THOUGHTS
WE CAUGHT A SHORT INTERVIEW WITH
SUSAN DESMOND-HELLMANN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER OF THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
WHO WILLINGLY SHARED HER THOUGHTS ON
SCALING UP GRASSROOTS INITIATIVES.
Change Mag:
CHANGE magazine works to promote grassroots
innovations and values community based projects
that strive to improve the status of health. How does
the Gates Foundation support bottom-up initiatives?
Susan:
In the early stages, the Gates Foundation also
had some bottom-up processes and efforts. I also
frequently communicated with Melinda about
breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a bottom-up process
that starts with the grassroots and mothers. Ebola
prevention is also a bottom-up process. The Gates
Foundation is thinking that we can help through
impact investment, through working with our
partners, and then empowering partners at the
grassroots level to further promote good projects.
In the United States, we have also conducted many
dialogues on how to further foster the entire bottom-
up process and promote changes in the world. Let’s
make it possible for communities to create a catalog
of their own, and then get support to make things
happen.
Susan Desmond-Hellmann
Chief Executive Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation
Board member of Facebook
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Change Magazine January 2018 www.changemag-diinsider.com
Change Magazine January 2018
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