It is a privilege to serve on the Advisory Board of Every Pregnancy alongside Amira Sajwani, Emmanuel Akpakwu and Zaheerah Bham-Ismail, under the distinguished leadership of Isra Chaker.

Every Pregnancy has demonstrated what becomes possible when communities of faith place mothers at the centre of their philanthropy. As the world’s first Zakat-approved Muslim collaborative dedicated to maternal and newborn health, its coalition now unites more than 80 organisations across 25 countries. During Ramadan this year, catalysed by a Boost Fund made possible through the generosity of the Gates Foundation and the DAMAC Foundation, it mobilised over $91 million in a single month from more than 192,000 donors, bringing the total raised for maternal and newborn health since 2024 to nearly $130 million. This is catalytic, faith-inspired philanthropy in action, and a model for how to finance maternal health at scale.

Behind every figure stands a mother. Too many women continue to lose their lives to causes we know how to prevent, and for those living through conflict, displacement and crisis, the dangers are graver still. Across more than two decades of service through the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, we have learned that when we invest in midwives, nurses and health workers, in respectful care and in the voices of women themselves, lives are saved.

I look forward to advancing this work with my fellow Board members, the Every Pregnancy team and our partners, to strengthen collaboration, expand what works and realise a world where every pregnancy is safe and every baby has a healthy start.

Read about all the Advisory Board Members