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THE FRECKLED MAN with the rectangular glasses instantly recognisable to much of the world stood in the West African heat, staring at data that had nothing to do with selling software.
But it was exactly where Bill Gates said he wanted to be, at a tin-roof clinic in a village in Ghana, listening to local health-care workers explain the progress they had made in vaccinating babies.
“These are the countries where I’m the least known,” the 57-year-old Microsoft co-founder told AFP, after a journalist pointed out that several of those at the clinic did not know who he was.
“I mean, nobody knows me here,” he said, before adding: “Maybe in the capital, but that has nothing to do with why we do the work.”
Gates’ foundation has been on a high-profile campaign to improve health by increasing vaccinations in poorer nations. Ghana, with an immunisation level above 90 per cent for some diseases, is being held up as a success story.
That’s why Gates, who Forbes says is the world’s second-richest person as well as its most generous, was here this week to visit health clinics and speak with officials about their efforts.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a major contributor to the GAVI Alliance, which helps make vaccines available to developing countries, including Ghana.
His visit came ahead of a so-called Global Vaccine Summit set for Abu Dhabi on April 24 and 25, where Gates and others will try to highlight the need for continued support for immunisations, as well as discuss a six-year plan to eliminate polio.
(Video: Ghana Broadcasting/YouTube)
These have not been easy times for the vaccination campaigns that Gates promotes with both his star power and his money.
The global economic slowdown has led to concerns over aid contributions and violence has hit polio immunisations in Nigeria and Pakistan.
He said he visited Ghana to get an on-the-ground view of what worked and what did not.
Gates also called Ghana’s primary health care system “probably the best” in Africa, while also singling out Rwanda and Botswana for praise.
But the story in certain other countries remains problematic – particularly in nearby Nigeria, which remains one of the world’s three polio-endemic countries despite its position as Africa’s largest oil producer.
And while Ghana has distinguished itself, there is some concern over whether its efforts will continue at the same level: for as the country continues its economic march that will eventually disqualify it for the aid that pays for much of its vaccination work.
For the time being however, it is a point of pride, with polio eradicated about 10 years ago and no child deaths from measles since 2002.
“With such achievement, it convinces them that immunisation works,” said Dr. K.O. Antwi-Agyei, immunisation programme manager for the Ghana Health Service, referring to discussions with politicians on maintaining financing.
“And once it’s working, then it’s worth investing into.”
What Ghana has working for it
Ghana has had a number of factors working for it, beginning with its political stability, with the country seen as a democratic success story in West Africa. It has held six successful elections since the 1992 end of military rule.
Its economy has also been strong in recent years, with 14 per cent growth in 2011 and some eight per cent last year.
But Gates and others point out that one of the real secrets of its success has been the way its health service is organised, with efficient community health centres that conduct outreach to ensure as many babies are vaccinated as possible.
A district health centre visited by Gates collects data on immunisations and posts it on a web-based system – a key point for the former software geek, who stresses that quality data is needed to assess health efforts.
A pilot programme is also being run that allows health centres to communicate with mothers by mobile phone text messages, sending them health tips and reminding them it’s time for their child’s immunisation.
As for what will happen when Ghana advances further along economically and begins to be phased out of major GAVI financial support, opinions differ.
Antwi-Agyei’s boss, Dr. Frank Nyonator, director of the human resources division in the ministry of health, said he is confident Ghana will pick up the slack on its own. Antwi-Agyei is more concerned.
But for now, progress can be seen at places such as the Ahentia health centre, set among dusty roads and where public electricity only recently arrived, one of the nurses said.
Mothers and their children looked on as nurses and volunteers weighed a baby from a sling hung from a tree branch. Inside, a refrigerator equipped to operate with gas when electricity is not available kept the vaccines cold.
Faustina Havor, a 30-year-old volunteer, had no problem admitting she did not know who Bill Gates was. It did not matter.
“I just want to help my community – and my country as a whole,” she said when asked why she decided to volunteer.
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I see bills still doing his bit to reduce the population of Africa
Bill has stated many times that the population of the planet needs to be reduced significantly. There is plenty of video’s on Utube of him at major conferences alluding to this. Cant disagree with him, just wonder about his methods.
Shane, the bill & melinda gates foundation does a massive amount of work in family planning also. Would you prefer that he sit back with your attitude and let them die as victims of geography?
cold, very cold.
Derek, did you ever think about disagreeing with the methods of Chavez?
Sure Declan, no one is perfect. It is a complex world, Chavez gained no personal wealth from what he tried to achieve. From what i know of the man, his intentions were all about improving the lives of the majority.
Derek, and the lives of many have been improved by the likes of bill gates with new technology, new jobs, new wealth, new investment. Think of all the things you do in a day because of the personal computer and software. I have worked at Fujitsu, Microsoft, IBM and even punched out keyboards for Apple in a small place in ballyfermot. I got a wage from all of these companies. My standard of living went up and up in each job. Now I’m with the post office. Technology plays a big part in how I get my job done. I believe that they still had queues for bread in Venezuela under Chavez?
Since when was a cut throat greedy businessman yank, to be held as our moral compass on who or what lives or dies???
Has sweat shop Gates grown a conscience ???
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266643/Microsofts-Chinese-workforce-tired-stay-awake.html
Get indigenous people to give up their lands to corporations and go and work as slaves in your factories as you play god in Africa.
Then you shut down your factories move them elsewhere and leave people with nothing!!!
Leave them begging!!!
With your big Pharma golfing buddies and eugenists (that want to patent the very seeds that we use to grow our food)
as your “tax free” foundation tamper with mother nature.
http://www.naturalnews.com/035105_Bill_Gates_Monsanto_eugenics.html
What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies Slave Sweat Shop Gates????
Has money made you into our god???
Are you going to try and force us all to eat your nutrition devoid Cloned GMO food Gates???
Are you going to try and control our existence with your Terminator Seeds Gates???
http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/terminator-seeds.aspx
http://www.ethicalinvesting.com/monsanto/terminator.shtml
What are you doing in Africa Gates????
Wouldn’t your time be better spent lobbying your yankee golfing buddies to stop spending Trillions of taxpayers dollars on Vile weapons/biological Weapons, used to destroy children around the world???
I don’t think he reads the journal Harry….
Harry, chill the f#%^ out!
Ha Ha
Corporate America financially raped these countries and screwed their people.
Now they want to go in again and suck the bones dry???
What would a spoiled corrupt yank know about helping the needy???
Harry, are you aware that its china that’s now going into Africa to buy up its resources?!
Btw, I’m not aware of America doing much business over the years in Africa?
Are you not referring to past colonial powers? The British, the Belgians, the Portuguese etc?
Have you been hanging out with b Lowe?
No Declan.
I’m just looking at “silly” obvious things like
Which country holds the largest gold reserves on the planet.
or
Which country is the biggest producer of pharma and military weapons etc.
You are right though its difficult to pin it on mainland America these days
when it has become a disgusting global, mobile, corporatocracy,
moving from one tax haven to another
moving from one cheap source of dollar a day labour to another.
Defo worlds population needs to be curbed bigtime and I agree with Bill
Bill says using vaccines to control the world population and reduce it by 10 to 15% WITH VACCINES.
You can check out his speech on YouTube .
So is he about healthcare, sick care or just trying to make money out of population control?
Oh god give the conspiracies a rest!
Yep its definitely making money. Microsoft wasn’t lucrative enough for him that’s why he quit. Much more moolah to be sucked out of rural africa….
Spot on Michael.
Since when did greedy yanks ( who kill before them and after them around the world) want to do anything for the needy people around the world?
Particularly greedy Corporate yanks.
How many countries have corporate America financially raped??? (including Ireland)
Go down to the Amazon and see what Gates’s golf buddies done to the people their.
Hakuin, nonsense! He’s spending the money he made with Microsoft in africa!
@Hakuin. Microsoft wasn’t lucrative enough for him. That’s right. It only made him the richest man in the world.
Made him millions , but did it fore fill his ambitions?
Bill Gates has a lot of money and power in this world. He could just sit back and enjoy it but he has decided to use it to make a difference. He should be applauded. Hopefully history will remember him for his philanthropy and not because of his money.
A beautiful country, my short time there will stay with me forever.
That’s right Gates go in as a missionary,
so that your corporate chums can rape this country for their Trillions of Dollars of Natural Resources.
Disgusting!!
Harry, Trillions?! Really, see that’s where you have lost the argument already.
Yes Declan Trillions.
Ghana has one of the wealthy reserves of natural resources in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_gold_production
Yet Ghana has huge debts to western organisations.
Debts that enriched only a few corrupt elite Ghanians (If that).
Debts that the entire population of Ghana are expected to pay back for the corrupt few.
(a bit like Ireland Declan)
Debts that have set their healthcare system back years, but Gates is trying to rectify this. Tell us exactly how this immunisation programme is going to lay the groundwork for the rape of this country. You need to do your homework. Then you would know that the companies that harvest the natural resources of Ghana are already in the control of British and American companies. This is a throwback to colonialism. Not every American is a conqueror out to make money at the expense of others. Gates is just another in a long line of wealthy philanthropists( e.g. Carnegie, Guinness family, Rockofellers, etc.) that believe they should give something back to the world. This way their name will live on forever. Isn’t that worth more than having money you will never spend. There are no conspiracies here.
There is nothing for nothing in this life, especially with these rich families. In truth where do you think the bai out money comes from? Governments? They are all broke. No, a small group of families have gathered all the wealth over generations and they control every thing
Ha Ha John.
You are joking aren’t you?
You’re joking when you use the Rockerfellers as an example of philanthropy?
A family that openly boast about depopulation and eugenics?
A family that aided and abetted the Hitler and the Nazis?
Gates parties with all these guys.
Gates is an international ambassador for his country
A country that dropped 8 million tons of bombs on babies and farms in Vietnam.
a country that sprayed 20 million gallons of chemical weapons over women children and infants in south east Asia just a few short years ago.
And guess what?
Gates’s golfing buddies are still making these psychopathic chemical weapons in the U.S.
Only now they are getting more advanced.
Google agent orange images John.
And you’ll see what America has done for the poor children of this world.
You’ll see the victims of Gate’s countrymen.
You’ll see the victims of the U.S. that have yet to be compensated,
as Gates and his Yankee friends do their “charity” over in Africa.
I reckon you two have given me the thumbs down then. Firstly, people do do stuff for nothing. I put money in the poor boxes and I reckon so do you. I don’t expect anything in return but I reckon the fact that Gates will save thousands of lives will be gratitude enough. Secondly, I think somebody is living in the world of the X Files here. Agent Orange, Hitler. Give it a rest you clown. This man made his money after leaving college and developing computer software. When did he become a dictator hell bent on destroying the world. Forbes lists him as the most generous man on the planet and I reckon he is just as ashamed of America’s foreign policies as everyone else is. Being American doesn’t make him guilty of those crimes just as I’m not responsible for IRA atrocities. I think you would prefer him to do nothing for anyone and that way he would conform to your ideas. Arguing the point with you is a waste of time because your either in an acid induced paranoid state or your just a naturally crazy fool who sees agents hiding in the bushes. Go back to hospital and get the help you need before you start climbing to the top of buildings with a shooter, waiting for the president.
Here John.
Here’s a nice rich lady in a trouser suite.
She want’s to tell you and your partner when you should have a baby.
Her husbands money has suddenly made her an expert on the subject.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2BOTS9GAjc4#!
And here’s one from God himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaF-fq2Zn7I
Remember to think twice before you start a family Guys.
Or you might upset a rich American couple. who made their money on slave labour in their sweatshops.
Who better to give you family planning advice??
Only your friendly neighborhood sweatshop owner??
What next on the Billionaire Psychopath agenda John??
“The all new joy of (no) sex” by Warren Buffett ??
Or
“Why you should (not) pay your taxes in Ireland” by Denis O’Brien??
have your say