Most people would like to make a change and be able to help others with less fortunate
circumstances than their own, And in that respect, Bill Gates and his wife
Melinda have put their money where their mouth is through their charitable organisation,
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
They believe that everyone should start on a level playing field and shouldn’t be disadvantaged
by factors out of their control,
But what does their foundation actually do?
What claims do their detractors make about the ethics of the foundation’s activities
and what does the end of the Gates’ 27 year marriage mean for future donations
Here’s How It Happened.
Gates famously founded Microsoft back in 1975 with his close friend Paul Allen
While Melinda joined the team in 1987, where of course she met Bill and the pair were married
in Hawaii seven years later.
It was around that time in 1994, that Gates’ father, Bill Senior, noticed that his son
was becoming inundated with requests for charitable donations and so took it upon himself to
launch the William H Gates Foundation.
With the aim of trying to alleviate poverty in all parts of the world.
The retiring lawyer, Who one journalist described as “the conscience of the Gates family”
would manage the organisation, while his son would would provide the financial backing,
namely a cheque for $100 million that his father could use as he saw fit.
As the decade wore on, and the family wealth continued to grow, Melinda and Bill Junior
became increasingly aware of the social and economic disparity that existed across most
of the world,
Eventually resulting in Bill sending his father a newspaper clipping detailing the millions
of children dying from preventable diseases in poorer countries, accompanied by a handwritten
note, which read ‘Dad, maybe we can do something about this’
Those 8 words went on to change the lives of billions of people worldwide
The Gates Library Foundation was consequently launched in 1997, with the aim of providing
all US public libraries with internet access And the Gates Millennium Scholars Program
shortly after, enabling thousands of minority students to go to college.
All of the Gates foundations were merged in 2000, to form what we now know as the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation, an initiative to help everyone on the planet lead a healthy
and productive life.
The tone was quickly set by the foundation’s $750 million donation to the Global Alliance
for Vaccines and Immunisation and the construction of thousands of homes across Washington state
to reduce the rates of family homelessness.
Bill and Melinda’s goal of creating equity was taking different forms depending on their
geographic target, so for example in Africa they might strive to ensure the supply of
fresh running water, while in the United States they would work on issues like literacy and
sexual health.
With the Gates name attached, the organisation has become known for attracting more than
its fair share of world renowned personalities, like Warren Buffet, once the world’s richest
man, who became the third trustee of the foundation in 2006, donating 10 million Berkshire Hathaway
shares and pledging over half his wealth to the group’s causes.
Bill and Melinda shared the title of Time Person of the Year in 2005, as their work
helped to eradicate several strains of polio, brought internet access to hundreds of millions
and even pioneered a machine that could turn human sewage into a source of electricity
and drinking water, something Gates even demonstrated himself to prove its safety.
Bill stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in 2008 to focus fully on the foundation
And along with Melinda and Buffett launched the Giving Pledge in 2010, a campaign to encourage
the world’s wealthiest to give away the majority of their net worth to charity
An initiative now backed by the likes of Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg
Bill and Melinda received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2016
to recognise their contribution to philanthropy
And their foundation is now the second largest charitable organisation in the world by total
money endowed to worthy causes, a figure which currently sits at over $50 billion
Of course, as the saying goes, you can’t please all of the people, all of the time,
and so the organisation has not been without its critics.
Some argue that their emphasis on fighting well known illnesses like AIDS and malaria
have pulled some of the planet’s top doctors and medical resources away from other, lower
profile diseases.
While even their education reforms have come under fire, as its believed that the widespread
provision of Windows computers could bring a financial benefit to Microsoft and the Gates
family.
Following the announcement of the couple’s divorce in 2021, the foundation is expected
to continue its work as usual.
Melinda may focus more of her time on her own projects, like Pivotal Ventures, which
solves problems affecting American women and families,
While Bill may continue the work of his late father, who sadly passed away from Alzheimer’s
disease in 2020.
Whatever your opinion of the duo, its hard to deny that their foundation has a huge impact
across the globe, and that Microsoft might not even be the biggest legacy they leave
behind.
And thats how it happened.
Thanks for watching.