The Gates Foundation announced Tuesday that it is pledging $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar reported that the nonprofit has vaccinated 1.1 billion children in 78 low-income countries since its inception in 2000, and estimates that 19 million deaths were prevented as a result. It has been the Gates Foundation’s biggest grantee in the vaccine industry, receiving $7.7 billion prior to this announcement.
“For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid. That is a tragedy,” Gates Foundation chairman Bill Gates said in a statement. “Fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take to stop it.”
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!