Singapore – AVPN is happy to announce four impact partners that have been selected for its USD 1M Healthcare Pooled Fund. This second round of AVPN Healthcare Pooled Fund focuses on non-profit organisations working to improve access to and quality of MNCHN (Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition) services for the underserved and marginalised communities in Southeast Asia, specifically in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The four impact partners were successfully selected out of 61 applications and more than 330 interests garnered from a diverse range of non-profit organisations working on healthcare and MNCHN issues. The selected impact partners and their respective target markets are:
- Angkor Hospital for Children, Cambodia
- International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, the Philippines
- Spoon Foundation, Vietnam
- Yayasan Kusuma Buana, Indonesia
These partners are seeking to achieve impact through innovative solutions which broadly cover initiatives aiming for a sustainable and holistic health system upgrade that decreases the number of newborns dying in impoverished settings; addressing gaps in human resources, infrastructure and equipment for MNCHN services; increasing the demand and use of services by organising and mobilising health and nutrition resources within the community; promoting inclusive and optimal nutritional development for children in home-based childcare centres; and improving the quality of MNCHN direct services through a continuum of interventions.
We believe that the impact partners’ innovative approaches in improving the MNCHN services and outcomes in Southeast Asia are timely and urgently needed. There is a pressing need to improve the quality of MNCHN services in the region given the prevalence of malnutrition, with an estimated 1 in every 2 children in the region having at least one micronutrient deficiency (UNICEF, 2021). Given the strong correlation between MNCHN outcomes and overall social and economic outcomes, these innovative solutions are expected to contribute to improving the quality of life and socioeconomic development in the region.
This second round of AVPN Healthcare Pooled Fund is a continuation of the pioneering philanthropic approach done in 2021 that focused on post-pandemic primary healthcare recovery. We would like to thank our four committed philanthropy leaders – Chevron, Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Quantedge Advancement Initiative, and Vitol Foundation – for their support to make this fund possible.
