September 6, 2007
Prepared remarks by Melinda French Gates, co-chair
It is an honor to speak on the same program as Presidents Bush and Clinton. I have great respect for both of them as political leaders, and great admiration for what they have done as ex-presidents.
The media talks about how unusual their collaboration in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been, but to me it’s just a reflection of their life-long commitment to service. Thank you, President Bush and President Clinton, for putting people’s lives above politics.
It really is my great pleasure to be here today. My husband, Bill, and I have seen some of the work Save the Children is doing in Bangladesh and India. Let me assure you: This is one amazing organization.
Years ago, when Bill and I were still learning the ropes, we made one of our first big grants to Save the Children. We did our due diligence, but honestly, that investment was a leap of faith. We made it because we knew Tom Murphy, and we trusted him.
Since then, our faith has been confirmed over and over again. We have made a number of grants to Save the Children, and every time they get results. The team of people they have on the ground is just phenomenal. Now, when we go to Save the Children, we know they will get the job done.
If there’s one thing Bill and I have learned over the years, it’s this: We were incredibly lucky to be born in the United States. We went to great schools. When we got sick, we received the most advanced medical care. We were given every opportunity to develop our talents—every chance to use them to succeed.
But we know how easily we could have been dealt a different hand. We could have been born in a poor country. We could have faced the devastating challenges of extreme poverty, hunger, and disease. It’s hard just to survive in such conditions, much less make the most of your abilities.
Warren Buffet, one of the world’s greatest investors, says all the time that if he’d been born in another time or place, there would have been no market for his talents.
And as I travel around, I think, Gosh, if I were a woman in Africa lucky enough to own a small farm, I don’t think I’d pick Bill Gates or Warren Buffet to cultivate my land. I might send them out to negotiate prices, but I sure wouldn’t let them till the soil!
So when we meet people in the countries we visit, we see what we have in common with them. Like us, they have hopes for the future. They have parents who love them and children who need them. They have intellectual curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and a determination to make life better for themselves and their children.
I am especially moved by the mothers I meet. They’ll invite me into their homes, and we’ll sit on the floor, often on opposite sides of a small mat. I have young children myself, and I try to put myself in these women’s position. What would I do, if I were on the other side of the mat? What would I want for my children?
If I were a pregnant mother in Bangladesh, I would be desperate for a skilled attendant to help me deliver my baby safely.
If I were a young mother in India, I would want to know the facts: that breastfeeding instead of using formula is one of the best ways to save my newborn from cholera.
If I were a mother in Malawi and my daughter got sick with diarrhea, I would hope that she could get the electrolytes she needed before it was too late.
Those would be my hopes, my dreams, my wishes. But in all likelihood, they would not be the reality of my daily life.
The reality is this: Every year, more than 10 million children die before they turn five, most of them from conditions we know how to prevent or treat.
In some countries I’ve visited, mothers don’t give their children names for weeks or even months because they don’t want to start caring about them. The chances are just too high that their children will die in those first few weeks of life.
When I hear a story like that, I am jolted back to my side of the mat. How can tragedy be such an everyday occurrence?
I am appalled that children are still dying of pneumonia today—a century after rich countries figured out how to treat it effectively.
On my side of the mat, when my kids are sick, they get antibiotics. On the other side of the mat, when a child gets sick, it can be a death sentence.
I ask you to put yourself on the other side of the mat—to see that these mothers love their children just as much as you love yours.
When we empathize, we realize how urgently we need to make saving the children of the world a priority for the world.
One way to help do that is to support Save the Children.
The Survive to Five campaign has the potential to change the future for millions of children. Thank you, Senator Frist, for your leadership on the behalf of these precious children.
The idea behind Survive to Five is that we need to raise more than money. We need to raise our voices, too.
And now is the time to do it. With the presidential election coming up, people in the United States are taking the opportunity to think about what’s really important to them.
You in the audience have influence. NGOs ask for your help. Politicians take your calls. You talk to powerful businesspeople in the course of your daily lives.
You can tell them that the equivalent of the entire population of New York City is dying every year, and it’s important to you that we put a stop to it. Tell them it should be important to them, too.
Ask them to remember that these mothers love their children just as much as you love yours and I love mine.
To remember that every one of these children has boundless potential.
When you raise your voice, when you support Save the Children, you give mothers a chance to see their children grow up happy and strong. You give children a chance to make their dreams come true.
Thank you for your passion. Thank you for your empathy. If we make the most of them, I know we can give every person the chance they deserve: the chance to live a healthy, productive life.
Thank you.