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I linked a research paper, an article interviewing Africans, and a third article outlining all the unintended consequences of bill gates program. The problem with his program is not just that it didn't focus on education. It's that Bill Gates got to decide where the majority of money for medical purposes was in sub Saharan Africa in a way that actually limited medical care outside of very specific programs that the bill and Melinda gates deemed important and had unintended consequences. Honestly, the big part that I haven't honed on enough is the aspect of how much control this gives Bill Gates has over peoples lives. He's a major donor to the UN health agency and the WHO and has a huge amount of power there that he actually sways to dictate policy. He has huge sway over who lives and who dies. I'm glad you're confident Bill Gates didn't just land in Africa without support from leaders of African countries and thus and inferred "support from Africans". But you and I both know that his huge wealth creates a weird power imbalance with whoever he donates to and I argue that he exercises that power imbalance in a negative way to do what he thinks is best for others instead of asking people what's best for them.

And, honestly, his vaccination and anti malraia programs saved crazy amounts of lives. I'm not here to act like his philanthropy did nothing to save lives. I'm here to argue that individual men trying to save whole continents by throwing money at problems in ways that also gives them influence and control over a population doesn't absolve them of their other sins, this isn't the most effective way to actually save lives, this has unintended consequences that actually costs some lives, and generally how bill gates uses his foundation isn't how world problems should be handled.

You say at least he spends money on programs unlike others. But I argue that this doesn't make him good because he doesn't do it from a place of good or do it in a good way. he doesnt actually pay attention or care about his philanthropy. He was pressured into becoming philanthropic by his mom and, after she died, his dad who then handled it. He only got active after he stepped down as the head of Microsoft (because he was forced down after anti trust shit) and I argue he stayed for the power he gained after he lost power at Microsoft. Much of his foundation money actually goes... To other large companies (like Monsanto, MasterCard, and Vodafone). So, on top of everything, his philanthropy has a huge "giant capitalist companies will save the world" twist to it when we should be focusing on universal health care.

Also, to be detailed on the AIDS thing, the reduction in transmission by 60% is highly controversial in the science community. The research was extremely flawed. There was a lot of skepticism in the science community before and for good reason. And, don't get me wrong, circumcision probably does decrease the spread of sexually transmitted HIV by reducing the likelyhood a man will get HIV from vaginal sex and then spread it... And HIV is down some so part of some anti HIV program actually was successful. But I'll also leave this reddit comment here as it highlights a lot of journal articles that indicate it wasn't circumcision.

Bill gates is not a good guy. Bill Gates is a guy who throws his unethically obtained eboranant wealth at issues in a way that gives him control and actually hinders non capitalistic universal health care which would arguably be more effective. Many times it works out. But it also warped.

Seriously there 2 hours of a behind the bastards episode on this that organizes everything much better than I can on Lemmy.