With the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates making headlines, some are concerned about how it will impact organizations who receive grants from them. I wanted to take a closer look at their non-profit to see what their goals are for the future. They do not do their work alone, they work with government, business and other non-profit organizations to achieve their goal of tackling the world's greatest inequities. They work to build a bridge between private and public sectors, for example: distributing vaccines to countries that may not have a “buyers market” in the private sector. They want to improve human conditions where governments and businesses leave gaps in the market, often to save lives from preventable diseases. They also create high quality data and evidence to show what is and is not working.
Their main focus is to accelerate innovation when it comes to health issues faced by people living in poverty. As an organization they can take risks that private companies cannot afford to pay, giving scientists the resources they need to innovate for the benefit of those who cannot afford to pay. Through their organization they have created The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has distributed over $45 billion to 155 countries, saving an astonishing 38 million lives and offering care, treatment, and prevention to hundreds of millions more.” Although Bill and Melinda Gates have decided to end their marriage, I foresee them continuing to build their organization for the greater good. Their humanitarian work to eradicate preventable diseases in poverty is not done alone, but a group effort among different private and public sectors to save millions of lives.
