Task Force for Global Health

Thirty years ago, a small organization was born: The Task Force for Child Survival. It was a response to a very specific, short-term problem—how to overcome squabbles among international health organizations to get something important done: vaccinate a substantial proportion of the world’s children against infectious diseases. Bureaucracy and conflicting agendas had hobbled efforts to accomplish this significant goal. A small group of people thought about the issue in a new way. What if a coordinating body, free of bureaucratic stasis, took up the challenge? What if they focused on the important outcome and engaged partners who shared that vision? This fresh approach led to the creation of The Task Force for Child Survival in 1984. In the beginning, there were only three employees: William H. Foege, William Watson, and Crol L. Walters. They led the coordinating efforts that resulted in immunizing 80% of the world’s children with at least one vaccine before the year 1990. From its modest but ambitious beginnings in 1984, The Task Force for Global Health has evolved to become an influential force in international health. There are now 105 employees, 7 substantive programs, and, for 2015, an annual cash budget of $58.7 and an overall budget of $3.3 billion, including contributions in kind.