THE MOMENT OF LIFT

How Empowering Women Changes the World

-Melinda Gates

“When we lift up women, we lift up humanity”

“The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World” is the debut novel of Melinda French Gates, an American Philanthropist and co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Melinda Gates has been working towards Global Health for the past two decades and has made significant progress in several areas. Her book provides a passionate and thoughtful look at the struggles of the marginalized sections of the society. She documents the foundation’s journey and her personal growth simultaneously and has established a link between her progress and that of the foundation adding a personal touch to the book.

She starts the book with a little background information, in order to  establish a connection with her readers and she has done that successfully. Her narration style is so personal that it makes the reader a part of her journey and it seems that we are living the experiences with her. Every story, every conversation is so nuanced and detailed that you can gauge the emotion behind it and experience the daily struggles of these women. The experience of reading this book was like being placed in the lives of these women and it indeed was a rollercoaster ride. 

Melinda started the book with a bold statement, she accepted something which takes a lot of courage; “I’m not sure I knew then what a feminist was.”

This was her response on being asked whether she is a Feminist or not. 

She started as a woman who believed when couples had children, men worked and women stayed home. Throughout the book we witnessed her blossoming into the biggest advocate of female rights and healthcare. She was not ashamed in accepting her shortcomings and lack of awareness, and being able to acknowledge this was one of the main reasons that she could overcome them. She was willing to learn and that is what she did; she learnt, planned and implemented. 

In her book she shares encounters and experiences with leaders and philanthropists from across the world. They helped her learn the elaborate problems that come alongside poverty and discrimination. One such person was Hans Rosling, a trailblazing professor of International health. He helped her see poverty through the eyes of the poor. He was one of the first mentors that Melinda had and even at his deathbed gave her a lesson for life. 

Throughout the book she learnt about and tackled several issues like; vaccinations, contraceptives, gender inequality, female genital cutting, child marriage, rape, domestic violence, unpaid labor, and sex work. The stories Melinda narrated are both heartbreaking and empowering, but most importantly they deserve to be heard by all. They will not only tell you about the atrocities of the world but also empower you to break the shackles of gender bias. She writes, “That connection is built on a simple truth: Whenever you include a group that’s been excluded, you benefit everyone. And when you’re working globally to include women and girls, who are half of every population, you’re working to benefit all members of every community. Gender equity lifts everyone.”

Melinda, accompanied by her team, traveled to the smallest of towns and experienced their living conditions and struggles first handedly. One thing that is really appreciative of Melinda is that she acknowledged the cultural differences and was very sensitive to their traditions. She believed that you cannot fill an already filled pot. Therefore, it was important to navigate around their beliefs and come up with a plan that will help them grow. 

She argues that above everything else, it is important to include women and stop treating them like outsiders. They are the heroes of their own lives and they deserve to be treated like it. She supports this argument by saying

“The goal is for everyone to be connected. The goal is for everyone to belong. The goal is for everyone to be loved.”

This piece is written by Nehal Thakur