The Impatient Optimists

Bill Gates' Annual Letter

   
 
   

  • Bill Gates meets with farmer Ram Udgar Yadav in his Basa, a temporary family shelter built in his field.

    My 2012 Annual Letter

    January 24, 2012 by Bill Gates

    My hope for my annual letter is that it helps people connect to the choice we all have to make. Relatively small investments changed the future for hundreds of millions of small farm families. The choice now is this: Do we continue those investments so that the 1 billion people who remain poor benefit? Or do we tolerate a world in which one in seven people is undernourished, stunted, and in danger of starving to death?

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Global Health

   
 
   

  • A mother who suffers from “blinding trachoma,” a neglected tropical disease (NTD), with 3 of her 7 children to whom she’s passed on the disease.

    Tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases

    January 28, 2012 by Julie Jacobson

    An amazing new partnership to address neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) was announced today - paving the way towards saving the lives of millions of the world's poorest people.

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Global Development

   
 
   

  • HIV-positive mothers sit with their HIV-free newborns at a health clinic in Tanzania. Photo credit: ©The Global Fund/Jonx Pillemer

    Reflections on HIV/AIDS in Tanzania

    January 27, 2012 by Anne Marson

    Dr. Christoph Benn reflects on working two decades ago as a doctor at Tanzania’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, a facility that had 100 beds to serve 100,000 people. In the wake of incredible progress made there—and across the globe—in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

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U.S. Education

   
 
   

Community

 

The Power of A Girl: Education for All

February 03, 2012 / Gary Darmstadt

The Power of A Girl: Education for All

A couple of months ago, I blogged about a visit I made to Harijan Basti, an urban slum in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. I went to see the work of the ...

Full Post ›  India

Community

 

Our New Visitor Center

February 03, 2012 / Melinda Gates

Our New Visitor Center

I hope the visitor center will be a place that educates, inspires, and motivates others to get involved in whatever issues interest them—in whatever ...

Full Post ›  United States

Malaria

 

New Study Shows Continued Progress Against Malaria

February 03, 2012 / Deborah Lacy

New Study Shows Continued Progress Against Malaria

New research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation confirms that malaria control efforts have clearly been working and that most ...

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Family Planning

 

How One Non-Profit Social Marketing Agency Funds Health Clinics, Midwives

February 02, 2012 / David J. Olson

How One Non-Profit Social Marketing Agency Funds Health Clinics, Midwives

In difficult economic times like these, governments are looking for ways to cut their budgets. Foreign aid is often an easy target.

Full Post ›  Brazil

Community

 

Combating "Compassion Fatigue" and Other Reporting Challenges

February 02, 2012 / Brooke Gladstone

Combating "Compassion Fatigue" and Other Reporting Challenges

We’ve all heard the old saw that “one death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.” It’s the guiding principle of public relations for those ...

Full Post ›  Russia

Maternal, Newborn, & Child Health

 

The Deadliest Place to be a Girl?

February 02, 2012 / Amie Newman

The Deadliest Place to be a Girl?

If you're a girl between the ages of 1 and 5 years old, India is the most dangerous country in the world for you.

Full Post ›  India

Postsecondary Education

 

Why Is It So Hard to Fix Our System of Remedial Education?

February 02, 2012 / Michelle Hodara

Why Is It So Hard to Fix Our System of Remedial Education?

In the United States, 60% of recent high school graduates enter community college already behind.

Full Post ›  United States

College-Ready Education (U.S.)

 

Celebrate Digital Learning Day

February 01, 2012 / Vicki Phillips

Celebrate Digital Learning Day

How can technology help teachers? Teachers told us that technology must fit seamlessly into their classroom routines and into the lives and habits of ...

Full Post ›  United States

Community

 

Storytelling Matters: A Look at the Gates Foundation's Media Grantmaking

February 01, 2012 / Dan Green

Storytelling Matters: A Look at the Gates Foundation's Media Grantmaking

When I tell people I manage the media grant-making portfolio, it’s usually followed by a series of thoughtful, sometimes pointed, questions about our ...

Full Post ›  United States


Reader Comments
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See All › Last Thought

  • "The world faces a clear choice. If we invest relatively small amounts, many more poor farmers will be able to feed their families." —Bill Gates, 2012 Annual Letter

  • The Global Fund has helped to deliver more than 190 million bed nets to protect families from malaria.

  • In Senegal, 80% of households now have a bed net, helping the number of malaria cases there drop 50% in a single year.

  • "A teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence stops." —Henry Adams

  • Skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn within the first hour of birth can help prevent nutrient loss, encourage bonding, and establish a breastfeeding routine.

©2012 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation