A new approach to combating infant mortality Pioneering partnership
The Pediatric Immunization Alliance of the La Caixa Foundation has provided immunizations to 107,467 particularly vulnerable children in Africa, thanks to donations from 78 La Coruña companies that have been working with the coalition since 2008. We were able to administer the vaccination. Across Galicia, these figures amount to 190,876 children vaccinated and 125 partnering companies.
This Tuesday, an event was held to commemorate the Alliance for Childhood Immunization, attended by Her Royal Highness Crown Prince Doña Cristina, International Area Director of the “La Caixa” Foundation. Pedro Badiola, Director, Caixa Bank Northern Territory; Magdalena Robert, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Communications, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Companies working with the alliance, including Eduardo Molnar, Head of Donor Relations and Campaigns at Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and Belen Lago, shareholder of Grupo Oca Obras Civiles del Atlantico. Representatives also participated.
The conference was an opportunity to highlight more than 16 years of this effort to fight preventable diseases that pose great risks to children’s lives in their countries due to poor access to health care.
The initiative is being led by Gabi, the African Vaccine Alliance, and the La Caixa Foundation, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and collaboration with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). . Together, they successfully immunized more than 10 million children against pneumonia, a lung infection that remains the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide today, and Vaccines specifically protect children from diseases such as tetanus and diphtheria. vaccine.
To achieve this objective, the Childhood Immunization Program relies on donations from the “La Caixa” Foundation, donations received from customers of 5,000 companies and financial institutions across Spain, and donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. depends on.
A total of 10 million children in 10 countries in Africa and Latin America have been vaccinated. Countries such as Mozambique, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Central African Republic, Sudan, Bolivia, and Tanzania.
“We are extremely proud that this Alliance has earned the trust of so many companies and customers who renew their support each year. We are jointly responsible for the significant impact that has been made,” said Her Royal Highness Princess Cristina, International Regional Director of the La Caixa Foundation.
From left to right: Mr. Juan Pedro Badiola, Director of Caixa Bank Northern Territories, Her Royal Highness Infanta Doña Cristina, International Area Director of “La Caixa” Foundation, Ms. Ariadna Baldoret, “La Caixa” Foundation International Mr. Lander Rubio, Program Director, Belén Lago, Commercial Director of Caixa Bank Northern Regional Division Company and Shareholder of Groupe Oca – Obras Civiles del Atlántico – PHOTO/© ‘la Caixa’ Foundation
A new approach to combating infant mortality
All donations received will be quadrupled through the Matching Funds Initiative, with the aim of increasing private sector support from businesses and customers to the Pediatric Immunization Alliance. This is because for every €1 donated, the ‘La Caixa’ Foundation will add an additional €1 and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will add an additional €2.
Pneumonia remains the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide today. All funds raised by the La Caixa Foundation over the past five years will cover 100% of the cost of vaccination programs against the disease in Mozambique and 25% in Ethiopia in 2021 and 2022.
In 2024, the “La Caixa” Foundation, the first private partner of Gavi, the European Vaccine Alliance, will make a commitment to the international body to double all contributions received to the Alliance up to a maximum of 2 million euros. We renewed our promise. This initiative therefore receives donations from companies as part of their corporate social responsibility and also extends its reach to Caixabank customers as a philanthropic effort in the fight against infant mortality.
Meanwhile, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which launched the Matching Funds Initiative in 2011, has maintained its commitment to double the total amount of all funds donated to Gavi to a maximum of €4 million by 2024. There is. Meanwhile, Gavi Board ISGlobal has been a member since 2016, joined the business partnership as a strategic partner in 2014, and continues to contribute its scientific and academic expertise to the project.
All financial contributions by private companies and customers aim to expand the funds used to support the vaccination of children in 10 countries in Africa and Latin America. The main focus is on the distribution of pneumococcal vaccines in Mozambique to combat pneumonia, a lung infection that remains the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide.
pioneering partnership
According to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance includes governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical institutions, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and La Caixa Foundation, a major Spanish foundation. Other private sector partners.
Since its founding in 2000, its mission has been to save lives, reduce poverty, and protect the world from the threat of epidemics and pandemics. To this end, we have helped vaccinate more than 1 billion children in 78 countries by the end of 2022.
The Child Immunization Alliance of the “la Caixa” Foundation is characterized by the participation of companies and individuals who are CaixaBank’s customers in a pioneering corporate social responsibility project in Europe. The Child Vaccination Alliance relies on the efforts of the CaixaBank Empresas and CaixaBank Banca Privada teams and across its branch network to spread the word and raise funds. This is the key to the success of this initiative.
To achieve this objective, CaixaBank Empresas is working hard to raise the awareness of its customers and to promote vaccination in developing countries as a socially responsible action that allows customers to give back some of what they have to society. We provide our customers with access to and the opportunity to contribute to quality. I received it from there. Meanwhile, CaixaBank Banca Privada promotes its support to Gavi within the framework of social value projects that support and encourage customers’ philanthropic interests.
The La Caixa Foundation is spread across 10 countries in Africa and Latin America, including Mozambique, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Central African Republic, Sudan, Bolivia and Tanzania. In recent years, the La Caixa Foundation has focused specifically on developing a pneumococcal vaccine in Mozambique against pneumonia, which is currently the main cause of infant mortality in the country. As part of this, Gavi was selected for the 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, out of 34 candidates competing for the award.
