1999 was a year of exciting change for our foundation.  Two organizations, the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, were consolidated into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Having outgrown the foundation's first offices (located in Bill Sr.'s basement and above a pizza parlor), we moved into a new facility in Seattle.  Around the globe, advances in medicine, biotechnology and communication have provided unprecedented opportunities for improving people's lives. We have enjoyed learning about the art of strategic giving from people like Nelson Mandela, someone we admire immensely and were honored to host this year. We have found that giving away money in a strategic and meaningful way is as challenging, and interesting, as working in technology. Our top priority remains supporting efforts to extend the reach of life-saving vaccines, and developing new vaccines against diseases that kill millions who live in poverty. Providing all children the same series of vaccines that we parents in developed countries tend to take for granted could literally save the lives of 3 million children a year. This is something that the global community can and should do together, with business, government and philanthropy each playing a role.  This year we also made a $1 billion commitment to launch the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. Over the next two decades, we will provide scholarships to 20,000 leaders who represent the diverse faces of America. It is our hope that the investments we're making in global health and learning will serve as a catalyst to draw even more resources to these critical needs. Best wishes,   Photographer: Jeff Christensen