
Make Me Care About Digital Money
05/24/23 • 18 min
These days, there’s an app for everything, including your financial information. But what if you didn’t have access to receive and manage your own money? How would this limit how you live, thrive, or even survive? For many people - especially women - digital tools help unlock their power and agency over their own lives, and are the catalysts for change for growing economies.
This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Deon Woods, a Senior Program Officer focusing on Financial Services for the Poor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Deon shares how access to digital money (like venmo or paypal) and control over financial accounts are the most important predictors of a woman’s economic empowerment. This allows for professional opportunity and economic participation which means they can enhance the prosperity of their families, their communities, and the entire country and global economy. By increasing the financial autonomy, decision-making power, and personal freedom of women, we improve gender equality and our overall societies and economies as well. This equips us to better handle big challenges including global health challenges like COVID.
Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about
For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work: https://www.gatesfoundation.org
To learn more about digital money:
Womens Economic Empowerment Global Framework: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/equal-is-greater/
Financial Services for the Poor: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/our-work/programs/global-growth-and-opportunity/financial-services-for-the-poor
Global Findex 2021: How digital wages empower Bangladeshi women: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/2021-findex-report-financial-inclusion-benefits-bangladeshi-women
Statement from Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman: Why we need digital infrastructure: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2022/12/digital-public-infrastructure
For more on the work of our guest, Deon Woods: https://dial.global/profile/deonwoodsbell/
Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com
Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
These days, there’s an app for everything, including your financial information. But what if you didn’t have access to receive and manage your own money? How would this limit how you live, thrive, or even survive? For many people - especially women - digital tools help unlock their power and agency over their own lives, and are the catalysts for change for growing economies.
This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Deon Woods, a Senior Program Officer focusing on Financial Services for the Poor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Deon shares how access to digital money (like venmo or paypal) and control over financial accounts are the most important predictors of a woman’s economic empowerment. This allows for professional opportunity and economic participation which means they can enhance the prosperity of their families, their communities, and the entire country and global economy. By increasing the financial autonomy, decision-making power, and personal freedom of women, we improve gender equality and our overall societies and economies as well. This equips us to better handle big challenges including global health challenges like COVID.
Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about
For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work: https://www.gatesfoundation.org
To learn more about digital money:
Womens Economic Empowerment Global Framework: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/equal-is-greater/
Financial Services for the Poor: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/our-work/programs/global-growth-and-opportunity/financial-services-for-the-poor
Global Findex 2021: How digital wages empower Bangladeshi women: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/2021-findex-report-financial-inclusion-benefits-bangladeshi-women
Statement from Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman: Why we need digital infrastructure: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2022/12/digital-public-infrastructure
For more on the work of our guest, Deon Woods: https://dial.global/profile/deonwoodsbell/
Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com
Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode

Make Me Care About Ninth Grade
K-12 education is the foundation of a student’s academic career. But one grade sticks out above the rest: ninth grade. Success in ninth grade is the single most powerful metric for predicting students’ educational and career success. Learn why ninth grade matters so much and what to do if a student falls off track during their freshman year.
This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Krystal Payne, Co-executive director at the network for college success. Jen and Krystal discuss ninth grade, and how it is the most powerful predictor of high school success, college success, and career success in the United States. This is why investing in quality K12 education and especially early intervention is so important. Krystal talks about having dedicated ninth grade teacher teams, student data, and strong social and emotional supports to know students’ stories and meet them where they are.
Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about
For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work: https://www.gatesfoundation.org
To learn more about the importance of ninth grade:
NSI Ideas Article: https://usprogram.gatesfoundation.org/news-and-insights/articles/what-we-are-seeing-in-the-networks-for-school-improvement-work
Why Is Ninth Grade a Critical Time for Students? A Researcher Explains: https://usprogram.gatesfoundation.org/news-and-insights/articles/why-is-ninth-grade-a-critical-time-for-students-a-researcher-explains
The GRAD Partnership: https://www.gradpartnership.org/
The On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation: https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/track-indicator-predictor-high-school-graduation
For more on the work of our guest, Krystal Payne: https://ncs.uchicago.edu/directory/krystal-payne
Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com
Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode

Make Me Care About Malaria
Do you know what the deadliest animal is on the planet? From movies and TV shows, you might be thinking sharks, but that's wrong (sharks kill about five people a year). The answer is...mosquitoes. They are the deadliest animals on the planet by a long shot, and their biggest threat: malaria. Many of us have taken malaria pills before traveling without thinking twice about malaria itself. But how does malaria actually impact us? Malaria has devastated the sustainability of communities and the global economy. And in the words of this episode’s guest, Dr. Fredros Okumu, “It’s better to be alive than to be dead”.
This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Fredros Okumu, parasitologist and Director of Science at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, Africa. Jen and Fredros discuss how malaria is a disease for which we know the cause, the treatment, and how to effectively prevent it. Still, over half of the world population is currently at risk of malaria, and it kills 600,000 people annually, most of which are young children across the African continent. Like COVID, malaria affects us all through its impact on global economic growth, health, and travel. With investment and early interventions, including mosquito control and adequate diagnostics and treatments, we can reduce the disease burden and increase global health equity and dignity.
Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about
For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work: https://www.gatesfoundation.org
To learn more about malaria:
Malaria Strategy: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/food-fortification-to-fortify-the-future
What will it take to outsmart malaria?: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/our-work/programs/global-health/malaria
Why the Interceptor G2 net could be a game changer for malaria eradication: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/ig2-nets-malaria-eradication-financed-by-the-global-fund
For more on the work of our guest, Fredros Okumu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredros_Okumu
Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com
Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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