Health · Public Health & Disease · 11 hrs ago
Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap Pledge $100 Million to Prevent Stillbirths
The Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap have committed $100 million to a new stillbirth prevention program called Uzima.
It will begin with partners in sub-Saharan Africa, where almost half of the nearly 2 million stillbirths worldwide each year occur.
The program aims to show that stillbirth rates can be cut by half over the next decade in selected countries.
It will identify and test promising tools, then support those that work to expand.
The goal is to help families and health workers spot risks earlier and respond to complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Stillbirth affects families everywhere, but its burden is not shared equally.
The initiative may add more partners and funding later.
The Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap announced a $100 million commitment for a stillbirth prevention initiative called Uzima.
The program aims to show that stillbirth rates can be cut by half over the next decade in select countries.
Uzima will identify, validate and scale innovations to help families and health workers recognize risks earlier and respond to complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
The initiative will begin with partners in sub-Saharan Africa, where almost half of the nearly 2 million stillbirths each year occur.
The program is intended to create a blueprint for reducing stillbirths globally, with additional partners and funding expected later.
- Who
- The Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap.
- What
- They announced a $100 million commitment for Uzima, a program to prevent stillbirths.
- When
- October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The announcement was made in Berlin; the initiative will begin with partners in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Why
- To demonstrate that stillbirth rates can be cut by half over the next decade in select countries.
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This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Funding commitment
- $100 million
- Program name
- Uzima: A Stillbirth Prevention Program
- Target
- Cut stillbirth rates by half over the next decade in select countries
- Annual stillbirths
- Nearly 2 million babies
- Regional burden
- Almost half of stillbirths occur in sub-Saharan Africa
Sources
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