The helplessness of seeing sick children in the world’s poorest countries led to the creation of Gavi, an international organization and Vaccine Alliance, in 2000.
Almost 15 years later, more than 440 million children now have a better chance at leading a healthy life thanks to the work of Gavi. The organization provides access to children’s vaccines for diseases that include hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles, meningitis A, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus diarrhea and yellow fever.
Gavi has supported 73 of the world’s poorest countries, including Bangladesh, the Congo, Haiti, the Sudan and Uganda. You can see the full list of countries on their website.
Photo by: Gavi/Dan Thomas/2014. A mother and child wait for immunization at a health clinic in Vietnam.
The Vaccine Alliance began with a $750 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that started the collaboration between United Nations agencies, governments, the vaccine industry and other public and private partners to help children in need. Research has shown that vaccinating children and keeping them healthy increases the likelihood that they will attend school and become contributing members of their communities.
Gavi estimates that those 440 million children who have been immunized will save six million lives. The vaccines will help those countries battle diarrhea and pneumonia, which Gavi cites as two of the biggest killers of children.
In addition to vaccinating children, Gavi also provides support for the introduction of new vaccines, assists countries with developing their own sustainable immunization program, and works to improve the supply chain from the vaccine manufacturers to the children.
Photo by: Gavi/Katerine Brisebois/2007. Children are vaccinated free of charge in Ghana, one of the best performing immunization programs in the developing world.
Although Gavi has made significant strides in its mission, there is a lofty goal ahead, as the organization hopes to reach an additional 300 million children between 2016 and 2020, preventing a further 5-6 million more deaths.
For more information on Gavi’s work, please visit their website at www.gavi.org.
