Aid, Evolved

Aid, Evolved: Looking Back on 2021

Today I pull together some of the conversations in 2021 that really made my head spin.

 

I clicked ‘record’ on the first episode of Aid, Evolved just over a year ago. My goal was to tell the stories of people working at the intersection of technology, poverty, and health. I've poked and prodded 28 people from many different walks of the aid sector: funders, innovators, non-profit founders, health systems leaders, government administrators - you name it. We've grappled with the situation of healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries across Africa and Asia. Together we've shared our hopes and struggles in applying technology to make such systems work a bit better.

 

As we wrap up 2021, let me share with you some of the things I've learned about the aid industry. Who are the actors, and what are the strengths and limitations of each actor? One question in particular I grapple with: every aid organization and donor emphasizes the importance of working with and investing in the people in the communities we serve. But why is it so hard to get investment as a local organization in Africa or Asia - and why is it so hard to give it?

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Walking Away from Half Your Revenue with Jon Jackson of Dimagi

Jon Jackson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Dimagi, a social enterprise that delivers digital solutions to improve lives in over 130 countries. In today's conversation, we chat with Jon about the influences, the people, and the ideas that took him from being an MIT grad on Wall Street to the trenches building health systems in Zambia. As we reflect on Dimagi's founding story, we also hear Jon's conscious decision to be an idealist and an activist - in spite of the existential doubts that plague him to this day. We hear how the mismatch between frontline aid workers and donors played out for Jon as he built and launched a touchscreen Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system in Zambia. From these formative experiences, Jon developed his philosophy towards high-impact technology. Then he baked that philosophy into the fabric of Dimagi.

 

This is also the story of how to shape a business to match one person's philosophy of impact, particularly in the complex and often broken dynamics of the aid industry. How do you build an ecosystem for impact, one that can rise above the success or failure of any individual project or product? How do you build a company that can have a lot of failures, but ultimately when it succeeds, its success is inextricably linked to the success of those we serve?

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

 

David vs. Goliath with Mike Quinn of Zoona

Mike Quinn was co-founder and CEO of one Africa's earliest major financial technology (FinTech) companies, Zoona. He raised over 35 million dollars of international investment for this Zambian startup - before its heartbreaking crash and Mike's exit from the company.

In the conversation today, Mike shares how this Canadian engineer found himself leading a Zambian mobile money company. He opens the door to the power and pressures of international financing, and the toll it takes on African entrepreneurs. In just a few years, Mike grew Zoona to a company that served millions of unbanked consumers in Zambia and Malawi. But that all changed when their Series C round of financing fell through at the last minute.

This is a classic David vs. Goliath story. Mike and his co-founders were a group of young, ambitious techies who wanted to make life easier for millions of Zambians. To do this, this small company needed to go head-to-head with billion-dollar international phone companies.

The craziest part? They almost won.

All of this and more is covered in Mike's recently published tell-all book, Failing to Win, available around the world through Amazon (available in audio, paperback and kindle format) or in South Africa at Takealot and Exclusive Books.

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

How to Create a Shared Reality with Kevin Starr of Mulago Foundation

What would you do if you had millions of dollars to invest in impact? Would you put it in an existing charity - or would you try to do something different, something better?

Kevin Starr needed to answer these questions when, in 1993, he unexpectedly found himself at the head of a new foundation named Mulago. Instead of taking the path well traveled, Kevin decided to experiment with creating impact that lasts. And so, through the twists and turns of many years, he developed the Mulago Foundation fellows program and investment approach.

In today’s conversation, Kevin shares how he found his way in the early years of Mulago. He talks about the challenges of early investments and how those lessons are applied to his current approach. Over time, he shares how the Foundation really started to gel once he was able to build common ground with his investors and his awardees. Kevin dives into some of the fallacies and idiosyncrasies of the aid sector, and how he’s established a more efficient way of working. Mulago runs lean because it builds on talent and trust - and skips the bureaucracy. Finally, Kevin presents his “playbook for scale”, the six systemic accelerators he sees again and again in his most successful investments.

In addition to leading Mulago, Kevin is one of the primary instigators of Big Bang Philanthropy, a group of funders that work together to direct more money to those best at fighting poverty.

Mulago Foundation was an early funder of Digital Green, Nexleaf Analytics, Medic, One Acre Fund, Living Goods, Last Mile Health, VillageReach, and Mothers2Mothers.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Reinventing Yourself on the Journey to Scale with Sathy Rajasekharan of Jacaranda Health

Sathy Rajasekharan is the co-Executive Director of Jacaranda Health. Frustrated with the speed of change within larger institutions, Sathy joined Jacaranda to be part of a small, agile, and experimental team. His mission was to lead the charge on local innovation. He joined at a pivotal time, when Jacaranda Health was transforming beyond its origins as a private healthcare provider to create a digital health non-profit. At the helm of Jacaranda's operations in Africa today, Sathy is committed to Jacaranda's work to generate rapid, grounded innovation. This means he needs to make tough choices on what experiments to keep, and what to cut. Even today he's constantly asking the question of how to incubate new ideas, through what team and what structure. As he seeks to expand their influence across Kenya, he also comes head to head with the practical and policy gaps of scale. For example: Jacaranda strives to adopt the highest standards of data protection, but what happens when this approach collides with common practice in Kenya?

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

In Country and Behind the Scenes with Marie Ahmed of USAID

Marie Ahmed has worked within USAID to strengthen health systems in Nepal, Rwanda, Côte d'Ivoire, and Thailand. She has a long career in the non-profit and public sector, including time with the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan and over a decade with USAID, the largest contributor of foreign aid in the world.

 

In this conversation, we recall what inspired Marie to work in the aid sector; her surprise placement in Uzbekistan; and the hard financial realities that constraint who can work in aid. We also peek behind the scenes to understand what it's like being someone with the responsibility of directing US Foreign Assistance overseas. In her role, Marie is constantly balancing her accountability to the American taxpayer with the unique needs of different countries which have hosted her. She needs to act according to the deadlines and the policies of the American Congress, while deeply understanding the needs of vulnerable communities that she is trying to serve elsewhere. Marie provides an honest and human perspective on what it's like navigating the aid industry. She tackles head-on some of the common pet peeves people have with aid, opening our eyes to the realities and responsibilities that come with managing public funds.

 

This interview is an eye-opener to the financial and political mechanisms which anyone working in the modern aid industry needs to work with.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Growing 10X in a Year with Evelyn Castle of eHealth Africa

Evelyn Castle is a woman who just doesn't know when to stop. She has founded multiple social ventures in the technology and health space in Africa. She is best known for her work as Executive Director and Co-Founder of eHealth Africa, a leading digital health implementer for Nigeria that was founded and run from Kano, Nigeria - and now has a growing footprint elsewhere in Africa. She also founded EHA Clinics, a private set of clinics providing quality healthcare in Nigeria, and EHA Impact Ventures, an impact investing firm targeting female-owned startups in Africa.

 

In our conversation today, we talk about Evelyn's fateful decision to drop out of college in California so she could pursue her dream in Nigeria. She shares the explosive growth that eHealth Africa experienced - growing by 10X in a single year! - and the kind of pressures that put on the organization to expand and to deliver. She shares how she built a chain of private sector clinics, driven by the need to provide quality care to her growing staff. And finally we hear Evelyn's vision for her new impact investing work, and how it will power the next generation of tech founders to do even better.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Charting Your Own Course with Erica Layer of D-Tree

Erica Layer is the CEO of D-Tree International, a global digital health organization dedicated to ensuring everyone has access to quality primary healthcare through integration of digital tools into community health systems. In this conversation, Erica shares how she found her way into the field of digital health, for reasons that had nothing to do with technology. She recounts how she was scared, inspired, and guided by Dr. Marc Mitchell, the founder of D-Tree who passed away two years ago. Finally, we trace Erica's journey stepping into the role of CEO, and how she's had to carve out her own style of leadership. Erica never imagined she would take on this role... but when the time came, everyone else in the room knew she was the right woman for the job.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

What Stands the Test of Time with Dominic Atweam of Ghana Health Services

After more than 15 years in Ghana Health Services, Dominic Atweam has seen all the major digital health systems in Ghana come and go. But one system withstands the test of time: DHIS2 (or "DHIMS2" as it is branded in Ghana). 

Dominic was a key actor in the decision by Ghana Health Services (GHS) to adopt DHIS2. In this walk through history, Dominic retells how he first learned about the system, how he launched it on a shoestring budget, and the reason why it continues to be used so widely in Ghana today. 

Dominic was a Health Information Systems Expert for over a decade within the Division of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PPME), the Directorate of GHS charged with oversight on digital health deployments in Ghana. He recently joined the World Health Organization (WHO) to continue promoting effective health information systems use at all levels of the Ministry of Health.

 

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

 

Invest In Ecosystems, Not Apps, With Rahul Mullick And The Gates Foundation

After rising to the top of the global consulting industry, Rahul Mullick joined the Gates Foundation to oversee some of their most ambitious work in digital and technology. Today we look back on what Rahul learned and how his investment strategy evolved in the 7 years he spent with the Gates Foundation. 

We discuss Rahul's ground-breaking work to tackle tuberculosis (TB) in India, the country with the highest TB burden in the world. This resulted in the development of the largest TB platform in India providing continuity of care to patients across public and private hospitals. Rahul also played a major role in the fight against malnutrition in India, which houses a third of the world's malnourished children. His investments supported hundreds of thousands of India's community-based nutrition workers with smartphones and an application to guide and improve service delivery. Rahul shares the pressure, challenges, and opportunity that come with scaling to one of the largest health worker programs in the world. Reflecting on what he's learned, he shares how his investment strategy has evolved over the years, from investing in specific technology products towards building a digital innovation ecosystem for India.

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)