An Introduction to Melinda Gates' Pearls by Kristen Magnacca
The idea and word is spreading about Her Pearls of Wisdom and I am excited about the interest and the desire to share your stories. Stories about moments of insight that you hold onto that have created strength and grace for healing. Opening up the same possibility for others.
We have reached out to women in all different life circumstances coming from a place which feels that regardless of where you are in your life, your experience matters and sagely advise brings healing and comfort.
We reached out to the list of women in the Wall Street Journal who are labeled the 50 Women to Watch. We are honored to say that we heard from Mrs. Melinda Gates, the co founder of the Gates Foundation and the wife of Bill Gates. Although she does not grant interviews or speak about her personal life, her assistant shared with us some of her speeches and information about the profound work that the Gates Foundation is currently undertaking. When reviewing the speeches, this excerpt below spoke to me and I hope you find the sagely advice that I found from Melinda Gates’ words.
"The Other Side of the Mat" (excerpt from a speech by Melinda Gates)
Making our intention of the day to realize what is it like for the person on the other side of the mat?
So when we meet people in the countries we visit, we see what we have in common with them. Like us, they have hopes for the future. They have parents who love them and children who need them. They have intellectual curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and a determination to make life better for themselves and their children.
I am especially moved by the mothers I meet. They'll invite me into their homes, and we'll sit on the floor, often on opposite sides of a small mat. I have young children myself, and I try to put myself in these women’s position. What would I do, if I were on the other side of the mat? What would I want for my children?
If I were a pregnant mother in Bangladesh, I would be desperate for a skilled attendant to help me deliver my baby safely.
If I were a young mother in India, I would want to know the facts: that breastfeeding instead of using formula is one of the best ways to save my newborn from cholera.
If I were a mother in Malawi and my daughter got sick with diarrhea, I would hope that she could get the electrolytes she needed before it was too late.
Those would be my hopes, my dreams, my wishes. But in all likelihood, they would not be the reality of my daily life.
The reality is this: Every year, more than 10 million children die before they turn five, most of them from conditions we know how to prevent or treat.
In some countries I've visited, mothers don't give their children names for weeks or even months because they don't want to start caring about them. The chances are just too high that their children will die in those first few weeks of life.
When I hear a story like that, I am jolted back to my side of the mat. How can tragedy be such an everyday occurrence?
I am appalled that children are still dying of pneumonia today—a century after rich countries figured out how to treat it effectively.
On my side of the mat, when my kids are sick, they get antibiotics. On the other side of the mat, when a child gets sick, it can be a death sentence.
I ask you to put yourself on the other side of the mat—to see that these mothers love their children just as much as you love yours.When we empathize, we realize how urgently we need to make saving the children of the world a priority for the world.
[Printed with permission of the Gates Foundation]
The idea and word is spreading about Her Pearls of Wisdom and I am excited about the interest and the desire to share your stories. Stories about moments of insight that you hold onto that have created strength and grace for healing. Opening up the same possibility for others.
We have reached out to women in all different life circumstances coming from a place which feels that regardless of where you are in your life, your experience matters and sagely advise brings healing and comfort.
We reached out to the list of women in the Wall Street Journal who are labeled the 50 Women to Watch. We are honored to say that we heard from Mrs. Melinda Gates, the co founder of the Gates Foundation and the wife of Bill Gates. Although she does not grant interviews or speak about her personal life, her assistant shared with us some of her speeches and information about the profound work that the Gates Foundation is currently undertaking. When reviewing the speeches, this excerpt below spoke to me and I hope you find the sagely advice that I found from Melinda Gates’ words.
"The Other Side of the Mat" (excerpt from a speech by Melinda Gates)
Making our intention of the day to realize what is it like for the person on the other side of the mat?
So when we meet people in the countries we visit, we see what we have in common with them. Like us, they have hopes for the future. They have parents who love them and children who need them. They have intellectual curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and a determination to make life better for themselves and their children.
I am especially moved by the mothers I meet. They'll invite me into their homes, and we'll sit on the floor, often on opposite sides of a small mat. I have young children myself, and I try to put myself in these women’s position. What would I do, if I were on the other side of the mat? What would I want for my children?
If I were a pregnant mother in Bangladesh, I would be desperate for a skilled attendant to help me deliver my baby safely.
If I were a young mother in India, I would want to know the facts: that breastfeeding instead of using formula is one of the best ways to save my newborn from cholera.
If I were a mother in Malawi and my daughter got sick with diarrhea, I would hope that she could get the electrolytes she needed before it was too late.
Those would be my hopes, my dreams, my wishes. But in all likelihood, they would not be the reality of my daily life.
The reality is this: Every year, more than 10 million children die before they turn five, most of them from conditions we know how to prevent or treat.
In some countries I've visited, mothers don't give their children names for weeks or even months because they don't want to start caring about them. The chances are just too high that their children will die in those first few weeks of life.
When I hear a story like that, I am jolted back to my side of the mat. How can tragedy be such an everyday occurrence?
I am appalled that children are still dying of pneumonia today—a century after rich countries figured out how to treat it effectively.
On my side of the mat, when my kids are sick, they get antibiotics. On the other side of the mat, when a child gets sick, it can be a death sentence.
I ask you to put yourself on the other side of the mat—to see that these mothers love their children just as much as you love yours.When we empathize, we realize how urgently we need to make saving the children of the world a priority for the world.
[Printed with permission of the Gates Foundation]
