Maternal & Infant Health Consulting

In 2005, Nelson Mandela stood before tens of thousands of people in London’s Trafalgar Square and spoke the words that have reverberated for generations: “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” These are the words most people remember. But the ones that stick with me this #MandelaDay are the ones that came after. Mandela went on to say: “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.” This belief—that every person deserves the opportunity to live with dignity and pursue a healthy and productive life—has shaped many of my choices over the years. It’s also why I’ve spent so much of my life at the Gates Foundation. Over the last twenty five years, the world has witnessed remarkable progress, from child mortality declining dramatically to millions of families rising out of extreme poverty. Nothing about this progress was inevitable. It was the result of deliberate choices and a shared determination to expand opportunity. But we’ve also seen just how fragile progress is. It can stall or reverse even more easily than it can accelerate. Our actions choose its direction. The choices we make now will shape opportunities for generations to come. Each day brings opportunities to help create the world we want to see: one where a person’s future isn’t determined by where they live. Just as Mandela said, poverty is not inevitable. It is solvable. And if we have the resources to help solve it, we have a responsibility to try. In my office hangs a photo of the day we met. It reminds me that progress is possible when we choose courage and action. So that’s what I’ll keep trying to do.

The world has already made huge progress in the fight against HIV, thanks to decades of work from scientists, health workers, and governments. With breakthroughs like lenacapavir and the possibility of a single-shot cure, ending the AIDS pandemic is within reach. But progress depends on sustained investment. If we continue backing innovations that got us this far, we could cut AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections by 90% by the late 2040s.

What does progress look like? This chart tells a remarkable story.     Over the last six decades, deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases have declined dramatically—one of the greatest public health achievements of our lifetime.     This progress reflects sustained commitment from countries, health workers, researchers, communities, and global partners working together to expand access to lifesaving vaccines. It is proof that long-term investment in health delivers real results.     We’ve come incredibly far, but the work continues. Too many children still do not have access to the vaccines they need.     The encouraging part is that we know what works. With continued commitment and investment, we can keep driving this trend in the right direction. 

Mosquitoes that spread malaria are evolving. That's why scientists around the world are developing new ways to stay ahead of them. This is a story about innovation, partnership, and global collaboration: how an American scientist, alongside partners around the world, helped develop a better bed net that can protect more people, save more lives, and help communities stay ahead of malaria.

The screwworm barrier worked for nearly six decades because people funded it, staffed it, and understood that public health actions were making a difference. The moment that logic erodes, in any country, in any administration, the risk starts climbing back.