Philanthropists unveil a $600 million fund to prevent maternal deaths

From the newsletter

A coalition led by the Gates Foundation has launched a $500 million fund, along with a $100 million direct investment, to improve maternal and newborn health across ten countries in Africa. This initiative aims to implement scalable, evidence-based solutions to reduce preventable deaths, which are currently worsened by climate change.

• In February 2025, doctors in Nigeria linked climate change to adverse maternal outcomes, highlighting heatwaves, displacement, food insecurity, and pollution as significant barriers to adequate pregnancy and postnatal care.

• Climate change poses substantial threats to maternal health by worsening existing vulnerabilities, including gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, preterm birth, and stillbirth.

More details

• The Beginnings Fund focuses on improving maternal and newborn health in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The fund is backed by a coalition of philanthropies, including the Gates Foundation, the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, and the ELMA Foundation. It aims to deliver sustainable improvements in the region’s most overburdened health systems.

• Managed from Nairobi, the fund will concentrate on equipping high-burden hospitals with skilled personnel and implementing low-cost, high-impact interventions. These interventions may include enhanced infection control, emergency obstetric care, and neonatal resuscitation. According to Alice Kang’ethe, the fund’s chief executive, the initiative is projected to save 300,000 lives and provide quality maternal and newborn care to an additional 34 million people by 2030.

• A side event during the 10th Future of Health Conference, organised by Nigeria Health Watch, was sponsored by MSD for Mothers and focused on the intersection of climate change and maternal health. Titled “Climate Change and Maternal Health: Protecting Mothers in a Changing Climate,” the expert panel included Professor Christopher O. Aimakhu, Dr. Samuel Oyeniyi, Dr. Chukwunonso Nwaokorie, Chiagozie Abiakam, and Faithfulness Oyinloye. They explored the impacts of climate change on maternal health and discussed local strategies to mitigate climate-related risks for mothers and children.

• The panelists highlighted the increased vulnerability of pregnant women to climate-sensitive diseases, drawing attention to global risks. Faithfulness Oyinloye noted that during pregnancy, lowered immunity makes women more susceptible to the effects of climate change. For example, flooding can cause trauma, stress, and anxiety, leading to complications such as high blood pressure. She also pointed out that food insecurity, exacerbated by droughts and floods, contributes to malnutrition, which raises the risk of complications such as low birth weight, stillbirth, and fetal growth retardation among expectant mothers.

• Oyinloye further emphasised that rising temperatures contribute to heat stress in pregnant women, potentially resulting in preterm births and other adverse outcomes. The panel also discussed how frequent floods, droughts, and storms damage maternal care infrastructure, disrupting access to antenatal and prenatal services. In Nigeria, where access is already limited, such disruptions heighten the risks associated with unsafe pregnancies and deliveries.

Our take

• While maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa have decreased by 40% since 2000, the region still accounts for 70% of global cases. Each year, 182,000 women and 1.2 million newborns die from preventable causes, in addition to 950,000 stillbirths.

• Research indicates that for every 1°C rise in temperature, preterm birth rates increase by 5%. Heat exposure during pregnancy also raises the risk of stillbirth due to impaired placental function, reduced blood flow, and fetal stress in low-resource, high-temperature regions.

• Climate hazards further exacerbate issues related to nutrition, sanitation, and mental health, leading to increased stress, anxiety, and depression, factors that are linked to poor perinatal outcomes. These risks can result in intergenerational trauma and long-term harm to maternal, newborn, and child health throughout their lifespans.