The public health sciences have played a key role in improving human health. They are essential in creating insight in the relative importance of environmental, lifestyle and genetic causes of diseases in order, which in turn allows us to identify strategies to improve the wellbeing of the population and to evaluate their impact. From a philanthropic perspective, giving in this perspective is often linked to a personal cause.  Most unncessary deaths occur in poorer countries, where resources are not available to provide adequate health care. In the developing countries, currently more than 35,000 people die from AIDS, malaria and other poverty–related diseases every day. This makes the role of research and health actions in these countries a necessity to overcome the situation.