Almost everyone knows who Bill Gates is, he has become a household name. He is the co-founder of Microsoft, a company that’s always synonymous for the Personal Computer. For some, he was the world’s richest person for consecutive years up until Jeff Bezos took the lead. One might ask, what is he up to with his money and influence? Well, here are some ways Bill Gates has helped in making the world a better place.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Launched in 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is a private foundation and is considered as the largest in the world, with an estimated asset size of over $46 Billion. Originally, it was formed as the William H. Gates Foundation in 1994.
The foundation’s main focus is to help poor countries in accessing basic and necessary services and products. Its general focus points are: Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Development, and Global Policy & Advocacy. From its early beginnings, BMGF has helped millions of people all over the world, especially those most in need.
“The Giving Pledge”
The Giving Pledge is an initiative by Bill Gates and fellow multi-billionaire Warren Buffet. The initiative implores other billionaires all around the world to give away the majority of their wealth to charitable organizations or foundations whether during their lifetimes or stipulated in their wills.
The Pledge has secured a whopping $125 Billion in its first two months after 40 members of the Forbes Top 400 Wealthiest Americans took the challenge imposed by the duo. In 2016, a total of 142 individuals or families have already pledged to the initiative, just six years after it was founded in 2016. This 2020, the list of pledges have grown to over 200.
The “Breakthrough Energy Coalition”
The Breakthrough Energy Coalition is a new initiative launched by Gates in 2015 during the climate change summit in Paris. This coalition is a joint venture by Gates and private investors to help clean-energy organizations bring their ideas into fruition. Along gates, billionaires like Jack Ma, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos have pledged over $7 Billion. The coalition expresses the Billionaire’s desire for public-private partnerships. He added that for the coalition to succeed, both the governments and private institutions have their own roles to perform.
Achieving Accessible Health Programs
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped a lot in bettering the lives of people in the poorest countries around the world especially in terms of Healthcare.
The Foundation has helped in alleviating the harsh conditions in poor countries especially South Africa. BMGF has geared its programs toward combating Malaria, Tuberculosis, and HIV-AIDS. The foundation has contributed a total of $1.6 Billion in the global fund against these diseases.
BMGF aims to reduce and completely eradicate the diseases that riddle the health of South Africans. They have been continuously working on a Vaccine for HIV as well as give importance to Malaria, with the foundation highlighting it as the “top” priority.
Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Everyone was taken aback by how the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded. As a response, Bill Gates has donated over $250 Million through their foundation. The foundation also highlighted the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, a program that prioritizes the formulation of a medicine against the virus. The best part about the program is this: When a vaccine has been successfully developed, it should be accessible and affordable to everyone.
These are just some of the things Bill Gates has done over the years to make the earth better on a daily basis. If you had billions of dollars, how would you make the world a better place?
Opinions expressed by AsianBlurb contributors are their own.
The editorial team for AsianBlurb.
