Bill Gates Foundation, Gates has hope in American Education Options

[nbleven]

As some of you know, the US has a pretty good educational system. Schools are usually well financed, progams are quite interesting, and kids have good chances to read and write. However, some Americans judge the national school system too poor, and needs to be boosted. Indeed, some school have a poor level, as many children are from other countries and have difficulties speaking English. Also, some schools are asking for more money to pay material, to renovate classes, etc.

States cannot afford giving extra money to certain schools, as they already have specific budgets. The gouverment must pay the war in Iraq, and is not particularly interested in investing more in Education. The current Educational budget remains one of the biggest budget for the gouverment, but there still needs improvement.

Bill Gates understands people's reaction, and has decided to do something. He is the richest man on earth, and isn't using his money to invest in many houses in Florida, Barbados, or California. In fact, he lately invested 500 million dollars in aids. Today, he has created the Bill Gates foundation, investing in public and private school to make the American education even more talented. Yet, he is one of the only foundation to contribute as much money for the entire country. Some schools asked him for money, and he responds to their demand.

Gates is playing the hero; do you think he can help a lot in the Education business? Do you Education in the USA is good enough ? Are there any similar foundations helping the Education in your country?

[NickTheGreek]

i remember reading this back in June :

[title]Buffett donates $37bn to charity[/title]



Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said he was waiting for decades to make a huge charitable donation.

He said he was overjoyed as he spoke for the first time since revealing he would donate about $37bn (£20bn) to Bill Gates' charitable foundation.

"This has been coming for 50 years," Mr Buffett said. "There's never really been any other plan in terms of where the money should go."

The donation is thought to be the largest charitable gift ever in the US.

Giving people a chance

Mr Buffett will hand 10 million shares in his Berkshire Hathaway firm to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

News of the donation comes shortly after Mr Gates announced he is to step away from his day-to-day role at software giant Microsoft.

The man known as "the sage of Omaha" for his relentless success in investments said he always wanted to give the bulk of his fortune away.

However, he said the appropriate vehicle for doing so do had only become apparent in the past year.

"I am not an enthusiast of dynastic wealth, particularly when the alternative is six billion people having that much poorer hands in life than we have, having a chance to benefit from the money," he said.

Mr Gates said it was Mr Buffett's support for philanthropy which had persuaded him to set up the foundation in the first place.

"It is a big challenge to make sure this money gets used in the right way," he said of the donation.

"But it is one we are thrilled about."

The foundation aims to fight disease and promote education around the world, particularly in developing countries.

"There is no reason why we can't cure the top 20 diseases," Mr Gates - who will give up his day-to-day role at Microsoft in 2008 to concentrate on the foundation's work - said.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said the size of the foundation's cash pile dwarfed that of other organisations, and compared it with the $12bn annual budget of the United Nations.

He added that the foundation was "an extraordinary new force in the voluntary sector".

New will

Mr Buffett is worth an estimated $44bn, according to Forbes magazine.

As well as donating to the Gates foundation, he also pledged shares for his three children and a substantial gift for a foundation named for his late wife, Susan Thompson Buffett.

All the gifts will be awarded yearly, with 5% of each donation passed on each year, it was announced.

He confirmed his decision in letters to the recipients, and said he would write a new will to ensure the money continues to be distributed after his death.

In making his award, Mr Buffett - who plays bridge with Mr Gates - said he chose to distribute his wealth to an existing foundation out of respect for its current work.

One of the terms of the donation is that at least one of Bill or Melinda Gates continues to be involved with the foundation.

The foundation has evolved into one of the leading philanthropical organisations in the world, listing as one of its primary goals "reducing the 'unconscionable disparity' that exists between the way that we live and the way that the people of the developing world live".

Simple life

Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, said that Mr Buffett's donation was the largest made by one person in the US.

She explained that Mr Buffett's largesse eclipses the charitable donations of such well-known givers as John D Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.

Despite his huge wealth, Mr Buffett has modest tastes, is called a "cola and hamburger kind of guy", plays the ukulele, and still lives in the same house he bought in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska, in 1957.

Mr Buffett has stated that the death of his wife Susan was one of the reasons behind his donation to the Gates Foundation, because he had thought she would outlive him and handle the dispersal of his wealth.

[source]BBC[/source]

I remember Buffet saying " i donated more than the total value of the insitution, thus doubling the value of it !"

[nbleven]

I never heard of that person. He is very generous !

[NickTheGreek]

and egoistic too !

in the good way of the word : he wanted to say to Gates : " i am richer than you ! i can donate so much that is more than what you have actually put into it ! "

[Jack The Ripper]

I have read something about this but in greek! Aa i will translate it in english with my teacher and then i will post it!

[nbleven]

I think Gates was able to prove how generous he can be, by creating his own foundation, and I think it helped a lot of schools.

[NickTheGreek]

maybe he feels guilty Windows is giving so many people a hard time

[Jack The Ripper]

and egoistic too !

in the good way of the word : he wanted to say to Gates : " i am richer than you ! i can donate so much than you have actually put into it ! "
[right][snapback]88660[/snapback][/right]

I think that all the rich people are egoistics and misers! don't you think? take for example if you were the richest man in the world you will donate some money to the charrity? i don't think so...

[nbleven]

Indeed, some rich people prefer keeping their money to buy luxurious clothes, and expensive houses, but some rich people contribute to foundations and different types of organisations.

[Jack The Ripper]

Yes i think that Bill Gates is respectable for his donation!