At a glance
- India is investing significantly in health and development, with the goal of helping millions of people participate in the country’s growth opportunities and lift themselves out of poverty.
- We align all of our efforts with the objectives of the Indian government, including the country’s ambitious targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- In addition to working with the central and state governments, we partner with community groups, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, and development organizations.
- Our areas of focus in health care include maternal and newborn health, nutrition, family planning, and the control of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, lymphatic filariasis, and visceral leishmaniasis. We believe that spurring innovation is key to solving these and other persistent health challenges.
- We work with partners to help develop innovative solutions that improve the quality and coverage of services in priority states, particularly Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. We also work in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra, where we support programs in sanitation, agricultural development, gender equality, and digital financial inclusion.
Overview
More than two decades ago, when Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were both working at Microsoft, they came across a newspaper article about a highly contagious diarrhea-causing virus called rotavirus that was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children each year in low-income countries. They wondered: How could they have not known about this devastating disease?
In higher-income countries, rotavirus is easily treated, and a vaccine is available. Stirred by this gross inequity in access to health care, Bill and Melinda resolved to devote themselves to addressing such issues, leading them to establish their foundation.
The foundation began working in India in 2003 with the launch of Avahan, an HIV prevention program that is estimated to have prevented 600,000 new infections. We also joined with other partners to support the Indian government in eliminating polio. This coordinated effort, which involved mobilizing 2.3 million volunteer vaccinators to reach 170 million children with repeated doses of oral polio vaccine, led to India being declared polio-free in 2014.
Our efforts in India focus on key issues that will affect the future of India’s most vulnerable communities: reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition; sanitation; agricultural development; gender equality, and digital financial inclusion. We have invested more in India than in any other country besides the United States.
In collaboration with India’s central and state governments and with a particular focus on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, we work to develop innovative solutions that improve the quality and coverage of key services. Our data-driven approach allows us to determine what works and what doesn’t and to adjust our strategy and approach accordingly.
We have a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under which we provide technical, management, and program design support for key health initiatives. Under the MoC, the foundation supports the ministry's work to improve health outcomes, such as by reducing maternal and child mortality, improving nutrition services, and increasing immunization coverage. Collaborative efforts are being made to increase access to family planning measures among younger women and reduce the burden of specific infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, visceral leishmaniasis, and lymphatic filariasis. The foundation also supports the government’s efforts to strengthen supply chains as well as the management of human resources for health.
Key states
Our priorities
We work to improve access to quality, affordable health care in India, with a particular focus on maternal and child health, immunization, family planning, nutrition, and neglected tropical diseases (including tuberculosis, lymphatic filariasis, and visceral leishmaniasis). We invest in innovative technologies and support the central and state governments in strengthening health systems.
We work towards realizing the country’s vision of financial inclusion by expanding access to digital financial services and products and improving outreach and efficiency so all Indians have an opportunity to participate in the formal financial sector.
India cannot address its burden of disease until access to safe sanitation is available to all. We work with the public and private sectors and across communities to work toward India’s goals of being open defecation free, improving fecal sludge management, and ensuring access to safe and sustainable sanitation solutions, especially for the urban poor and women.
We work to support and empower smallholder farmers across India—particularly women—so they can increase their incomes and enhance their livelihoods by improving their productivity and gain access to nutritious food for their families and communities.
We focus on women’s economic empowerment as a way to increase women's access to income and assets, expand their economic opportunities, and improve their quality of life.
Frequently asked questions
More about our work in India
Our office in Delhi supports our work with India’s central and state governments, nonprofit organizations, community groups, academic institutions, the private sector, and development organizations to achieve our shared goals.
Read the latest stories, research, and news from across the foundation and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Optimist.