Gates Foundation

Be Part Yoluntu Centre is on a mission to #EndTB in Africa. The dedicated women behind this clinic are pioneers of groundbreaking research on Africa’s deadliest infectious diseases. Through clinical trials and a community-centered approach to healthcare, the women of Be Part Yoluntu Centre are changing the future of public health in South Africa. Meet the inspiring women bridging the gap between research and real-world solutions ??

I am deeply disturbed by news reports that the U.S. Administration is considering withdrawing its support for Gavi. If true, and if Congress allows this to happen, the impacts will be devastating, including possibility of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of preventable deaths, especially among mothers and children. We are going to do everything possible to convince the Administration and the Congress to reverse these actions if true.

Last week, our chair Bill Gates, CEO Mark Suzman, members of our Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees visited India to mark our 25th anniversary and learn about advances in AI–powered innovation, digital public infrastructure, health, and agricultural development. Over the course of the trip, they met with government officials, philanthropists, partners, and many others—and even played a game of “Crennis”.

Caring for the people around you shouldn’t be a radical idea. Meet Nandipha Titana, a Community Liaison Officer at Be Part Yoluntu Centre. Nandipha’s job is to help people with TB seek care and treatment for their disease. By meeting with her neighbors, hearing their concerns, and directing them to care, Nandipha has helped treat over 80% of the community—proof that looking out for the people around you benefits everyone. On this #WorldTBDay, we’re inspired by people like Nandipha who provide hope. TB is completely preventable; to address it will require global collaboration, bold leadership, and a commitment to ensuring that new innovations reach every person affected by TB. Read Nandipha’s full story: https://gates.ly/4j233DY

India has long-been a leader in leveraging ideas and emerging technologies to address complex global challenges, and I had a great week meeting with grantees and government partners to see so much of this ongoing innovation in person. I’m leaving here inspired, and, more than anything, optimistic. There are lessons we’ve learned here that we can take to other parts of the world.

India's innovations are reshaping not just the country, but the world.

You might not think of a solar-powered refrigerator as a life-saving innovation. Think again. Malawi health clinics, 40% of which are not on the electrical grid, have historically relied on gas or battery-powered refrigerators to keep vaccines cool. But as fuel became increasingly difficult to obtain or batteries failed, refrigerators would stop working, and live-saving doses would spoil before health care workers could distribute them. Enter: Solar Direct Drive (SDD) fridges—also known as solar-powered refrigerators. SDD fridges connect directly to solar panels installed on clinic rooftops, so they are battery-free and powered by the sun. And now, many SDD fridges in Malawi health clinics are generating enough power not just to keep vaccines at the right temperature; they’re powering clinic lighting, fetal heartbeat monitors, and other medical equipment without connection to the electrical grid! Read more about how the Malawi community rallied behind these refrigerators to ensure that clinics in need were able to reap the benefits of this innovation: https://gates.ly/4hz0I26

Fact or Fiction?

Sport teaches us teamwork, life demands the same. Crennis was fun, but the real action is brewing with Sachin Tendulkar Foundation & Gates Foundation. Bill Gates Sachin Tendulkar Gates Foundation India

Most lifesaving vaccines are delivered with a needle and syringe. And in lower-resource settings, these were often reused which risked the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B.? Today, auto-disable syringes are a mainstay of vaccination programs in these countries, preventing needle reuse and saving lives in the process. Other ‘vaccine delivery’ innovations are under development, which means we could have even more tools to ensure people get the vaccines they need. Hear from public health physician Dr. Mercy Ahun about these groundbreaking innovations.