By increasing his funding of projects, Gates aims to set an example for governments and individuals on how to respond in this time of crisis.
He warns in his letter that the state and federal governments may be tempted to cut education budgets in the face of tax revenue shortfalls, but he urged them to hold the line. Gates commended the Obama Administration for its pledging to invest in improving public education. He also urges wealthy people to keep up their giving.
"Otherwise," he writes, "we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives."
Battling disease
Gates writes that Buffett encouraged him to write an annual letter. His goal was to spell out the foundation's goals and to show where it has made progress and where it has not.
Half of the foundation's annual program funding goes to disease suppression. Most of the rest goes to improving agriculture in Third World nations and to improving education for poor people in the U.S.
Image: Bill Gates stands at the Mehrangadh Fort in Jodhpur. | Photograph: Sunil Verma/Reuters
Also read: World's biggest accounting scams
Powered by 
| Live updates on money.rediff.com |
|
Advertisement
