Philanthropy is growing in India, says Bill Gates

NEWDELHI: Bill Gates believes philanthropy is growing in India — from both people involved in the technology sector (tech entrepreneurs and executives) and those involved in other sectors.

The co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the co-founder of Microsoft spoke to Hindustan Times over phone on the occasion of the release of the 10th annual letter from his wife Melinda Gates and him to the public on the work of their foundation, and, in some ways, on their own philanthropic journey. In this year’s letter, they tackle “10 tough questions”, including one on how Donald Trump’s policies affect the foundation’s work.

“We are outspoken about our optimism,” the two begin their letter. “Despite the headlines, we see a world that’s getting better... The world is healthier and safer than ever. The number of children who die every year has been cut in half since 1990. The number of mothers who die has also dropped... extreme poverty has declined by half in just 20 years.”

Gates also spoke of India’s unique mix of philanthropy, partly brought about by the government mandate that corporations “spend a percentage of their profit on philanthropictype activities”.

Listing some of the areas where he thinks the foundation’s work made a difference to India, Gates picked projects to bring and make new vaccines.

“Working with the government to introduce new vaccines for children”; “Avahan, which helped to get the HIV epidemic, getting super large”; and “partnerships with Serum Institute of India, Bio-e and Bharat Biotech to make vaccines not only for India, but the world,” he said,

of the projects that helped India. Melinda Gates adds in the letter that she believes “one of the duties of the president of the US is to role model American values in the world”.