Better information, consumer DNA, better toilets: Bill and Melinda Gates annual letter

"Was that what they were expecting? We would probably say no," they began. Bill and Melinda Gates's 2019 edition of their annual letter, entitled "Things we did not see coming," in which they badyzed nine surprises that had caused them the year before. "From particularly devastating natural disasterson the one hand, until record number of women who have applied for high-level political positionsOn the other hand, the year 2018 has been a succession of surprises for us, "they said.

After the publication, co-founder of Microsoft spoke with Nicholas Kristof, chronicler of The New York Times, who transmitted the video on social networks. Gates answered questions from Kristof and other members of the audience who sent them, as shown by the four subtitled segments.

"Something good that has surprises is that, often, they give us the impetus to act. People may feel frustrated when they realize that the realities of the world do not meet their expectations. Some surprises help people see that the established order must change. Other surprises allow us to note that the transformations are already taking place ", added the titles of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

25 years ago, they read in an article that hundreds of Thousands of children from poor countries died of diarrhea, something for an educated couple from the United States was hard to understand. They believed in a world where innovation was for all"In which no child dies of an illness that it is possible to avoid".

But the reality, they warned, "was always marked by inequalities". This discovery was "one of the most transcendental stages ofthe journey that led us to philanthropy"

From that moment, they had several other surprises. Including some good ones, like the the number of deaths due to malaria has decreased by 42% since 2000 despite the fact that there is no long-acting vaccine: mosquito nets and other prevention and care measures have saved many lives.

"In this annual letter, we highlight nine other topics that surprised us throughout this trip. Some people worry us. Others inspire us. All urge us to act. We hope that they will have the same impact on youbecause this is how the world is improving, "they closed the text, which is dedicated to Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft who died in October 2018.

Surprise # 1: Africa is the youngest continent

The average age in Africa remains at 18, While in the rest of the the world is rising due to greater longevity. "This can be a benefit or a source of instability," he wrote. "Melinda and I believe that good investments will open the door to the huge potential of the continent. Young Africans will shape the future not only of their communities, but of the whole world"

Surprise # 2: Consumer DNA Testing Detects Serial Killers and Can Help Prevent Preterm Birth

The doors alluded to the Identification of the murderer of Golden State at 33 years of his crimes: The researchers followed the trail of a parent who downloaded his genetic profile on GEDmatch, a site aimed at people who performed one of the Direct DNA studies for the consumer. And a 23andMe study of 40,000 samples showed "a Potential correlation between prematurity and certain genes"they wrote.

Surprise # 3: We will build a new New York month for 40 years!

The real estate park will double from today until 2060, it is a big challenge for the fight against climate changethey added. Only the use of electricity, which accounts for a quarter of greenhouse gases, is a big problem. Followed by manufacturing and the Agriculture. They also leave their mark transportation and what is stated in the title: the construction.

"It's not realistic to think that people will just stop using fertilizers, operate freighters, build offices or fly planes," he said. written. "Part of the solution is Invest in innovation in sectors [que causan la mayoría de los gases del efecto invernadero] so that we can continue to do these things without destroying the time"

Surprise # 4: Data can be badist

"How much income did women generate last year in developing countries, how many properties do they own, how much more hours do girls spend on housework?" Melinda asked. Gates. "I do not know. Nobody knows that either. There is no data on this subject ".

She and her husband expressed their concern about the huge amounts of missing data on womenespecially in developing countries because of lack of studies.

"The problem lies not just in the fact that some women do not even appear in the documentation that they have. These data, on which legislators and governors are based, are also of poor quality. They could even call badists. We would like to think that the data are objective, but the answers given to us are often determined by the questions we ask. When the questions are biased, the data too, "he added.

Surprise # 5: Teens can learn a lot about how to treat anger

The Gates wrote on the program Become a man (Become a man, BAM), in Chicago, which concerns adolescents (especially boys) exposed to violence, gangs and crime. "A study conducted by the University of Chicago revealed that BAM reduces by nearly 50% the arrests for violent crimes," she wrote.

He recounted his experience during a group session at which he had been invited to participate. There he learned how young people managed to manage their anger in traumatic situations such as the death of a friend by firearm or the incarceration of a household member. "I was surprised that his approach was so effective and I wanted to see him in action, I did not know how emotional it would be," he summed up.

Surprise n ° 6: there is a nationalist argument in favor of globalism

"Countries like The United States is investing in international aid because it makes the world more stable and secure", they said in a more political section: Nationalism, a term increasingly used, does not necessarily exclude international cooperation.

"Not because you put your country before everything else, you have to turn your back on the rest of the world, but on the contrary." Above all, they pointed out, as far as international funds for the treatment of diseases.

Surprise # 7: The toilets have not changed in a century

"Last year, we organized a toilet lounge in Beijing where I've had the opportunity to personally see new generation toilets and where I even shared the stage with a container containing human excrement, "wrote Bill Gates.

With 2,000 million people without toilets in the world, The philanthropist organized the exhibition at which several companies were presented ready to be marketed with their product. "Their inventions meet almost every requirement: eliminate pathogens, can meet the needs of urban areas who grow at high speed, they do not need sewer infrastructure, external water sources or continuous electricity to work. "For now, the main problem is the cost.

Surprise No. 8. The manuals become obsolete

The software, the very soul of Microsoft, transforms the static concept of manualsaid the programming expert. "When I told you about this type of software in previous letters, it was mostly speculative. Now, however, I can tell you that these tools have been adopted in thousands of American clbadrooms, from kindergarten to high school. Zearn, i-Ready and LearnZillion are examples of digital programs used by students and teacherss in the United States. "

Surprise No. 9. Mobile phones have their maximum power in the hands of the poorest women

Unlike developed countries, where smartphones facilitate the tasks of everyday life ", the most marginalized women in the world The mobile phone not only brings them more comfort in their lives, but can also enable them to build a radically new life. Indeed, connectivity is a solution against marginalization. "Mobile banking, for example, is not just about winning a ride at the bank: allows to enter the formal economic circuit.