginnings Fund will need more global funders and philanthropists to step up.”
Tanya Masiyiwa, President and CEO of Delta Philanthropies, added: “As Delta Philanthropies, we have seen firsthand how collective investments drive real, transformative change. The Beginnings Fund will amplify our impact and save more lives. We hope that other African philanthropic organisations can join us on this important journey.”
Without transformative action, 182,000 women and 1.2 million newborns in Africa will continue to die each year from preventable causes, in addition to 950,000 stillbirths.
“The ELMA Foundation is impelled to pool our collective optimism and funding with others in the Beginnings Fund, so that we can move beyond making periodic grants and instead deploy significant capital to the tools, technologies, and people that will dramatically and sustainably reduce maternal and newborn mortality in Africa,” said Robyn Calder, President of ELMA Philanthropies.
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, said: "In the past decade, researchers have pioneered remarkable new ways to keep mothers and their children alive and healthy - but these solutions still aren't reaching the people who need them most.”
He added: "We're committed to working with government, health workers, and partners like the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, CIFF, Delta Philanthropies, ELMA, and others, to address this unacceptable disparity and accelerate progress on maternal and newborn health."
