The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), which the foundation helped launch in 1999, has made significant progress. GAVI estimates that its work has helped prevent approximately 1.7 million deaths. In a 2006 foundation report, we evaluated what we learned from our work with GAVI.
Our report shows that:
- Sometimes you have to be the first dollar in. In 1999, we were GAVI's only funder. Our early contribution jumpstarted worldwide progress on immunization, which proved effective in bringing other donors to the table.
- Providing a vaccine for free for five years did not achieve desired results. GAVI's business model assumed it would help a country introduce a new vaccine by providing it free for five years. The vaccine’s price would then reduce and governments and donor countries would sustain it. When this approach did not work, GAVI required countries to co-pay a small percentage from the start, with the amount increasing every year.
- Funding operating expenses is essential. We were initially reluctant to allow GAVI to use a significant amount of our funding to support grantee operating expenses, as opposed to purchasing vaccines. But we learned that this is vital for getting new entities up and running and attracting other donors that have funding restraints.
- Creating an alliance of existing entities was better than building a new entity. Initially, we considered funding a new independent organization, but as the old African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
About the DocumentTitle: Ensuring the World's Poorest Children Benefit from Lifesaving Vaccines (5 pages, 249KB, PDF)
Prepared By: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Date Published: June 2006