Available via http://gates.ly/2l8DWpw
SEATTLE, United States, 15 February 2017, -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Bill and Melinda Gates have released their 2017 Annual Letter noting that we are witnessing the fastest progress the world has ever seen in global health and poverty reduction.
The 2017 letter is addressed to investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet and celebrates the incredible progress made since 2006 when he made a gift of $30 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His donation meant that the foundation and its partners were able to invest in new technologies, solutions, and research that could save lives, help families, and reduce extreme poverty levels.
For example, the lives of 122 million children around the world have been saved since 1990, 86% of children worldwide receive basic vaccines, and for the first time in history more than 300 million women are using modern contraceptives.
Across the African continent, Bill and Melinda noted key improvements in the following areas of development:
* Mortality in children under the age of five, caused by pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria, has decreased by 54% across sub-Saharan Africa. (Unicef)
* Increased access to information about reproductive health and innovative contraceptive methods mean more women have the power to make their own family planning decisions. 27% of women now use contraception in sub-Saharan Africa. (Unicef)
* Extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa has decreased by 28% since 1990. (UN)
We encourage you to read and share the letter. An accompanying infographic can be found below.
For the infographic click here.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) for The Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation.
Contact information
For more information on the Annual Letter and foundation's work in Africa, please contact:
+1 206-709-3400
Further information
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Join the discussion via Foundation's social media channels:
Live discussion on Twitter #GatesLetter2017
Africa team Twitter profile @gatesafrica
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Source: Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation
