ADDIS ABABA (WAM)
The Beginnings Fund, a philanthropic initiative backed by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, on Tuesday launched a $90 million, five-year partnership with the Federal Government of Ethiopia to increase access to quality maternal and newborn care across the country and accelerate progress towards ending preventable deaths among mothers and babies.
The partnership will work across eight regions and 210 health facilities, focusing on strengthening workforces and equipping facilities with a bundle of low-cost, evidence-based interventions to support the delivery of quality, timely care.
The Beginnings Fund investment is structured to support Ethiopia’s national priorities in maternal and newborn health and align with existing government and donor commitments.
As part of its $90 million investment, the Beginnings Fund has channelled $10 million through Ethiopia’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) Compact, a government-led mechanism to coordinate domestic and donor financing towards maternal, newborn, and child health services.
The launch took place in Addis Ababa in the presence of Abdalla Hassan Alshamsi, Ambassador of the UAE to Ethiopia; Dr Mekdes Daba Feyssa, Minister of Health for Ethiopia; Alice Kang’ethe, CEO of the Beginnings Fund, and other partners.
Dr Feyssa said this partnership represents an important investment in Ethiopia’s ambition to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care and ensure more women and babies can access the care they need.
"By bringing together government investment, catalytic philanthropy and partner financing behind our national priorities, we can strengthen the health workforce, expand access to proven interventions and build stronger systems for quality care. This is an investment in Ethiopia’s future, building the capacity, infrastructure and systems we need to sustain progress and deliver better health outcomes for generations to come," she said.
The Beginnings Fund is a $525 million philanthropic initiative working with African governments to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths.
Launched in Abu Dhabi in 2025, the Fund deploys philanthropic capital to scale proven, cost-effective approaches to maternal and newborn care.
By 2031, the Fund aims to expand access to quality care for 34 million mothers and babies in 10 African countries, preventing over 300,000 avoidable deaths.
Its anchor donors include the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, the ELMA Foundation, and the Gates Foundation, among others.
Director-General of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Dr Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, said, “Today’s announcement builds upon the Foundation’s longstanding partnership with Ethiopia and our shared commitment to the health of mothers and babies. Through the Beginnings Fund, we continue to invest in the skilled workforce and solutions needed to expand access to lifesaving care and strengthen maternal and newborn services for years to come.
"Together, we can ensure more mothers give birth safely, more newborns have a healthy start in life, and fewer families experience the burden of preventable loss.”
Over the next five years, the partnership will invest in growing Ethiopia’s skilled maternal and newborn health workforce; increasing access to proven interventions, medicines, and equipment; and improving infrastructure, data, and emergency referral systems.
Together, these investments will contribute to Ethiopia’s efforts to prevent approximately 86,000 maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths by 2031, while strengthening the health system to sustain progress over the long term.
Kang’ethe said, “Every woman should be able to give birth safely, and every newborn should have the best possible start in life. This partnership gives us an opportunity to focus resources where they can make the greatest difference. Working alongside the government and our partners, our ambition is to help ensure more women and newborns can access quality care, wherever they live, while supporting lasting improvements in maternal and newborn health across Ethiopia.”
Alongside Kenya and Malawi, Ethiopia is the third country to announce a partnership with the Beginnings Fund.
In its first phase to 2031, the Fund is targeting operations in 10 countries.