Latest news from the REACH Network of African-led research institutions, Ministries of Health, policy advocates, and implementation partners working together to reduce preventable child mortality through evidence-based, equitable and scalable solutions.

Momentum is building behind our ambitious efforts to transform child health at the community level across West Africa.

At the African Union earlier this month, I had the privilege of joining Bill Gates at a celebration to mark 25 years of the Gates Foundation’s work.

The message at that meeting was clear: child survival is a pan-African priority, and it demands both political courage and integrated systems that reach families where it matters most, at home, in the community.

This came on the back of the REACH Ministerial Dinner in Geneva, during the 78th World Health Assembly, where ministers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Niger – as well as major figures from across the globe, from Indonesia to Senegal – came together to affirm their commitment to making child survival a national priority in their countries.

That meeting was marked by the shared conviction of ministers and experts that children’s lives can be saved through more intelligent, more coordinated and more collaborative action.

The value of integrating our interventions was a key theme throughout the Gates event and the WHA: when we deliver integrated, multiple interventions – such as azithromycin MDA, immunization, and nutrition – through unified, trusted platforms, we can do more with less.

Nowhere is that more evident than on the ground, in some of our REACH countries currently making incredible progress.

I am proud that my home country of Mali has now officially launched the REACH Mali programme – marking the beginning of a process which will progressively target the entire country, including areas in the east and north which, as a result of instability, have struggled with access to healthcare for far too long.

At a ceremony in Samaya, in the rural Mandé commune, the Minister of Health and Social Development, Colonel Dr Assa Badiallo Touré, described the program as a long-awaited breakthrough. With leadership from CVD-Mali, the Malian government, and the Gates Foundation, the initiative will deliver azithromycin to children aged 1 to 59 months, integrating with nutrition and other campaigns.

I dearly hope that REACH Mali can become a pillar of primary health care in the country and that it stands as a testament to what can be achieved when science, strategy, and solidarity come into alignment.

AVENIR II in Niger, also continues to make tremendous progress, integrating the vast region of Agadez into its distribution programme for the first time this month, while also building capacity throughout the country.

And in Nigeria, preparations are underway for a full-scale rollout of the REACH SARMAAN II programme in Kano State. With millions of children likely to receive azithromycin and other interventions in the course of a major delivery drive, the programme’s design will ensure equitable, effective coverage across high-mortality areas in Africa’s most populous country.

Together, we are building momentum, we are making real progress, and we are showing – on the ground – that REACH can make a lasting difference in our countries and communities.

You will find more information about these stories and more below, and on the REACH Network website.

I wish you happy reading!

Professor Samba Sow
Co-chair, REACH Network