Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, a philanthropist, remains a persistent champion in the global fight against extreme poverty. He is not only a successful entrepreneur but also provides various corporate social responsibility activities. Rory John Gates and Phoebe Adele Gates is respectively the son and the daughter of this famous tech giant. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, since its foundation in 2000, has donated more than $40 billion for eradicating poverty. He, too, advocates on fields like education, the environment, and sanitation.
Moreover, he has funded schools to provide clean energy startups to promoting off-the-grid toilets. He became an inspirational figure globally for various reasons. A few of the reasons are stated below:
1. Gave $1 Billion to Fight Malaria
Bill Gates pledged $1 billion to prevent and treat malaria at the Malaria Summit in London in April 2018. The disease turns out to be quite dangerous and almost affects more than 200 million people every year in nearly 100 countries. It imposes the heaviest social and economic burden on the livelihood of the poor areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. He has worked hard to prevent Malaria and ensure all people have access to quality healthcare.
2. Stood by Teachers Struggling to Pay for School Supplies
DonorsChoose, a crowdfunding site that provides people globally a chance to help teachers purchase the supplies they need for their classrooms. They contributed $1 for every $2 to help the teachers. Various schools across the US do not have much funding to provide students with the resources they need to thrive in the classroom. Due to the pay gap at an all-time high, numerous female teachers fail to cover the cost of books, art supplies, and learning materials.
3. Teamed Up with Ban Ki-moon to Fight Climate Change
Bill Gates had launched the Global Commission on Adaptation in September to bring the experts and citizens together. The effort was taken to discuss solutions related to climate change. The commission will then provide support such as water and flood management and smart agriculture in different cities. The people who are living in poverty mostly face the most significant challenges in the face of extreme climate events. Since the cities frequently experience dangerous storms, floods, and heatwaves, the communities must adapt.
4. Led Fund Investing $1 Billion in Clean Energy Startups
Gates also spearheaded Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV). This fund will invest $1 billion into clean energy startups that could radically lower carbon emissions by experimenting with anything from hydropower to nuclear fusion. BEV has a portfolio of companies working in five industries: transportation, electricity, manufacturing, construction and agriculture.
By investing in alternative energy startups, Gates invests in a better future for all people and the environment. According to the WHO, more than 90% of children worldwide breathe toxic air every day, and those in low and middle-income countries are at the highest risk.
5. Introduced the Toilet of the Future
Gates has been a long-time advocate for sanitation equity. But in November, he took this advocacy to the next level when he introduced the design for a new off-the-grid toilet while holding a jar of human poop at the Reinvented Toilet Expo in Shanghai, China. Since the bathroom relies on chemical treatment instead of sewage systems or waste infrastructure, it can operate just about anywhere
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