Our Strategy

Our team’s collective work, past and present, is bridging gaps in equitable access and opportunity in low and middle-income countries, especially for women and girls.

Vision

Resilient communities on a path towards sustainable development.

Purpose

Harness our collective expertise in global health and development to shape dynamic partnerships; bring innovative solutions to scale; and cultivate champions to foster change

Strategic goals

1.

Strengthening partnerships to collaboratively deliver impact

Successful partnerships depend upon trust, transparency, and inclusive participation of key stakeholders.

Prior to the establishment of Bridges, the team has had instrumental roles in the establishment, evolution, and delivery of results through global health partnerships such as Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, The Global Fund to Fight Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDs, and the Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases Partnership. We have also shaped local initiatives to be more impactful, responding to the development needs of marginalized communities.

Since launching Bridges, some of the Partnerships that we have supported in their establishment or strengthening are the Immunization Agenda 2030; The RBM Partnership to End Malaria; The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund; STOP2030 Consortium; and The FGS Integration Group.

2.

Simplify and accelerate the pathways from innovation to impact

The future impact of a new intervention depends on targeting its development to country and community needs, engaging at the right times with the essential data for those making policy and financing decisions, and facilitating scaled-up delivery. Diverse public and private organizations have roles on the path to impact.

We have led several product collaborations and have succeeded in making innovations a reality at scale, such as a combined medicine to treat lymphatic filariasis, new vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and malaria, new diagnostics for NTDs, and solar fridges to keep health products cold.

Recent work in this area has explored diagnostics and, with the STOP2030 consortium, the access pathway for the first new medicine for Soil Transmitted Helminths in over 40 years. We have also been working on innovations driving progress towards Onchocerciasis elimination goals, supporting the access strategy for an alternative medicine, Moxidectin, with Medicines Development for Global Health, as well as planning diagnostic needs for loaisis in order to treat areas that are co-endemic.

3.

Diversify the voices tackling complex problems locally and globally

We bring our unique skill set and global perspective to complement trusted local and regional partnerships to deliver shared returns, beyond what could be conceivable for any one of the partners working alone. Eschewing traditional top-down approaches, we follow the lead of local communities, governments and partners to develop and guide priorities and solutions to development challenges. We build on strengths and share experience to remove barriers and accelerate progress.

One way we diversify voices in global health and development is by leveraging tools such as peer networks, providing affected communities the opportunity to lean on and learn from their peers and produce contextually appropriate and locally developed solutions.

Recent projects in which we have supported the establishment of a peer network include:

connecting and training over 700 African HWs about the neglected disease, female genital schistosomiasis;
connecting tens of thousands of health and immunization workers around the world on the Movement for IA2030 and;
supporting virtual climate and health events for health workers from LMICs