Screengrab taken from video posted on Facebook by Melinda Gates
Bill and Melinda Gates released their annual letter on philanthropy on February 22 and their topic for this year has been selected from a question put to them by high school students in Kentucky: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
In their letter, the Gates mention they were asked to answer various questions like their favourite breakfast cereal (Bill: Cocoa Puffs; Melinda: Wheat Chex); what animals they would want to be (Bill: a bonobo; Melinda: a white leopard); and also if they knew how to dance the Whip and Nae Nae (one of them does), but a side note in pink (ahem ahem) says:
However, the question they loved the most was on superpowers. "To fly. To be invisible. To travel through time. All good options," they mention in their letter. "Trying to keep up with our foundation work and our three children's schedules, we gave responses that will be immediately familiar to other parents," they add. So the superpowers they chose are - more time and more energy.
In their letter, they even go on to describe how, though almost everyone craves more time and energy, the words hold a different meaning for those in "rich countries" and those in "the world's poorest families."
"Poverty is not just about a lack of money. It's about the absence of the resources the poor need to realize their potential. Two critical ones are time and energy," they say in their letter. They go on to explain how over a billion people live without access to electricity. And a shortage of time only adds to more trouble in this situation.
Dedicating 2016's letter to discussing ways to overcome these challenges, Bill and Melinda Gates gave a special shout to high school students who they hope will be the ones to solve these issues.
"More time. More energy. As superpowers go, they may not be as exciting as Superman's ability to defy gravity," they say in their letter with a side note in blue reading:
"But if the world can put more of both into the hands of the poorest, we believe it will allow millions of dreams to take flight," they say.
Click here to read their entire letter.
In their letter, the Gates mention they were asked to answer various questions like their favourite breakfast cereal (Bill: Cocoa Puffs; Melinda: Wheat Chex); what animals they would want to be (Bill: a bonobo; Melinda: a white leopard); and also if they knew how to dance the Whip and Nae Nae (one of them does), but a side note in pink (ahem ahem) says:
Photo Credit: Screengrab taken from www.gatesnotes.com
In their letter, they even go on to describe how, though almost everyone craves more time and energy, the words hold a different meaning for those in "rich countries" and those in "the world's poorest families."
"Poverty is not just about a lack of money. It's about the absence of the resources the poor need to realize their potential. Two critical ones are time and energy," they say in their letter. They go on to explain how over a billion people live without access to electricity. And a shortage of time only adds to more trouble in this situation.
Dedicating 2016's letter to discussing ways to overcome these challenges, Bill and Melinda Gates gave a special shout to high school students who they hope will be the ones to solve these issues.
"More time. More energy. As superpowers go, they may not be as exciting as Superman's ability to defy gravity," they say in their letter with a side note in blue reading:
Photo Credit: Screengrab taken from www.gatesnotes.com
Click here to read their entire letter.
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