AmericaBlog has an interesting post on the radically different styles of philanthropy undertaken by Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates. Certainly, advancing the very notion of philanthropy is important, and something that both of these individuals have and continue to accomplish.
Sarah McLachlan - "World on Fire"
The video beautifully articulates the disparity between the first world and the third world, and how modest amounts of well-intentioned money create great positive change, buoyed by optimism and hope. I have tremendous admiration for Sarah, her management and her label, to make this statement. It was elegant and effective.
cross posted at ojaipost.com
From NBC News:
By helping immunize and save millions of children, the Gates Foundation has been a shot in the arm for global public health."Within our lifetime, I would expect all these top 20 diseases, we would have vaccines and medicines to eliminate the disease burden of those," said Bill Gates on Monday at the news conference where he accepted Warren Buffett's pledge to donate billions annually to the foundation.
That kind of talk is energizing a field that has long been plagued by systems that are underfunded or simply don't work.
The systems that don't work will be replaced by ones that do. Technology will level the playing field in many ways: it allows people of all means to participate in financial and experiential aid, it provides opportunity for greater visibility for even the smallest non-profits operating in the remotest locations, and it helps humanize the social and environmental issues plaguing the globe in a way that people feel a stronger emotional connection to the world around them.