Melinda Gates will be travelling to Bangladesh find out about maternal and child health and women’s issues. Why these specific issues? Nick Kristoff writes:
They’re among the most important challenges we face. Women continue to die needlessly in childbirth, especially in Africa and South Asia, when we know exactly how to save their lives. And infant mortality — especially neo-natal deaths — remain a huge problem in many countries. As for empowering women, this isn’t just about justice; it’s also often the most cost-effective way to save lives and benefit entire societies. These are issues that Melinda and the Gates Foundation have thought long and hard about, and that I’ve tried to popularize in my column and on Twitter and my Facebook page (and, of course, in “Half the Sky”).
Ms. Gates has agreed to answer reader questions on the topic as she travels through Bangladesh (“tough, skeptical questions, welcome”) from Nick Kristoff’s readers. Submit your question here.