Here’s Why the World Is About to Get Way Better, According to Bill and Melinda Gates

It’s been 15 years since billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates launched their eponymous foundation dedicated to improving health and education, specifically in the poorest regions around the world. During that time, and for a variety of reasons, things have improved enormously in much of the developing world—more than most people realize. Thanks to the explosive economic growth of India, China, and other once impoverished countries—along with the development of cheap and effective technologies and a better understanding of what it takes to boost living standards—the last two decades have seen historically unprecedented gains in health, education, and nutrition all around the world.

“The progress we’ve seen so far is very exciting—so exciting that we are doubling down on the bet we made 15 years ago, and picking ambitious goals for what’s possible 15 years from now,” the Gateses declare in their foundation’s annual letter, released today. “The lives of people in poor countries will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history,” they write. “They will be living longer and in better health. They will have unprecedented opportunities to get an education, eat nutritious food, and benefit from mobile banking. These breakthroughs will be driven by innovation in technology—ranging from new vaccines and hardier crops to much cheaper smartphones and tablets—and by innovations that help deliver those things to more people.”

So what are these goals they’re betting they can achieve? We break it down for you below.

1. The number of children dying will be cut in half—again.

The number of kids who die before reaching age five each year fell by nearly half between 1990 and 2012, plummeting from 12.6 million to 6.6 million. The Gateses predict that the number will drop even further as vaccinations against diarrhea and pneumonia, as well as improved sanitation, continue to spread. Better education for new mothers on topics such as proper breast-feeding should also help.

2. The number of women who die giving birth will plummet.

That’s another grim statistic that has already been cut nearly in half since 1990. Going forward, the Gateses believe that far more mothers will be giving birth in medical facilities—rather than in homes—which will help more of them survive. The proportion of mothers who have their babies in health care centers has more than doubled in places such as Rwanda and Cambodia since 2005.

3. Polio and other diseases will be completely eliminated.

Infections of many major diseases have also dropped substantially in recent years. Polio, which has been virtually eradicated in the U.S., can also be banished from Africa, the Gateses contend. So can guinea worm—“an incredibly painful disease whose sufferers spend months incapacitated while worms that can be several feet long burst out of their legs, will also be gone soon,” they claim. Same with other diseases including elephantiasis, river blindness, and blinding trachoma. Why? Because effective drugs have been developed and are being donated en masse by pharmaceutical companies. They’re also being deployed more effectively with the help of digital mapping technology.

4. Malaria will be on its way out.

Though the mosquito-borne illness will still afflict the world in 2030, the Gateses predict that by then, the world will have developed a vaccine to prevent its spread, including a single-dose cure and better, faster diagnostic tests.

5. HIV too.

We might not have a full-fledged vaccine or cure, but the “number of people beginning treatment in sub-Saharan Africa will finally outstrip the number of people newly infected,” they write. That’s the part of the world with the heaviest HIV transmission rate; stabilizing it will start to bring down the number of cases in many countries.

6. African farmers will be able to feed their continent.

Although most people in sub-Saharan Africa are farmers, the continent still has to rely on food aid and imports to feed its inhabitants. That’s partly because African farmers get far smaller yields per acre than their counterparts in the industrialized world. Much of what they grow isn’t terribly nutritious—starches like maize, rice, and cassava are staples, which is one reason malnutrition is a problem. Investing in agricultural extension—or the process by which farmers learn what seeds to plant or how to get the best market prices—is key.

Though no one could argue with the goal of reducing hunger, the tactics the Gateses trumpet here will not sit well with everyone. They want to see Africans use modern fertilizers and “crops that are more productive, nutritious, and drought-and disease-resistant”—which presumably includes genetically modified foods.

7. Mobile banking will dramatically improve life for the poor.

Today, most of the world’s poor have no access to basic financial services, such as savings accounts or loans to help them go to school or start a business. It’s simply not profitable for banks to open branches in impoverished villages and slums. But digital banking, transacted over mobile phones, is already spreading rapidly. No surprise, considering that more than 70 percent of adults in many developing countries have cell phones already. “By 2030, two billion people who don’t have a bank account today will be storing money and making payment with their phones,” the Gateses predict. “And by then, mobile money providers will be offering the full range of financial services, from interest-bearing savings accounts to credit to insurance.”

8. Millions will learn through online education.

Programs like Khan Academy are already showing the potential of education delivered via the Internet. Once smartphones are cheap and ubiquitous, they will become platforms for delivering courses on everything from math to English and for enabling teachers and students to work together.

Lastly, a call for Global Citizens.

To make all of this a reality, the Gateses are announcing a movement known as Global Citizen, in which individuals can sign up for updates on how to come together on urgent issues. To them, a global citizen is someone who cares about helping those in the world's poorest places improve their lives—and he or she is a crucial part of a network of people ready to raise their voices and take action.

"Just think of the global outpouring of support whenever a devastating tsunami or earthquake makes the news," they write. "The problem is that ongoing tragedies like deadly diseases and poverty don't make the news. They're invisible to many of us. And so the caring of millions of people goes untapped. We hope to change that."

Read the full letter here, and sign up to be a Global Citizen here.

Related stories on TakePart:

• Believe It or Not, 640 Million People Could Be out of Poverty by 2030

• Forget the Myth: Helping Does Help

• These $1 Contraceptives Last Three Months—and Could Change the Lives of Millions

Original article from TakePart