Poverty Is Sexist: Bill & Melinda Gates’ Annual Letter States The Uncomfortable Truth

The man who gave us Windows, Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are hardcore philanthropists. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been involved in fighting against the malices of society, mainly hunger and poverty.
 

According to Bill Gates, “Effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires.” There’s a huge difference between charity and philanthropy. Charity involves scooping out a particular amount of money, it is financial in nature. Whereas philanthropy is about engaging with the sufferers and engaging your resources to attain results.

The recently released annual letter thanking business czar, Warren Buffett for his generous donation to the foundation. The letter titled Warren Buffett's Best Investment is a tutorial on doing philanthropy the right way.
 

In the business lingo, saving children’s lives is the best deal in philanthropy according to Gates.

According to Melinda, “ That’s the magic of philanthropy. It doesn’t need a financial return, so it can do things business can’t. But the limit of philanthropy is that the money runs out before the need is met. That’s why business and government have to play a role if the change is going to last.”

The letter is basically a report of their advancements made till now. One of the parameters covered this one especially concerns us Indians. 


According to the Gates duo, male dominance in the poorest societies is mind blowing and it is of paramount importance to address this issue.

Bill: Poverty is sexist. The poorer the society, the less power women have. Men decide if a woman is allowed to go outside, talk to other women, earn income. Men decide if it’s acceptable to strike a woman. The male dominance in the poorest societies is mind-blowing.

Melinda: It’s also crippling. Limiting women’s power keeps everyone poor. Fortunately, as a society becomes better off, a woman’s position in that society improves. But what good is that for a young woman in a poor country who doesn’t want to wait? How can she get more power now?

These are not just sweeping statements made without taking stock of the situation at the grassroots. The Gates couple actively participates and drives engagement to ensure desired results. Also they have dedicated strategy in place to combine various factors like the advancing science and technology and advocacy to align policies.

Now can you guess the number of women in self-help groups in India? The number is whopping 75 million of them are involved in self-help groups.

The one thing which kept women apart is stunted interaction with the outside world. The constriction of women in good ol’ days led to restriction of free-flow of information. The end result was cutting down avenues for women's growth.

Now picture this. Collect women together and throw them in to start a discussion on any topic and look how enterprising they would turn out to be. Community groups are the future. We at SHEROES are a community for women to engage with their peers and discuss each and every aspect of their lives.

Communities are that one place where women find their voices. Once after finding their voice, the road ahead starts clearing up. The concept of universal sisterhood is actually beneficial for women. And, communities cater to this aspect.

I would like to end the post by reiterating what the Gates couple wrote in their letter. The fundamental difference between a business model and Philanthropy is; Business has to gather numbers and show profits. What defines the success of a philanthropic movement is when it becomes redundant.