Strive And Tsitsi Masiyiwa Help Launch US$500 Million Fund To Help Mothers And Babies In Africa

A group of philanthropists, including Strive Masiyiwa and his wife Tsitsi, along with the Gates Foundation, have set up a new fund worth nearly $500 million to help save the lives of mothers and newborn babies in sub-Saharan Africa.

The initiative, called the Beginnings Fund, was officially launched on 29 April in Abu Dhabi. One of the key supporters is the United Arab Emirates’ Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity.

Speaking to Reuters, project CEO Alice Kang’ethe said the fund has been in development for at least a year. However, she noted it’s become even more urgent as many governments, including the United States, cut back on international aid.

Kang’ethe said the fund plans to work closely with African governments, health experts and local organisations — rather than bringing in outside solutions — which sets it apart from many traditional donor projects.

The Beginnings Fund hopes to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and babies by 2030 and improve healthcare for 34 million women and children. 

On top of the main fund, the partners have pledged an extra $100 million in direct investments for maternal and child health.

The fund will start working in countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. It will focus on affordable treatments and better staffing in hospitals that deal with high numbers of critical cases.

It will target the most common causes of death for mothers and babies — such as infections, heavy bleeding during childbirth, and breathing problems in newborns.

Kang’ethe said that while the fund is receiving requests to fill growing gaps in global aid, its main goal remains to create lasting change in survival rates for mothers and babies.

Other supporters include the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, and the ELMA Foundation. The fund will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Strive Masiyiwa also shared a message on Facebook congratulating Tsitsi for her role in helping launch the initiative. He wrote:

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my better half [Tsitsi Masiyiwa] for her work helping to launch the Beginnings Fund, an amazing health care fund to save and protect the lives of newborn babies and their mothers.

Our family foundation operates internationally as “Delta Philanthropies”. In addition to what we fund ourselves, she collaborates with international partners on projects we cannot do on our own, like this maternal and newborn health fund focusing on several countries in sub-Saharan Africa. 

I have watched her work tirelessly for more than a year mobilising philanthropic partners for this initiative.

Founding partners include Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), The ELMA Philanthropies, Gates Foundation, Horace W. Smith Foundation, Patchwork Collective, among others, as well as several Ministries of Health in the focus countries.