Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, spent a few days visiting Save the Children's newborn and child health programs in Mali.

The visit helped draw attention to the challenges and opportunities of addressing the under-5 child mortality rate in Mali, a country where more than one child in five does not live to celebrate his or her fifth birthday.

Save the Children works with the government of Mali, UNICEF, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other local partners to tackle the high rate of child deaths in Mali through a variety of strategies.

Better Informed = Healthier Babies

On the road to Bougouni, the first major town after the capital city Bamako, is the small village of Keleya in the Sikasso region. The community health center in town serves Keleya and 22 surrounding villages, nearly 11,000 people. Melinda Gates spent time at the clinic visiting with health workers, mothers and children waiting to receive care.

In a country where 30,000 newborn babies die every year, this region has not been spared. Since 2001, Save the Children through funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been working to reduce these newborn deaths by educating community members on simple changes to protect the health of mothers and their babies.

According to Sitan, a traditional birth attendant in the nearby village of Soulouba, who spoke with Melinda about the changes in his village over the past five years, this newborn care training is helping babies stay healthy.

"Now we are better informed and babies are healthier," said Sitan. "People used to bathe newborns directly after birth in cold water, but now we delay this bath. We used to give water and such things to newborns, but now we only give breast milk."

Recognizing Danger Signs = Fewer Lives Lost

Melinda also spent time at the Bougouni District Hospital. It is here that mothers can receive care before, during and after birth.

As part of Save the Children's newborn care program, traditional birth attendants in nearby villages are trained to recognize danger signs during delivery and to refer mothers experiencing birth complications to Bougouni hospital. But, getting to the hospital can be challenging for families without access to transportation, and without money to pay for it.

Yet, as Dr. Yattara explained to Melinda, community members are working together to address these challenges, leading to differences in health services over the past five years. "There is a reduction in the delay for emergency care," said Dr. Yattara. "Communities have come together to establish an account to pay for the transport of women from hard to reach areas to our District Hospital."

Building a Waiting Area for Pregnant Women

On the final stop of her visit, in the village of Faragouran, Melinda and other Save the Children visitors helped fund and construct a shed at the community health center, which serves more than 8,000 people, to be used as a waiting and training area for pregnant women. Melinda, along with other Save the Children visitors and 10 local mother volunteers, spent the day fetching water from a traditional well, mixing mortar, laying blocks and plastering the walls of the shed.