Gates Foundation Blog Post Filtered Feed

Celebrating Extraordinary Men This Father's Day

Melinda Gates — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:14:00 -0700

As Father’s Day approaches, I want to pay tribute to all the fathers who share the hopes and dreams of their wives and daughters, and, in so doing, help make life better for everyone.

A Woman's Worth

Suzanne Ehlers — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:06:04 -0700

The United Nations Population Division announced today that the world population is expected to increase to 9.6 billion by 2050. This represents an increase of 300 million people from the 2010 revision.

Imagine a World Where It Takes Two Days (of Travel) to Get Your Contraception

Shumon Sengupta — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:00:00 -0700

The Sherbro Islands are one of the most isolated regions of Sierra Leone and can only be reached through turbulent waterways, creeks and mangrove swamps. The 25,000 people who live here are cut-off from the mainland live a simple life and make do with very basic support services.

A Reproductive Health Revolution In the Philippines

John Murphy — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:06:58 -0700

In an interview with Impatient Optimists, Senator Pia Cayetano of the Philippines shares her thoughts on the long battle to get the country's first reproductive health bill passed.

10 Urgent Reasons We Must Do More for Women and Girls

Amie Newman — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:00:00 -0700

Check out this list of ten urgent reasons we must do more for women and girls.

Fatou: A Midwife Talks Family Planning in Senegal

John Murphy — Wed, 29 May 2013 08:00:00 -0700

Fatou Hanne is a midwife and family planning coordinator in Pikine, a poor neighborhood in Dakar, Senegal. She sat down with Impatient Optimists to discuss her work and explain why increasing family planning use is critical to Senegal’s future.

How A School Uniform Can Increase the Use of Family Planning

Caitlin Callahan — Wed, 29 May 2013 08:00:00 -0700

Maria was most likely unaware of most family planning techniques; but more importantly, she was unaware that they were even an option. An investment in her education would have had reverberating impact.

Delivering for Women and Girls: Imperfectly, Impatiently, Optimistically

Jaime-Alexis Fowler — Tue, 28 May 2013 07:00:00 -0700

Women and girls are not waiting for perfect, nor can they afford to wait. Gains have been made for women and girls around the world because we haven’t waited for perfect. Yet we need to push for more, particularly in access to family planning.

What Fuels My Impatient Optimism: The Courage of Women and Girls

Melinda Gates — Tue, 28 May 2013 06:00:00 -0700

Since the London Summit on Family Planning in July 2012, I’ve heard from so many about one particular issue—how contraceptives have changed their lives. I’d love to share a few that have particularly moved me.

When Pregnancy Does Not Equal Joy

Julie Bernstein — Mon, 27 May 2013 08:00:00 -0700

I saw a glimpse of this harsh reality when I first traveled to Hades, Ethiopia in 2010. A woman had recently died giving birth and the village had banded together to help the grandmother care for the new baby.