Bill Gates Next $10 Billion Move!
Bill Gates has been known for the past few decades as a man of innovation, a man who brought Microsoft to the common household in America. Bill Gates has been known as one of the richest, most powerful men of his time. What does the extremely wealthy and influential man invest his money in now though? The Answer, Vaccines.
On January 29th, Bill and Melinda Gates committed $10 billion over the next 10 years towards vaccines. These vaccines are intended to help the globe's poorest nations and their struggling efforts to save lives. The model developed by John Hopkins School of Public Health claims that an increase in vaccines to the poorest countries can save an estimated 7.6 million lives by the year 2020!
Bill and Melinda Gates declared that their contributions were inspired by the drastic improvements that vaccines have made in recent years. Along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, other organizations have stepped up to save the lives of some 5+ million children across the globe.
This is a fight that is not nearly over. Bill and Melinda Gates are asking for more individuals, organizations, and governments to step up to the plate and increase spending and knowledge on vaccines. To save the 7.6 million lives of children under the age of 5, more donations and resources are needed. Bill and Melinda Gates are hoping that their contributions will open the eyes and doors for others who are willing to invest.
Although Bill Gates will always be known as the man behind Microsoft, he is also making another name for himself as one of the most generous and globally conscious individuals of our time. The $10 billion contribution that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave was a record for a single contribution. Amazingly enough, this does not even include the $4.5 billion that the Foundation gave to Vaccines a few years prior. Overall, it is not the record amount of money that the Gates Foundation want to leave behind, it is the record amount of lives saved.
Reference List
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Last Accessed on February 1st 2010 at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/vaccines/Pages/decade-of-vaccines.aspx.
Cable News Network. Last Accessed on February 1st 2010 at http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/01/29/davos.bill.gates.donates/index.html