Bridges to Development

This #WorldImmunizationWeek2026, Bridges to Development is reflecting on a long journey with vaccines — and looking ahead with excitement. Our team's roots in immunization run deep, with experience spanning Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, PATH, and supporting the launch and inaugural secretariat of the Immunization Agenda 2030 (#IA2030). That history shapes how we approach what it takes to bring life-saving vaccines to the people who need them most. Today, with leadership and funding from Coefficient Giving, we're proud to be supporting organizations to collaborate and accelerate the vaccine development efforts for Next-generation Malaria vaccines and New Strep A vaccines! Both represent huge opportunities to reduce disease burden in low- and middle-income countries — and we're honored to play a role in supporting that work. Here's to the researchers, advocates, and partners advancing immunization around the world. 🌍 #Immunization #GlobalHealth #VaccinesWork #MalariaVaccine #StrepA #IA2030 #WIW2026 #WorldMalariaDay2026

A malaria-free future is within reach! 🌍 With funding and leadership from Coefficient Giving, Bridges is proud to support the creation of a coordinated structure to accelerate next-gen malaria vaccines! It’s time to innovate, integrate & fund. 🔬The Malaria Vaccine Alliance is coming soon!   Now we can. Now we must.   Help shape this work: https://bit.ly/4skdczT #WorldMalariaDay #EndMalaria

The STOP2030 team was thrilled to share updates on our project at the 2026 Annual Meeting of NTD Program Managers in Africa last week in Malawi. The theme of this year’s meeting “Leveraging Innovative Tools and Sustainable Financing to Advance NTD Elimination in Africa" aligns perfectly with the mission of STOP2030.   The STOP2030 project is working to advance and accelerate an innovative pharmacological tool to support the elimination goals against soil-transmitted helminth (STH) species, especially those that have a suboptimal response to current single drug treatment. Our innovative fixed-dose, orodispersible tablet combining ivermectin and albendazole targets all the STH species considered by WHO, provides superior efficacy, comparable safety and logistic simplicity. We aim to support the achievement of the World Health Organization 2030 Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap for Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) and beyond.   We thank the partners for sharing their experiences in various roles in this complex project, with special mentions to: - Pauline Mwinzi, WHO Technical Officer for SCH & STH, for setting the scene - Stella Kepha, Principal Research Scientist, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), for sharing the cumulative study findings on the fixed-dose co-formulation (FDC) and the overall coordination of the session - Joseph Opare, NTD Program Manager, Ghana Health Service, for sharing program implementation experience from the feasibility and acceptability studies in Ghana, and sharing the recent approval of the FDC from the Ghana FDA, the first country to register the FDC for clinical use   - Ladislas Nshimiyimana, MAPPM Acting Director Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Rwanda Ministry of Health, for presenting on Rwanda’s experience of using ivermectin and albendazole in their STH program and insights for introduction of the FDC   And a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined, engaged, and brought such thoughtful questions to the conversation! #beatNTDs #STH #STOP2030 #GlobalHealth

Julie was delighted to meet Dr Soneye Islamiat Yetunde, a Mwele Malecela Mentorship Program Mentee, at the 2026 Annual Meeting of NTD Program Managers in Malawi last week! Dr. Soneye is the Ogun State, Nigeria, NTD Coordinator and also a mother of 4 and member of the FGS Society of Nigeria. She is dedicated to improving the well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, and people living with disabilities.Through her leadership and expertise, she is making a significant contribution to the elimination of NTDs and the overall enhancement of public health in Ogun State.

REMINDER - Engagement survey for new Malaria Vaccine Alliance will close on Monday, 20 April Big News: Establishing the Malaria Vaccine Alliance! 🌍 A strong consensus has emerged from malaria vaccine community consultations in 2024 and 2025: a coordinated structure is needed to share science, address persistent bottlenecks, and align efforts to accelerate the development of effective, accessible, and affordable malaria vaccines for all endemic regions. We are excited to announce that, thanks to the leadership and support of Coefficient Giving, Bridges to Development has been engaged to facilitate the design and establishment of this new independent, multi-stakeholder alliance. Now, we need your input! 📣 We have launched a short survey to help us map the broader partner landscape and set up our initial structures. If you work in this field, your input is essential! The Survey ➔ Less than 5 minutes to complete. The Impact ➔ Inform the governance and priorities of the Alliance. Deadline ➔ April 20th, 2026. 👉 Complete the survey here: https://bit.ly/4skdczT ... and please share with relevant colleagues and networks! We look forward to building this collaborative community with you. #MalariaVaccines #GlobalHealth #HealthEquity #VaccineDevelopment

Rejoignez-nous plus tard aujourd'hui pour un webinaire sur le financement de la lutte contre la schistosomiase génitale féminine (FGS)! Reinforcer le financement pour FGS est essentiel pour faire progresser la santé des femmes, l’équité et les réponses intégrées aux MTN. En collaboration avec le ministère de la Santé du Malawi, le ministère fédéral de la Coopération économique et du Développement (BMZ), la Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH et les partenaires du Groupe d’intégration de la schistosomiase génitale féminine (FIG), nous organisons un webinaire afin d’analyser le paysage financier mondial et national de la schistosomiase génitale féminine et d’explorer comment des investissements coordonnés peuvent favoriser une intégration durable au sein des systèmes de santé. La schistosomiase / bilharziose génitale féminine (SGF ou BGF) touche plus de 50 millions de femmes et de filles en Afrique subsaharienne, mais reste sous-diagnostiquée, sous-financée et largement invisible au sein des programmes #SDSR, #VIH, #VPH et #CSU. Cette session dressera la liste des bailleurs de fonds, mettra en évidence les opportunités d’intégration et partagera les enseignements tirés du rôle de premier plan joué par le Malawi dans l’intégration de la schistosomiase génitale féminine aux priorités nationales. Nous remercions les partenaires du réseau FIG — ainsi que ceux qui œuvrent à accroître la visibilité de la SGF / BGF en tant que question de santé et d’équité pour les femmes, notamment EANNASO et Women4GlobalFund (W4GF) — pour leur engagement en faveur du leadership communautaire et des approches centrées sur les femmes. 📅 30 mars 2026 ⏰ 9 h – 10 h 30 EDT / 15 h – 16 h 30 CEST-CAT 🌍 Interprétation en français et en portugais disponible 🔗 Inscrivez-vous ici : https://lnkd.in/eJ8-pn-V Rejoignez-nous pour travailler ensemble afin que la SGF / BGF ne soit plus laissée pour compte. Ministry Of Health Malawi Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Join us later today for a FGS Integration Group webinar focused on strengthening financing for Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), which is essential to advancing women’s health, equity, and integrated NTD responses. Together with the Ministry Of Health Malawi, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and partners across the FGS Integration Group (FIG), we’re hosting a webinar to unpack the global and national financing landscape for FGS and explore how coordinated investment can drive sustainable integration across health systems. FGS affects more than 50 million women and girls across sub‑Saharan Africa, yet remains under‑diagnosed, under‑funded, and largely invisible within #SRHR, #HIV, #HPV, and #UHC programmes. This session will map funders, highlight integration opportunities, and share lessons from Malawi’s leadership in embedding FGS into national priorities. We’re grateful to partners across the FIG network — and to those working to increase the visibility of FGS as a women’s health and equity issue, including EANNASO and Women4GlobalFund (W4GF)  — for championing community leadership and women‑centred approaches. 📅 30 March 2026 ⏰ 9–10:30am EDT / 3–4:30pm CEST‑CAT 🌍 French & Portuguese interpretation available 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eJ8-pn-V Join us as we work together to ensure FGS is no longer left behind.

Check out our reflection on this morning's webinar about equity, integration, and health systems. Aligning with #InternationalWomensDay, Bridges to Development and Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) hosted this critical discussion, with a focus on the integration of Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) into routine care. As funding for global health shifts, the message from the World Health Organization, WHO AFRO - Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN), and national leaders was clear: we must move from silos to integrated systems. #FGS #HealthEquity #GlobalHealth #NTDs #InternationalWomensDay #WomensHealth #EndSchisto #BeatNTDs

Join Bridges to Development and Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) on Wednesday 11 March 2026 at 4pm CET for a webinar on schistosomiasis and FGS! This panel discussion will highlight schistosomiasis elimination as a health-systems challenge. Particularly relevant following #InternationalWomensDay, we will discuss female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) as a concrete example of why equity, gender, and integration must be central to disease elimination strategies. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ddG9nSqD Please do share with your networks. #beatNTDs

We are grateful for donors like the The END Fund who enable us to work towards bringing women and girls the care they need. We raise awareness, train healthcare workers and streamline female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) into existing health services to end the suffering.