Gates Funds Bold Action for Mothers and Children

Did you know that in Sierra Leone over one quarter of children die before they are 5 years old? And in Malawi one out of every 18 women die during pregnancy or childbirth.

These facts represent terrifying statistics. I mean, dang, that's A LOT of women and children dying from what are in many cases preventable problems.

But don't despair! The good news here is that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is taking bold action to improve the situation. The Foundation is directing a five-year grant of $41 million to an Irish organization that will work to improve maternal and child health in six countries.

The organization, Concern International, will start in Sierra Leone, Malawi and India to develop projects  aimed at preventing such dangerous practices as insufficient breastfeeding, lack of vaccinations and poor neonatal nutrition. The organization will determine the project's other three countries later.

The project will work with a diverse array of stakeholders such as junior health workers, academics, nonprofit organizations, corporations and communities. Jaime Sepúlveda, director of the Integrated Health Solutions Development Program at the Gates Foundation, says this broad-based approach is one reason Concern was selected for the grant: “Concern Worldwide’s commitment to seeking innovation from diverse, non-traditional sources will be a key ingredient in the success of this program.”

For the sake of all those mothers and children out there, let's hope success is indeed in the cards.

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