Fifteen years ago, the two of us made a bet.
We started our foundation in 2000 with the idea that by backing innovative work in health and education, we could help billions of people improve their lives. The progress we’ve seen so far is so exciting that we are doubling down on the bet we made 15 years ago.
Here’s our bet: The lives of people in poor countries will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history. We’re putting our credibility, time and money behind this bet because we think there has never been a better time to accelerate progress and have a big impact around the world.
I – Word Understanding
doubling down – to become stronger or determined
credibility – the quality of being believed or accepted
II – Have Your Say
Here are four big breakthroughs Bill & Melinda Gates see coming by 2030:
1. Child deaths will go down by half. Today, one in 20 children in the world die before age 5. By 2030, it will be one in 40. Diarrhea and pneumonia are two of the biggest killers of children.
2. Africa will be able to feed itself. Seven out of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa are farmers, but they only get a fraction of the yield of American farmers.
3. Mobile banking will help the poor radically transform their lives. Today, some 2.5 billion people don’t have access to cheap and easy financial services.
4. Online education: As high-speed cell networks grow and smartphones become as cheap as today’s voice-only phones, online education will flourish.
