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Bill and Melinda Gates sat down with Charlie Rose on Wednesday, where the couple talked the compassion needed to impact global poverty.

"I think you have to go to these places and you have to let your heart break," said Melinda Gates.

Gates described the need to envision life from the perspective of those she wanted to help.

"You have to say to yourself, 'What if I was born in these circumstances?' 'What length would I go to to feed my children?'" she said.

Gates said imagining a child dying from malaria underscored the enormity of the challenge poverty poses.

"You say to yourself, 'My gosh, we have to save not just that child, but 600,00 children.' And that can be done."

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports a wide array of global health and development initiatives, including combating malaria.

The full interview with Bill and Melinda Gates airs on PBS on Wednesday and on Bloomberg TV on Thursday.

Watch a clip from the interview:

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