New York Times: We Were Making Headway on Global Poverty. What’s About to Change?
Bill and Melinda Gates, founders and co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“…[P]eople, when given tools and opportunity, can defy the odds. This is especially true of young people, because they are determined to lead a better life than their parents have and eager to follow new ideas and new technologies where they lead. What will it take to help all these young people change the future of their countries? We can learn from what has worked in the past: investments in people, especially their health and education, and in innovation. … Investing in health and education is especially urgent at this precise time in the history of sub-Saharan Africa because of the region’s youth boom. … It will be up to [these young people] to lead the innovation their societies need: to transform subsistence farms into profitable small businesses, to provide a bank account for every adult on their mobile phones, to eradicate malaria and other neglected diseases. Our foundation’s mission is to help all people lead a healthy, productive life. … Fortunately, recent history shows that progress is possible, even under what experts used to consider impossible circumstances. It also provides a very specific blueprint for how we can work together to create it” (9/22).