“Melinda Gates announced on Thursday that her and husband Bill’s foundation will spend $776 million tackling hunger over the next six years, doubling existing commitments.

Gates made the announcement in Brussels, where she urged European leaders to make the nutrition of women and children a priority. The huge pledge also unlocks $180 million in matched funding from Britain’s Department for International Development.

‘Malnutrition is the underlying cause of nearly half of all under-5 child deaths,’ said Gates. ‘Yet for too long the world has underinvested in nutrition. Today we see an opportunity to change that.’

Much of the money will be spent in India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso, where there is serious malnutrition and a real chance to make positive changes, the foundation said.

[Reuters]

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