There was recently an article in The Guardian that gave a summary of the Bill and Melinda gates Foundation, its beginnings, and some of the world problems it actively works to combat. For anyone who has heard of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (probably just about everybody), but doesn’t know much about the work it does, this serves as a good introduction. For those who are more familiar, it provides an update. I have shared some of the information here below:
Bill and Melinda Gates began their philanthropic endeavors in 1997, and founded their organization in 2000. With an endowment of $43.5 billion, $28 billion or more of which has been donated by Gates himself, it is the largest private foundation in the world.
Regarding the foundations aims, the article says, “Its focus has been on bridging the health deficit between rich and poor countries, and on fights it sees as vast, but ultimately winnable.” It also provides a perfect example of these goals and efforts in action by citing the following achievement: “In 2014, after a massive coordinated effort between the Indian government, the Gates Foundation and Rotary International, India announced it was officially polio-free. The programme employed 2m vaccinators who spread out across the country. Just five years before, India had more than half the world’s polio cases. It was ‘the greatest global health achievement I have ever witnessed,’ said Bill. The foundation now aims to eradicate polio worldwide by 2018.” While worldwide eradication of polio is an ambitious goal, given the previous example it is not out of the realm of possibility.
Through the link above, read the entire article for more information.