By Oluwafunke Ishola

A coalition of global philanthropies has inaugurated the Beginnings Fund, a new philanthropic initiative committed to accelerating maternal and newborn survival across Nigeria and other African countries.

The Fund, in a statement on Tuesday, said it would work in partnership with African governments, national organisations, and experts to prevent over 300,000 maternal and neonatal deaths.

It would also enhance access to quality care for 34 million mothers and babies by 2030 through a focus on sustainability and local ownership.

The establishment of the Beginnings Fund is part of a joint philanthropic commitment of nearly $600 million for maternal and newborn survival, 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.

Other funders are the Gates Foundation, The ELMA Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Patchwork Collective, among 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.

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 Fund will focus on strengthening the workforce and equipping facilities with a bundle of low-cost, evidence-based interventions.

It would achieve this 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.

The Fund will operate in 10 countries – Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – and continue to pool and invest multi-year funding in collaboration with country-level implementation partners.

The initial commitment from its founding philanthropies is designed to catalyse further funding from new donors, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs in the United Arab Emirates, said, “Through the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, we are honoured to support the Beginnings Fund in giving more mothers and children the opportunity of a healthy start.

“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.

Yet maternal and newborn health remains one of the most addressable, yet underfunded, areas in global health.

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.

“Mothers and newborns should not be dying from causes we know how to prevent,” said Dr Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health for Ethiopia.

“We all have a shared responsibility to build resilient and well-resourced health systems that can safeguard the life of every pregnant woman and newborn.

“With the right investments and innovations, countries around the world have succeeded in transforming maternal and newborn care.

“There is no reason that we cannot do the same.”

Alice Kang’ethe, Chief Executive Officer of the Beginnings Fund, said, “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.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the African governments, national organisations and experts, and our founding investors who are part of this unique collaborative effort to drive lasting change across Africa.”

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.

“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.”

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.

“Most importantly, it will need to work hand in hand with the government to increase funding and improve the delivery of life-saving interventions to ensure African mothers and children survive and thrive.”

Momentum is rapidly growing toward achieving global maternal and newborn health goals.

The United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set ambitious targets to save the lives of mothers and newborns, and many African countries are advancing plans to accelerate progress.

However, achieving these targets requires increased targeted philanthropic funding, and coordinated action.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Beginnings Fund is a unique philanthropic initiative aiming to save more than 300,000 lives and ensure that 34 million women and newborns across Africa receive quality care by 2030.

The Fund aims to deploy $500 million in philanthropic funding by 2030, of which 90 per cent has been raised. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu