The Gates Foundation is pledging to spend $1.5 billion over the next five years to support maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition programs in developing countries.

At a June 7 Women Deliver conference in Washington, D.C., Melinda French Gates said that maternal, child, and reproductive health should be a global priority.

“The world must come together to save women’s and children’s lives,” said Gates. “In poor countries, pregnancy and childbirth often end in tragedy. Our goal must be to build a world where every birth brings joy and hope for the future.”

After speaking of her own “overwhelming joy, hope, and optimism” at the birth of each of her three children, she added that tens of millions of women never get the chance to experience that beautiful moment. Their experiences with childbirth are filled with dread, pain, and sorrow, with both mother’s and baby’s life at stake.

The three-day 2010 Women Deliver conference was attended by policymakers, health experts, and advocates. Gates encouraged attendees to challenge the notion that large numbers of maternal and child deaths are inevitable or acceptable in poor countries. “The death toll is so huge, and has persisted for so long, it’s easy to think we’re powerless to do much about it. The truth is, we can prevent most of these deaths – and at a stunningly low cost – if we take action now. Countries that have made women’s and children’s health a priority – and have invested in proven solutions – are achieving amazing results.”

The foundation will support innovative projects addressing family planning; health care for pregnant women, newborns, and children; and nutrition. The foundation will also be spending more on delivering children’s vaccines, and preventing pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

The number of women dying from pregnancy-related causes has dropped by more than 30 percent in the past 30 years, and deaths among children under age five are also declining globally. Still, it is estimated that 7.7 million young children will die this year.

The new grants will support many programs, including

• Programs in India, Ethiopia, and other countries that have higher rates of maternal and child mortality.
• Support the development of comprehensive, integrated programs, for example, by training front-line health workers to provide multiple services.
• Develop and introduce interventions that could have a major health impact, such as simplified antibiotics for newborn infections and more cost-effective treatment for postpartum hemorrhage.
• Conduct social and behavioral research on promoting lifesaving practices such as immediate, exclusive breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact to keep newborns warm.
• Develop effective strategies to expand the availability and use of voluntary family planning services in poor urban areas.
• Rigorously evaluate innovative programs, and share effective strategies with other countries.

• Donors will spend more on women and children, and those donations will be tracked.
• Developing countries will pass rigorous policies for women’s and children’s health, and fully fund their implementation, and health workers will have the tools and training they need.
• Communities will work together to gather solid evidence about the interventions that work best, and combine them into a comprehensive plan to save lives.

Women everywhere will have the knowledge and power to save their lives and the lives of their babies. Now what’s not to like about that?

Care2 Action

• Sign the Petition: Support Women’s Health with the Global MOMS Act

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