Qatar helps Bill Gates tackle poverty with $50 million pledge

Qatar has teamed up with American billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates to combat poverty. Representatives from the Qatar Development Fund pledged $50 million to the Lives and Livelihood Fund, a $2.5 billion fund established by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Islamic Development Bank, in an effort to provide financing for some of the world’s poorest Muslim countries through grants and shariah-compliant loans at below market rates. The fund’s projects will focus on four areas including infectious diseases control and eradication, primary healthcare, agriculture and food security, and basic infrastructure.