Keep Going: Progress is possible.

Keep going

Progress is possible
In the face of tremendous global challenges—from climate change to disease epidemics to financial crises—we believe that where you live should never determine your health and well-being.
25 Years of Progress

Over the past 25 years we’ve witnessed and contributed to more progress than we ever thought possible.  

Now, the world is at a crossroads. The challenges ahead are the most daunting we’ve seen in our lifetime. But so are the opportunities. With the innovations we have today and in the pipeline, we can save and improve even more lives. 

Data visualization

A patchwork of progress

Over the last 25 years, the number of global childhood deaths was cut in half, to under 5 million per year. And maternal mortality has fallen globally by about 40%. A lot of progress has been made, but we have to keep going. See the last 25 years of work and data in immunizations, infectious diseases, nutrition, and maternal and newborn health that have contributed to saving the lives of mothers and babies around the globe.
Economic Opportunity
Economic Opportunity

Economies where everyone can thrive

The world’s extreme poverty rate has dropped dramatically over the past few decades, falling by more than half since 2000. That said, 700 million people around the world live on less than US $2.15 a day. They mostly rely on agriculture for food and income and have few ways to save, grow capital, or obtain credit.

Since 2000, we have been working on many fronts to help the world’s poorest families expand their economic opportunities and small farmers succeed even amidst the impacts of climate change.

Phoebe Mwangangi, a farmer, at her farm in Wote, Makueni County, Kenya, on March 15, 2025. Makueni County has implemented E-MOTIVE (Early Detection and Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage), which is focused on reducing maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), a major cause of maternal mortality.

Meet the Kenyan farmer helping her community grow food in a changing climate

Kenyan farmer Phoebe Mwangangi uses climate-smart farming to fight drought, boost yields, and train hundreds of women to grow food in tough conditions.
Dr. Stellah Bosire poses for a photograph at her desk in a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya on April 6, 2024.

A doctor at the intersection of women’s health and economic power

Dr. Stellah Bosire champions women’s economic empowerment and health equity. Learn how her work is transforming lives in Kenya and beyond.
Veronica Auma and her son, Terrel, at their house in Busia County, Kenya. Veronica spoke to the Gates Foundation on how affordable and high-quality child care impacted her ability to pursue economic opportunities.

Q&A: How strengthening the care economy can boost women’s workforce participation

A specialist in gender data and evidence explains how challenges and opportunities on the path to creating a more equitable care system could increase women’s participation in the global workforce.
By Radu Ban Senior Program Officer, Gender Data and Evidence, Gates Foundation
1 %
Fact:
A 1% increase in agricultural per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reduces the poverty gap five times more than a 1% increase in GDP in other sectors, especially amongst the poorest.
Maternal & Child Health
Maternal & Child Health

Making a safer world for mothers and babies

Thanks to global focus, coordination, and effort, child mortality has been cut in half since 2000. But thousands of mothers and children are still dying from preventable causes during pregnancy and childbirth.

At the foundation, we are working to make these preventable deaths a thing of the past and give every mother and child worldwide a chance to thrive.

A nurse manager, demonstrates how to use a drape to prevent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) at Makueni County Referral Hospital in Makueni County, Wote, Kenya.

This simple tool is helping prevent maternal deaths worldwide

Discover how Kenya’s E-MOTIVE protocol and a low-cost blood-loss drape reduces severe postpartum bleeding by 60%, saving thousands of mothers each year.
Learn more
Infectious Diseases
Infectious Diseases

25 years against disease

From longtime scourges such as malaria, tuberculosis, and polio to newer threats such as HIV and COVID-19, preventable infectious diseases still afflict communities all over the world.

Since 2000, our foundation has helped build a global coalition of partners to fight the spread of these deadly diseases and ensure every child gets the vaccines they need.

Emmanuel Mugisha, a global health leader advocating for the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs), looks at family portraits displayed in his home in Kampala, Uganda.

“I’m the guy who saves children’s lives”: One man’s vaccine mission

Emmanuel Mugisha builds trust in vaccines—connecting communities, saving lives, and leading the charge against typhoid and HPV.
The next-generation mosquito net bringing new hope in the fight against malaria

Can this innovative mosquito net outsmart malaria?

Scientist Corine Ngufor developed a mosquito net using dual insecticides, helping protect millions and renewing global progress against malaria.
Nandipha Titana

A trusted voice in the fight against TB

Nandipha Titana helps fight TB in her South African community by connecting people to care and building trust through her work at Be Part.
Fact:
3.5 M+
Vaccines save between 3.5 to 5 million lives a year, every year.
Fact:
$54
Every dollar spent on immunization brings a return of $54 when broader social benefits are included.

Portraits of the people who keep going

Explore snapshots of people across the globe who are in charge of their own futures.