The Art of the Possible Method

Child rights and advocacy organizations led a successful campaign to see Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper focus global attention on preventing the deaths of mothers and children in developing countries—a project he first unveiled when Canada hosted the G8 summit in 2010.

The $2.8-billion Muskoka Initiative supported global health projects around the world to address the preventable causes of maternal and child mortality, improve prenatal and postpartum care, increase health education and increase treatment of prevalent childhood diseases.

The Impact

The Muskoka Initiative ultimately saw $7.5 billion leveraged globally to address the top five causes of maternal and child mortality in the developing world. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved to date. The client, Plan Canada was received $45 million from the government and another $10 million matched by Canadian donors for projects across seven countries.