In an ideal world, students and parents could use data to make decisions about their future.
Have you ever heard a story that was so cool you couldn’t help telling everyone you met about it? Something you knew and wished that everyone else did too?
That’s how I feel about the people whose work I get to learn about through the Gates Foundation. Every day, around the world, they save lives and help people lift themselves out of poverty. Some are scientists. Others are educators, nurses, midwives, or advocates. Their work is so inspiring to me that I’ve committed virtually all of my wealth to supporting it.
These workers at Enviro Loo in South Africa produced a new toilet that has transformed sanitation at public schools, making it much easier for students to attend.
I love sharing their stories. At a time when so much is going wrong with the world—wars, inequality, climate change—it’s important to remember what is going right. And that when we make progress in one area, there are almost always beneficial ripple effects.
Here's the story of how work on just one thing—cows—can ultimately touch millions of people’s lives.
The best part of my job is getting to connect with people who are either doing work like this or benefiting from it. In Makueni County, Kenya, I met a farmer named Josephine Kimonyi, who learned from her neighbor and fellow farmer about a new variety of cow (developed with funding from the foundation) that produces more milk. Her neighbor had been raising the new-and-improved cow for some time, and she’d urged Josephine to try it out.
Josephine told me that, thanks to the new breed, she now gets twice as much milk as she used to. She was filled with pride as she described the joy of being self-employed, earning enough income to send her kids to school, and even using some extra milk to help out her neighbors.
If you want to hear more about Josephine’s story and the magic of improved livestock, watch this video.
Josephine Kimonyi and her cow, Mukuni (left). Mukuni produces 16 liters of milk a day, nearly double what Josephine’s old cow was able to produce (right).
When I see how much passion people like Josephine have for helping themselves and their neighbors, I’m inspired to help too. I’d encourage you to check out this YouTube playlist, which highlights even more successes. I hope these stories will be as inspiring for you as they are for me.
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