DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Gender health activists want philanthropists to step up and start filling the gaps in maternal and child health funding.
According to Donor Tracker, total official development assistance to maternal, newborn, and child health stagnated between 2017 and 2021 at around $10 billion annually, with 53% of funding coming from bilateral donors in 2021.
Underfunding has mainly affected primary health care but there are also serious shortfalls in research and development, said Katelen Kellogg, communications officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation philanthropic partnerships team.