Gates Foundation donates to health, connectivity

Charitable causes are getting hit hard these days, but the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, formed by the eponymous Microsoft founder and his wife, announced Thursday the donation of nearly $14 million. About half, or $6.9 million, is going to two U.S. organizations promoting broadband connectivity, and another $7 million has been awarded to fight a parasitic illness that threatens millions of people in developing countries.

The $6.9 million for broadband has been donated to advocacy group Connected Nation and to the American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy -- the bulk of it to Connected Nation -- to promote better broadband access in public libraries in Arkansas, California, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Virginia. The goal is to bring broadband Internet of at least 1.5 Mbps to every public library in each of those states.

There's a recession angle to it: "As the economic crisis in the U.S. deepens, visits to public libraries are up across the country," a release from the Gates Foundation explained. "Many libraries in states across the country are reporting that online services are in high demand, especially for job seekers, students, and people who do not have Internet access elsewhere."

As for the other $7 million donation announced by the Gates Foundation on Thursday, it's going to something very different: the Infectious Disease Research Institute, and it will be used for diagnosis and treatment of people in Africa who have been infected with Leishmania donovani, a parasite that causes visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis affects about 500,000 people per year, 10 percent of whom die. The Seattle-based IDRI is working to develop a vaccine for the disease.

[queticomn]

It's easy to donate money when when the company that made is took advantage of its customers to make that money.

[ducttape36]

you win the troll of the year award for finding the negative in charity work.

[hlywd217]

Unbelievable.....

[queticomn]

It's easy to donate money when when the company that made it took advantage of its customers to make that money.

[HeavyJim]

Ah, ductape, dont be hard on him, he is just angry because Steve Jobs gives so much to charity. Oh, wait, Jobs doesnt donate to charities. He keeps it all for himself.

[wenbattnn]

Thank God for Bill and Melinda Gates. They do more for helping developing countries deal with (or even find cures for) unpopular diseases than most organizations. The pharmaceutical companies surely don?t invest in drugs that aren?t profitable.