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Masiyiwas, Gates Foundation launch $500 million 'Beginnings Fund'
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A new $500 million philanthropic initiative aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths in sub-Saharan Africa has been launched by a coalition of global donors, including Zimbabwean philanthropists Strive and Tsitsi Masiyiwa, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity.
Dubbed the Beginnings Fund, the initiative was officially unveiled on April 29 at an event in Abu Dhabi. The fund is expected to make a significant impact on maternal and child health in some of Africa's most vulnerable communities.
Project CEO Alice Kang'ethe told Reuters that the fund has been in development for over a year but has taken on added urgency in light of recent global cuts to international aid, including from traditional donors such as the United States.
Kang'ethe emphasized that the fund would work in close partnership with African governments, local health professionals, and community organisations, rather than imposing external solutions - a model that distinguishes it from many traditional aid projects.
"The goal is to strengthen local systems, not override them," she said.
The Beginnings Fund aims to save 300,000 lives by 2030 and improve healthcare access and quality for more than 34 million women and children. It will focus on combating the most common causes of maternal and newborn deaths, such as infections, post-partum hemorrhage, and neonatal respiratory distress.
Initial funding will be directed to 11 countries, including Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. In these countries, the fund will support affordable life-saving interventions and improve staffing and capacity at overburdened maternal health facilities.
In addition to the main fund, the coalition has pledged a further $100 million in direct investments targeting maternal and child health solutions.
The initiative has received backing from a wide array of global philanthropic players, including the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Delta Philanthropies, The ELMA Foundation, Horace W. Smith Foundation, and Patchwork Collective. The fund's headquarters will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Strive Masiyiwa took to Facebook to commend his wife Tsitsi for her leadership in launching the initiative.
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my better half for her work helping to launch the Beginnings Fund… I have watched her work tirelessly for more than a year mobilising philanthropic partners for this initiative," he wrote.
He added that their family foundation, Delta Philanthropies, will continue collaborating with international partners to drive large-scale health initiatives across the region.
The Beginnings Fund is being hailed as a timely intervention in the fight to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths in Africa - an area of growing concern amid global funding challenges and fragile healthcare systems.
Dubbed the Beginnings Fund, the initiative was officially unveiled on April 29 at an event in Abu Dhabi. The fund is expected to make a significant impact on maternal and child health in some of Africa's most vulnerable communities.
Project CEO Alice Kang'ethe told Reuters that the fund has been in development for over a year but has taken on added urgency in light of recent global cuts to international aid, including from traditional donors such as the United States.
Kang'ethe emphasized that the fund would work in close partnership with African governments, local health professionals, and community organisations, rather than imposing external solutions - a model that distinguishes it from many traditional aid projects.
"The goal is to strengthen local systems, not override them," she said.
The Beginnings Fund aims to save 300,000 lives by 2030 and improve healthcare access and quality for more than 34 million women and children. It will focus on combating the most common causes of maternal and newborn deaths, such as infections, post-partum hemorrhage, and neonatal respiratory distress.
Initial funding will be directed to 11 countries, including Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. In these countries, the fund will support affordable life-saving interventions and improve staffing and capacity at overburdened maternal health facilities.
In addition to the main fund, the coalition has pledged a further $100 million in direct investments targeting maternal and child health solutions.
The initiative has received backing from a wide array of global philanthropic players, including the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Delta Philanthropies, The ELMA Foundation, Horace W. Smith Foundation, and Patchwork Collective. The fund's headquarters will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Strive Masiyiwa took to Facebook to commend his wife Tsitsi for her leadership in launching the initiative.
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my better half for her work helping to launch the Beginnings Fund… I have watched her work tirelessly for more than a year mobilising philanthropic partners for this initiative," he wrote.
He added that their family foundation, Delta Philanthropies, will continue collaborating with international partners to drive large-scale health initiatives across the region.
The Beginnings Fund is being hailed as a timely intervention in the fight to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths in Africa - an area of growing concern amid global funding challenges and fragile healthcare systems.
Source - newsday
