Gates Foundation invests $45 million to boost nutrition in Burkina Faso

“The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $45 million (23.5 billion FCFA) over three years in various programs to improve the nutrition and health of women and children in Burkina Faso,” said the foundation in a statement.

The bulk of the money, $34 million, aims to fund programs that promote nutrition in infants and young children and improve access to healthy, affordable diets.

Ten million dollars will be allocated to contraceptive programs to help women plan and space their pregnancies.

Burkina Faso, one of the least developed countries in the world, has great difficulty in controlling its population, which is growing at a rate of about 3 percent per year.

Melinda Gates said investing in women will help to improve the lives of families.

She also announced a funding initiative for contraceptives in nine African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

Money invested by their governments will be matched, up to $15 million.