On Dec. 4, 2015, software magnate and all-around nice guy Bill Gates made a substantial pledge towards the Syrian refugee crisis. In a statement issued by Gates himself, the founder and former CEO of Microsoft said that he wishes to extend his best to all the Syrian families that will be arriving in North America shortly.
Bill Gates is known around the world as not only the creator of Microsoft but also a renowned philanthropist—donating much of his earnings to others. Several donations were made by Gates through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was first started in 1997.
Gates’s first donation will provide each refugee a total of $2. Although that may seem like quite a small sum for one of the richest men on the planet, Gates claimed that it is not the amount that is important.
“The objective is to give enough to each refugee so that they may start a bank account,” said Gates, in the Dec. 4 news release. “For many banks, the minimum amount of money you must deposit to start a bank account is $2.”
Gates hopes to help refugees get a good financial start in North America.
“This will help refugees looking to start new lives by giving them a starting point for their finances,” said Gates, in the same release. “This could be very helpful for many refugees who have very little left since they abandoned their homes.” The second contribution consists of a $20 gift card to the Microsoft Store. The gift card can be used at any Microsoft store in the world and can be used to purchase Microsoft products—such as the Xbox One, Microsoft Surface Tablet, and Microsoft Surface Book, among others.
Although every item in the Microsoft Store costs well over $20, Gates hopes that refugees will use the gift card to purchase things that they can utilize in their transition into North America.
“Although, $20 isn’t a lot, [newcomers] could definitely buy a mouse, or, if they save up enough, maybe a tablet!” Gates ecstatically explained in the news release.
When asked about the gift card, one refugee, who expressed the desire to remain unnamed, said, “I kind of wish it was for the Apple Store, so I could maybe buy an iPod or something. Do they still have Zunes in America?”
Finally, Gates’s biggest and most costly contribution will be a refurbished computer from 2003 for each refugee family. Gates explained that each computer will run an outdated version of the popular Microsoft Windows operating system.
“Each computer will run Windows XP, but [new immigrants] can use the $20 gift card to update to Windows 10!” said Gates.
Unfortunately, other than Internet Explorer, the computers will ship with no additional software
“We were thinking about installing Microsoft Office 2007, but the cost of that was just too high for us right now” said Gates.
Shortly after issuing the release, Gates delivered a speech, expressing his wishes for the safety and wellbeing of each refugee.
When asked about their opinions, many refugees said: “Thank you, but is Tim Cook available to help us with Apple products?”
Gates’s contribution will surely remind the world of his amazing philanthropic efforts and reminds us that those who are wealthy do give back some times. The contribution to the refugee crisis is definitely a step forward in enhancing the lives of refugees once they make it past the North American border.
There has been no word on whether any of Gates’s contributions will also apply to the 50,000 refugees Canada will be taking in into the next year.