World Report: March 12, 2004 Vol. 9 Iss. 20

Gates Gives and Gives

If you had $46 billion, what would you do with it? Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft and the world's richest man, gives a lot of his fortune to charity. Later this year, the Queen of England will make Gates a knight for his generous efforts.

One of Gates's biggest priorities is health. To date, he has donated $3.7 billion to poor nations. As a father of three, Gates is setting a good example. "My oldest is 7, so she understands that we're lucky enough to have some money to help people," he told TIME.