Grand Challenges Canada Thanks Government of Canada for Renewed Commitment to Improving Health of Mothers and Children

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - June 12, 2015) - Grand Challenges Canada today commended the Government of Canada's sustained leadership on maternal, newborn and child health, reaffirmed by The Honourable Minister Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie.

Canada has shown strong leadership -- through the Muskoka Initiative and a $3.5 billion pledge announced last spring -- in the global effort to save and improve the lives of women and children in low-resource settings. While tremendous progress has been made, much work remains to be done and Grand Challenges Canada applauds the renewed commitment of the Canadian government to save the lives of the world's most vulnerable citizens: women and children.

Grand Challenges Canada is honoured that the Government of Canada has renewed funding with a $161 million investment (2015-2025), for a large-scale initiative aimed at developing and testing new innovations supporting maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in developing countries. This support will help ensure that mothers and children survive and thrive by enabling Grand Challenges Canada to renew its flagship programs: Saving Lives at Birth and Saving Brains. It will also enable Grand Challenges Canada to support Stars in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and to scale the most promising of these innovations, as well as continue to build partnerships.

Since its launch in 2010, Grand Challenges Canada has supported more than 700 innovations, implemented in over 80 countries, and has leveraged $269 million in additional funding from outside the Government of Canada, including significant private sector investment. These investments are producing results.

Said Peter A. Singer, Chief Executive Officer of Grand Challenges Canada, "We are grateful to the Government of Canada for their continued support. We look forward to working with the government and our partners to ensure that Canada continues to lead on maternal, newborn and child health by supporting bold ideas with big impact."

Said Rosemary McCarney, Chair of the Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (CAN-MNCH), "Investing in Grand Challenges Canada to accelerate the power of innovation so mothers and children survive and thrive is another example of Canada's globally recognized leadership in focusing the world's attention on maternal, newborn and child health."

Said Trevor Mundel, President of the Global Health program at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "Grand Challenges Canada is a valued partner of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We are very pleased to see the Government of Canada renew its support to Grand Challenges Canada to use innovation to save and improve the lives of women and children."

About Grand Challenges Canada
Grand Challenges Canada is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact^® in global health. We are funded by the Government of Canada. We fund innovators in low- and middle-income countries and Canada. Grand Challenges Canada works with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and other global health foundations and organizations to find sustainable, long-term solutions through Integrated Innovation^® -- bold ideas that integrate science, technology, social and business innovation. Grand Challenges Canada is hosted at the Sandra Rotman Centre.
www.grandchallenges.ca

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