Bill Gates turns to philanthropy full time

 

The day has come: Bill Gateshas left his day-to-day role at Microsoft to dedicate himself full time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A decision taken 3 years ago that Billexplains calling himself an “impatient optimist” who wants to apply the skills that enabled him to engineer Microsoft’s success to the complex problems that affect billions of people across the globe — from AIDS, malaria, and extreme poverty to poor schools in the United States.

Gates began his major philanthropic efforts in 1994, when he created the William H. Gates Foundation, which focused on global health. Three years later, he and Melinda created the Gates Library Foundation, which worked to bring public access computers with Internet connections to libraries across the United States. (Its name changed to the Gates Learning Foundation in 1999 to reflect its focus on ensuring that low-income minority students are prepared for college and have the means to attend). In 2000, to increase efficiency and communication, the two groups merged to become the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Under the Gates’ leadership, the foundation’s grantmaking is now organized into three programs—Global Development, Global Health, and United States. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Since its inception, the foundation has given $16.6 billion in grants. The foundation has more than 500 employees and supports grantees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Internationally, it supports work in more than 100 countries.

As Bill transitions from his day-to-day role at Microsoft to dedicate more of his time to the foundation, he will deepen his current responsibilities rather than add significant new responsibilities. He and Melinda will continue to champion strategies that reduce inequities in the United States and around the world. Bill will also raise global awareness of the foundation’s issues and build high-level partnerships worldwide.

Bill explains what his new life would be like in a video interview posted on the Microsoft website that it is a manifesto both for its former employees and for those willing to make the world a better place.

You are changing life, afraid?

I started writing the codes for Microsoft when I was 17 and since then have worked on Microsoft. Now I’ll be focusing on the foundation, which is a lot smaller but has ambitious and precise goals. I’ll miss the smart people at Microsoft and the feedbacks, positive and negative, people were giving me.

Will you have more free time or will you work fulltime?

We have a lot to do to fight malaria, reduce the digital divide and the price of food, bring education, institutions and access to health to the developing world. Many issues I’ll focus on, like cell phones, internet and pc’s, are somehow related to my previous work and my skills will turn out useful.

Not everybody has money to give to bring about change. What can the everyday man do?

Give time and some money. Recognise that there is a disparity in the world and that we all have the chance to reduce it. Travelling to understand its causes, giving time to tell the politicians to give aid to the third world, becoming activists and choosing a cause to fight for.