Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and billionaire philanthropist, is often seen in different shows talking about many ideas and values. But one topic he and his wife, Melinda, are passionate about is malaria. In one of his talks, Gates brought a jar full of mosquitoes to drive his point.

In a 2009 TED talk, Bill Gates talked about malaria. One of his points is that even if one is not affected by it, one should still care about it. He opened a jar full of mosquitoes to drive home his point during his talk.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, businesswoman Melinda Gates, established a private philanthropic foundation known as the Gates Foundation in 2000. The foundation resulted from two other foundations Gates established in previous years. (Source: Britannica)

The first foundation, William H. Gates Foundation, was established in 1994. It was named after Gates’ father, and its focus was advancing global health and the community of the Pacific Northwest. And in 1997, another foundation, the Gates Library Foundation, was established. Its goal was to improve internet access in public libraries that cater to low-income families.

When the foundations were merged, its succeeding foundation was reorganized to comprise Global Development, Global Health, and United States divisions. The Global Development division’s goal was to help eliminate extreme poverty and hunger. It partners up and provides grants to agricultural development to provide more opportunities for farmers in developing countries and research on the production of rice and flour enriched with micronutrients.

The United States division’s goal is to reduce inequities and increase opportunities for low-income, minority, and vulnerable populations. The division also includes education and public libraries initiatives to mitigate young individuals from dropping out of school.

The Global Health division’s primary goal is to help address high mortality and morbidity rates from preventable diseases in developing countries. It focuses on vaccine delivery of different illnesses such as polio, malaria, and tuberculosis. It also focuses on projects and research into advancing healthcare and technology in developing countries.

The Gates’ Fight Against Malaria

In 2009, Bill Gates was invited to a TED conference, and his topic was about malaria. He discussed that malaria is still a problem in developing countries, killing many people. Gates also points out that even if the society one lives in is no longer affected by the illness, one should still care. He opened a jar full of mosquitoes and released it to the crowd to drive his point. Thankfully the mosquitoes were not infected with malaria. (Source: CNBC)

Gates also notes that more funding has been made available for research on hair loss treatments because rich men are affected when it comes to baldness. Meanwhile, malaria, which is still present in most developing countries, has not consistently received funding.

In recent years, the cure to malaria was developed in the early seventies and has helped save millions of people succumbing to it. However, most developing countries still suffer from it due to the lack of resources and opportunities. (Source: Fantastic Facts)