Editor’s note: Yolanda Botti-Lodovico is Policy and Advocacy Lead for the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. Vilas Dhar is the president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The start of 2024 has been marked by a wave of predictions regarding the trajectory of artificial intelligence (AI), ranging from optimistic to cautious. Nevertheless, a clear consensus has emerged: AI is already reshaping human experience. To keep up, humanity must evolve.

For anyone who has lived through the rise of the internet and social media, the AI revolution may evoke a sense of déjà vu – and raise two fundamental questions: Is it possible to maintain the current momentum without repeating the mistakes of the past? And can we create a world in which everyone, including the 2.6 billion people who remain offline, is able to thrive?

Harnessing AI to bring about an equitable and human-centered future requires new, inclusive forms of innovation. But three promising trends offer hope for the year ahead.

First, AI regulation remains a top global priority. From the European Union’s AI Act to U.S. President Joe Biden’s October 2023 executive order, proponents of responsible AI have responded to voluntary commitments from Big Tech firms with policy suggestions rooted in equity, justice, and democratic principles. The international community, led by the newly established United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on AI is poised to advance many of these initiatives over the coming year, starting with its interim report on governing AI for humanity.

Moreover, this could be the year to dismantle elite echo chambers and cultivate a global cadre of ethical AI professionals. By expanding the reach of initiatives like the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force – established by the United States’ 2020 AI Initiative Act – and localizing implementation strategies through tools such as the UNESCO Readiness Assessment methodology, globally inclusive governance frameworks could shape AI in 2024.

At the national level, the focus is expected to be on regulating AI-generated content and empowering policymakers and citizens to confront AI-powered threats to civic participation. As a multitude of countries, representing more than 40 percent the world’s population, prepare to hold crucial elections this year, combating the imminent surge of misinformation and disinformation will require proactive measures. This includes initiatives to raise public awareness, promote broad-based media literacy across various age groups, and address polarization by emphasizing the importance of empathy and mutual learning.

As governments debate AI’s role in the public sphere, regulatory shifts will likely trigger renewed discussions about using emerging technologies to achieve important policy goals. India’s use of AI to enhance the efficiency of its railways and Brazil’s AI-powered digital-payment system are prime examples.

In 2024, entities like the UN Development Programme are expected to explore the integration of AI technologies into digital public infrastructure (DPI). Standard-setting initiatives, such as the upcoming UN Global Digital Compact, could serve as multi-stakeholder frameworks for designing inclusive DPI. These efforts should focus on building trust, prioritizing community needs and ownership over profits, and adhering to “shared principles for an open, free, and secure digital future for all.”

Civil-society groups are already building on this momentum and harnessing the power of AI for good. For example, the non-profit Population Services International and the London-based start-up Babylon Health are rolling out an AI-powered symptom checker and health-provider locator, showcasing AI’s ability to help users manage their health. Similarly, organizations like Polaris and Girl Effect are working to overcome the barriers to digital transformation within the non-profit sector, tackling issues like data privacy and user safety. By developing centralized financing mechanisms, establishing international expert networks, and embracing allyship, philanthropic foundations and public institutions could help scale such initiatives.

As nonprofits shift from integrating AI into their work to building new AI products, our understanding of leadership and representation in tech must also evolve. By challenging outdated perceptions of key players in today’s AI ecosystem, we have an opportunity to celebrate the true, diverse face of innovation and highlight trailblazers from a variety of genders, races, cultures, and geographies, while acknowledging the deliberate marginalization of minority voices in the AI sector.

Organizations like the Hidden Genius Project, Indigenous in AI, and Technovation are already building the “who’s who” of the future, with a particular focus on women and people of color. By collectively supporting their work, we can ensure that they take a leading role in shaping, deploying, and overseeing AI technologies in 2024 and beyond.

Debates over what it means to be “human-centered” and which values should guide our societies will shape our engagement with AI. Multi-stakeholder frameworks like UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence could provide much-needed guidance. By focusing on shared values such as diversity, inclusiveness, and peace, policymakers and technologists could outline principles for designing, developing, and deploying inclusive AI tools. Likewise, integrating these values into our strategies requires engagement with communities and a steadfast commitment to equity and human rights.

Given that AI is well on its way to becoming as ubiquitous as the internet, we must learn from the successes and failures of the digital revolution. Staying on our current path risks perpetuating – or even exacerbating – the global wealth gap and further alienating vulnerable communities worldwide.

But by reaffirming our commitment to fairness, justice, and dignity, we could establish a new global framework that enables every individual to reap the rewards of technological innovation. We must use the coming year to cultivate multi-stakeholder partnerships and promote a future in which AI generates prosperity for all.

The post Will 2024 be the year of responsible AI? appeared first on PSI.

In an enlightening episode of “The Brand Called You”, we delve into a dialogue with James Benedict. The power of diversity and resilience takes centre stage. The conversation, steeped in experience and insights across industries, reveals the transformative impact of embracing diverse perspectives and fostering resilience in a rapidly evolving world. Join this illuminating discussion to uncover the keys to success in an interconnected and diverse landscape.

About James Benedict

James Benedict is a seasoned professional known for his extensive experience across various fields, including finance, entrepreneurship, and impact investing.

His background spans roles in Japan’s Ministry of Finance. 

He is the Co-Founder of BeDoWin360 Capital.

Beyond finance, James is also involved with impact organisations, such as Maverick Collective and Young Audiences Charter School in New Orleans. 

The post Power of Diversity and Resilience in Shaping Success | James Benedict | Chairman, Goddess Gaia Ventures; Co-founder appeared first on PSI.

Written by Faith Matete

It aims to increase the capacity of county governments to achieve sustainable change in sanitation.

In Summary

• The United States Government, through the USAID Western Kenya Sanitation Project (USAID WKSP), in partnership with the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) will be hosting the event on Thursday in Kisumu.
• Already governors and their deputies from 14 counties have confirmed attendance.

Read the full article here

The post Western counties leading in sanitation, menstrual hygiene to be honored in Kisumu appeared first on PSI.

Editor’s Note

In this month’s edition of ERPNews Magazine, we embark on a journey into
the future of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), exploring the top trends
that will shape the landscape in 2024. As the digital realm continues to
evolve, so does the way businesses strategize, implement, and leverage ERP
solutions to drive growth, innovation, and efficiency.

Our editorial theme, “What are the Top ERP Trends in 2024?” serves
as a compass, guiding our readers through the intricacies of emerging
technologies, dynamic collaborations, and strategic visions that will define
the ERP landscape in the coming year.

This edition features exclusive interviews with industry leaders who share
their insights and expertise. Join us as we sit down with Josh Fischer, Director
of Product Management at Acumatica, to discuss the recent collaboration
between Acumatica and Shopify’s B2B features, unraveling the synergies
that will elevate B2B experiences.

Delve into ERP dynamics, trends, and strategic visions with Andrew Kurtz,
CEO of Kopis, offering a comprehensive perspective on how businesses can
navigate the evolving ERP terrain.

Gain valuable insights into Logpoint’s vision for the future of ERP software
as we explore the recent announcement of the Vulnerability Monitoring
Analyzer with Sükrü Ilker Birakoglu, Senior Director at Logpoint.
Discover the strategic moves that Unanet is making in the ERP space with
our interview featuring Craig Halliday, CEO of Unanet, shedding light on their
recent acquisition of Flowtrac Software.

Explore how Population Services International (PSI) is revolutionizing
healthcare with Unit4’s ERPx platform as we sit down with Alan Doyle, PSI’s
Director of Corporate Systems.

As we unlock the stories, perspectives, and innovations shaping the future
of ERP, we invite our readers to join us on this insightful journey. The world
of ERP is evolving, and ERPNews Magazine is your trusted guide to staying
ahead in the ever-changing landscape of enterprise technology.

Happy reading!

Read the full report here

The post What are the top ERP trends in 2024? appeared first on PSI.

Written by Patience Ivie Ihejirika

Stakeholders in the health sector have advocated for self-testing awareness and availability of self-test kits to help Nigerians know their health status early enough and take care of their home health.

The national vice chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Bridget Otote, stressed the need for increased awareness on self-testing in the country, saying self-testing was the way to go.
Otote stated this at the Self-testing Africa COVID-19 (STAR – COVID 19) Project Dissemination Meeting, organised by the Society for Family Health (SFH) in collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in Abuja.

The Self-testing Africa COVID-19 (STAR – COVID 19) is a market research project funded by UNITAID with Population Services International (PSI) as the Lead Technical partner.
The objective of the project is to gather evidence on feasibility, acceptability, usability, and cost effectiveness of existing as well as new diagnostic tools and use cases and delivery approaches to inform global and national policies.

Otote, who served as director, lead programme delivery of the project, said:”Self testing is already helping because even the HIV AIDS that is so scary, clients now walk in to ask for self-testing kits .
‘The more testing that is done in the country, the faster people discover that they have been infected with these infectious diseases and the faster they get help and the probability of recovery is usually higher when you discover early and start treating early.

“My recommendation is that just like these non governmental agencies have come in to support this self-testing program to avail people the opportunity to get tested at home ,the government should either subsidize or even make it free so that people can just walk in, pick up these kits and get tested.

She, however, regretted that since it was a self-testing,” many people who obtained kits did not return to give report for documentation so as to send to the NCDC.”

Also speaker, representative of the Society for Family Health, Omoregie Godspower,
who was part of those that designed the project with colleagues from the Population Services International, Centre for Research and the London School of Tropical Vaccine and Hygiene, said Nigeria was ripe for self-testing.

He said “Nigeria is ripe for self-testing. Self-testing is becoming very common and under the purview of self-care within the WHO context. It’s like putting the power in the hands of the consumers and ensuring that people take responsibility and take charge of their health. This is because knowledge is actually improving,” he said.
In the same vein, the director of research at Zankli and senior lecturer at Bingham University, Dr John Samson, said people should be allowed to undertake self-testing as obtainable in advanced world.

“Basically what we have learned as a nation is that self testing has actually come to stay. It’s something that is being done now. In developed climates and then we should not be left behind. Because there’s this emphasis now on patient centred care.

“People should be enabled to take care of their home health. Just like women can go and do their check whether they’re pregnant or not using a PT bought in a pharmacy or chemist

“So technology has made it in such a way that people are enabled to be able to take care of themselves so that they will take those decisions.

“Because if somebody can take that decision and do the testing before it either spread to his family’s spread to his house, you know, when he started feeling some of these symptoms, he can say, Okay, let me check whether it’s this so that he will take all the necessary precaution and take the decision that will help overall; the health system and him as an individual,” he explained.

The STAR- COVID-19 project is implemented in FCT –Abuja across the six area councils, targeting persons within the urban and rural settlement which cuts across Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) community pharmacists/patent medicine shops, workplace, tertiary institution and motor parks.

The post COVID-19: Why self-testing is important – stakeholders appeared first on PSI.

By Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze, Abuja

Stakeholders in the health sector have advocated the deployment of self-testing kits in tackling the high diseases burdens in the country.

They observed that promotion of the use of self testing kits will enhance early detection and early treatment of diseases and in turn reduce the high mortality and morbidity rates in the country.

Speaking at the Self-Testing Africa COVID-19 (STAR – COVID-19) project dissemination meeting, yesterday, in Abuja, the Director, Programme Delivery, Society for Family Health (SFH), Mr Godpower Omoregie, observed that Nigerians are ripe for self-testing of diseases, stressing that it will help in faster diagnosis and to enable self-care.

Omoregie stated that self-testing concept is getting very common under the purview of self care within the World Health Organisation (WHO), adding that self-testing is like putting power in the hands of the people to take responsibility for their health.

He noted that the STAR COVID-19 project was launched in 2022 in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that the project is a market research funded by UNITAID with Population Services International (PSI) as the lead technical partner.

According to him, the research conducted in the FCT showed that Nigerians are ready for the self-care component of healthcare.

Also speaking, National Vice Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Mrs Bridget Otote, urged the Federal Government to either subsidise or make self testing kits for COVID-19 and all other diseases free to Nigerians.

Otote said that people are now beginning to accept COVID-19 as a normal ailment just like HIV, as clients now walk into pharmacies or chemists to ask if the test kits were available.

Dr John Bamba, the Director of Research, Zankli Research Centre, Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State, said that based on the results of the research, self testing has come to stay because there was now emphasis on patient-centred care.

He, however, said it is not the same as self medication “because self medication is taking drugs without prescription or outside prescription.

The post Experts advocate self-testing kits for early diagnosis of diseases appeared first on PSI.

Some stakeholders in the health sector on Thursday say Nigeria is ripe for self-testing of diseases for faster diagnosis and to enable self-care.

They said this at the Self-Testing Africa COVID-19 (STAR – COVID-19) project dissemination meeting in Abuja.

Launched in 2022 in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the project is a market research funded by UNITAID with Population Services International (PSI) as the Lead Technical partner.

Mr Godpower Omoregie, the Director, Programme Delivery, Society for Family Health (SFH), said “self-testing is like putting power in the hands of the people to take responsibility for their health.

“This position was reached after the research which showed that Nigerians are ready for the self-care component of healthcare.

“From the information we gathered from this research, it is clear that Nigeria is ripe for self testing and we should ensure that we learn the lessons that this research provides to improve whatsoever we want to do in implementing self testing in Nigeria, not just for HIV, but also other forms of care.”

Omoregie also said that the concept was getting very common under the purview of self care within the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He explained that “for the STAR COVID-19 project, one of the things about it is the fact that we did not want to assume that because self-testing is working in other climes, then it will work in Nigeria; so we needed to use our own experiences to see how we could implement.

“We needed to look at health literacy; how well informed are the population about health, because being informed or educated is one thing, and being health literate is another thing.

“To introduce a commodity like self-testing, you need to find out if the people will accept, and
use it; and also find out if it is something they can afford, as well as its feasibility and what the peoples’ value preferences are.

Read the full article here.

The post COVID-19: Nigeria ripe for self-testing – health experts appeared first on PSI.

“With the right policies, regulations, and technical guidance,” the volume of HIV self-testing kits sold in Uganda was multiplied by twenty, Fosca Tumushabe from Population Services International told the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2023) last week in Harare, Zimbabwe. In addition, the volume of non-approved kits sold more than halved, while close to two million people were reached with HIV self-testing information through digital channels.

Uganda has achieved the second UNAIDS target and is on track for the third, with a score of 81:96:92. However, it’s far behind in achieving the first target, which addresses the proportion of people with HIV who know their status. To improve this, the Ministry of Health introduced HIV self-testing in 2016. Existing guidelines and policies were reviewed so as to create a supportive environment for HIV self-testing, which was rolled out to the private sector in 2020.

However, the National Drug Authority lacked clear guidelines on the sale of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits through platforms such as e-commerce, supermarkets and drug shops (small shops selling over-the-counter medicines). Instead, the market was flooded with non-approved kits sold at exorbitant prices.

To address this issue, the Ministry of Health partnered with Population Services International (PSI) in 2021 to form an advisory board. The board comprised approved kit distributors, pharmacy representatives, implementing partners, and the National Drug Authority. Together, they developed a joint work plan to empower pharmacies, increase awareness through digital channels, distribute approved products, and introduce support tools.

Geofrrey Taasi from the Ministry of Health Uganda shared that the country reduced the registration process time for approved kits from one year to three to six months. He also added that the protocol for kits entering the country had been simplified to a few steps: the product must first be approved (“prequalified”) by the World Health Organization, after which in-country laboratory validation is done to ensure that they meet the minimum inclusion criteria. It is then evaluated in the field, and then finally approved.

To increase visibility, in 2022, PSI engaged social influencers to support demand creation and increase access to information. They also sold self-testing kits with other sexual and reproductive (SRH) products like condoms and family planning, thereby linking them with SRH and HIV prevention.

Tumushabe said they worked with around 40 pharmacies and agreed on a price point for the kits, ranging between US$1.50 to $3. A WhatsApp chatbot supported clients before, during, and after testing. The chatbot phone number and a toll-free helpline were included on kit packaging.

18,004 HIV self-testing kits were sold between April 2022 and May 2023, representing a 20 times growth in volumes sold compared to the baseline volumes, while there was a 56% reduction in volumes of non-approved kits sold. An estimated 1,805,764 people were reached with HIV self-testing information through digital channels.

Dennis Aizobu from Society for Family Health in Nigeria told a side-event organised by PSI that his country has an estimated 2 million people living with HIV. Out of these, only 1.89 million know their status, leaving over 100,000 people unidentified. To improve access to HIV testing services among undertested populations, the country has rolled out self-testing, with the first Ministry of Health guidelines published in 2019.

In 2022, market research in Lagos, Kano, and Olecha revealed that people didn’t know they could get an HIV test from the private sector. They had separated HIV testing from other medical tests, such as pregnancy tests, which they knew they could obtain from privately. However, HIV messaging and programming have been centred on the public sector, so few people looked to the private sector for HIV testing services.

The programme utilised various marketing strategies to create demand. These strategies included social media campaigns, community events, selling kits through e-commerce and online pharmacies, and bundling the product with PrEP, PEP and condoms. Moreover, the programme is collaborating with the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria to develop training modules that incorporate HIV self-testing, which will begin in 2024. In Nigeria, pharmacists have to take module examinations every year to maintain their certification, and this new module will become a part of it, making it scalable across the country.

An enabling policy environment by governments to engage the private sector in healthcare is driving the success of HIV self-testing in countries like Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana.

However, given the private nature of self testing, measuring or monitoring linkage to HIV care (having obtained a confirmatory HIV test with a healthcare provider and, if confirmed as HIV positive, starting ART) and linkage to psychosocial support have been raised as an issue of concern in the region.

The post HIV self-testing in Africa: Is the private sector key to reducing undiagnosed HIV? appeared first on PSI.

A women’s funding initiative is about more than funding causes which others won’t. It’s about a different way of seeing women in philanthropy. Rena Greifinger, managing director of Maverick Collective, and director for Philanthropy at Population Services International talks to Charles Keidan about advancing gender equity and challenging the status quo.

Changing the way philanthropy’s done

Charles Keidan: What is the Maverick Collective and how is it connected to Population Services International (PSI)?

Rena Greifinger: It was co-founded 10 years ago by PSI with Melinda French Gates and HRH Crown Princess of Norway. The idea was to create a space for women to go ‘beyond the chequebook’ and engage deeply in the work that they were funding. The vision was to become informed champions for sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls, to use capital in a bold and flexible way to advance the space and also change the way philanthropy is done. PSI is a global health nonprofit working in about 40 countries. Our aim is that everybody has access to safe and equitable healthcare with a strong focus on reproductive health and rights. We’ve been working in most of these countries for decades. We are very much locally-led so about 95 per cent of our workforce is local to the countries and regions where we work. PSI was seen as a really strong organisation to incubate the Maverick community, and that’s because it has always gone where others won’t.

Does going where others won’t refer to the causes you work on or the approaches that your philanthropists take?

It’s both. The Mavericks are bound by a passion for advancing gender equity through investing in women’s health. We are taking on issues that are often being ignored or under-resourced, like cervical cancer which is an entirely preventable and treatable cancer. In the Global North, very few women are dying from it, but in Africa, for instance, it’s one of the leading causes of cancer deaths for women. Investment could eliminate the disease yet almost no one funds it.

Presumably, Melinda Gates realised that her foundation, despite its size, couldn’t do this alone and needed to work with a larger group of committed philanthropists?

Big traditional funders whether bilateral, government or a large foundation, like the Gates Foundation, are typically constrained in the way they can spend money and are less able to take on risk. Our view is that private philanthropy can invest in the most creative ideas and de-risk the investment for others by proven concept. It’s a venture-like mindset.

Could you give an example of Maverick members that have done that?

One of my favourite examples is a funder named Stasia Obremskey. She was a Wall Street banker who was passionate about family planning and reproductive access. She was one of our founding members, and she invested in a project in Mozambique to build the market for self-inject contraception, rather than women having to go to a clinic every three months. At the time a lot of funders didn’t want to fund it because the government wasn’t yet on board and there was a lot of scepticism that women could safely inject at home. With Stasia’s support, we did a three-year pilot study to test the viability of the idea. We were able to demonstrate demand, that it was safe and effective, and that women of course can be trusted to do this. We were also able to equip community health workers to support women in communities, which reduces the burden on the traditional healthcare system. We spent the next two years doing deep advocacy with the government, and today, Mozambique has changed its national policy to make the self-inject contraceptive available in pharmacies. Stasia herself went to Mozambique and was deep in the project work, that’s part of the Maverick experience. She’s since changed her career to working in venture capital for reproductive technologies.

That is a sophisticated intervention for an individual donor. Was that possible because of support and training you offer to members of your community?

Bringing donors along on a learning journey is really what makes Maverick different in the ecosystem of donor networks. Donors get a deep hands-on learning by doing, getting proximate to the communities and to the frontline leaders and PSI staff and partners. The first thing we do is develop really authentic and trusting relationships between the donors and the people delivering the work. They spend a lot of time getting to know one another, sharing their experiences, their passions, their interests, developing a mutual respect for the value they each bring to the relationship because a Maverick member, yes, she is bringing significant funding, but the expertise and experience of the people who are delivering the work is equally valued. We are actively building a generation of philanthropists to bring their A-game – authentic, accountable, and activated – which means that donors are their true selves, willing to listen and learn in the same way that our teams are. We build a mindset in our donors that they should be as accountable to their grantees as grantees are to them. That’s about being in it for the long run, being flexible and adapting when things fail, understanding that failure is an important part of changing very complex systems, which is what we’re trying to do. So, we have a whole learning framework with different touch points throughout the year and we also do very specific training when they go into a country. We talk about ethics and cultural practices, to make sure that they are coming in as a learner, partner and listener and trying to break down the inherent power dynamic between them and those on the ground.

Given the sensitive nature of the work you do, some of it must be challenging the status quo both at home and abroad. How do you respond when that happens?

This is where the power of working through PSI comes in, because PSI has been in this work for more than 50 years. We have very deep roots in community as well as partnerships with government all the way down to district level. When we bring Maverick donors to countries, sometimes we have meetings with the Ministry of Health. It’s always extremely welcome because this is an investment of flexible, catalytic capital in the country but through an organisation that is trusted and credible. Of course, there are anti-choice movements in the countries where we work but PSI only delivers safe abortion in countries where it’s legal, but we are working as hard as we can to deliver as much access as we can. We partner with organisations who are sometimes working against what a more restrictive government is doing, and that’s a way that we can support activist movements even in a place where we are also working with government.

I can also imagine conversations among Maverick members about where to put their efforts, particularly when many of them will be US philanthropists seeing challenges at home as well.

It’s a central issue for members, particularly since the Dobbs Decision in the US Supreme Court. What’s really powerful about the power of the collective is that these women have a very intimate and trusted network where they can bring conversation and investment opportunities to one another that are really advancing this space to overcome some of the hurdles being put in our way. For instance, in the last year, we had one member come to the collective who’s doing political advocacy work in North Carolina on getting women-progressive candidates into office to protect abortion rights there. She brought the Maverick Collective together with these women candidates to hear about what’s happening on the ground and then got members to invest or support them in other ways. Another woman in the collective co-produced a documentary film about Plan C, the self-medicated, self-managed abortion pill, that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She helped to get about five other Maverick members to back the film and to go to the Sundance festival to talk about the importance of keeping self-managed abortion legal. Another Maverick invested in a company that developed an app which talks women in Venezuela through self-managed abortions at home because in Venezuela abortion is completely illegal.

How do you see the community growing and changing over the next 10 years?

So far, we’ve mobilised a hundred million dollars through direct investments from Maverick members and what we’ve been able to catalyse or unlock from bigger, traditional foundation funders. There are a lot of really exciting things on the horizon over the next 10 years. One is we have always attracted younger, newer donors to this space. Many of our members are brand new to this scale of philanthropy and we have a specific programme for next-gen donors, Maverick Next, so we are not just talking to the same small group of progressive women donors who already fund gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and rights. We are bringing in new donors and new dollars. The second thing I’m excited about is that we are now starting to fund outside the 40 countries PSI works in. For instance, in 2021 when the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, the Mavericks got on calls with women activists on the ground to learn about what was happening and were able to help raise more than 12 million dollars, in a collaborative effort led by Vital Voices Global Partnership, in a matter of weeks to evacuate women and women leaders from Afghanistan. Again, in Venezuela, when we learned that contraception is almost completely impossible to access for women, many Maverick members did a similar thing. Within a matter of weeks about a quarter million dollars went to grassroots organisations in Venezuela helping women access contraception. We’ve now got an entire Maverick programme called Maverick Portfolio, which is a feminist-designed fund that is funding both PSI and grassroots feminist organisations in three African countries to work on systemic barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a focus on healthy masculinities and transforming the role of men and boys. Where we were very focused on women and girls, we’ve now got a more expansive view of gender equality and investing in men and boys and masculinity. We’re never going to see the long-term change we want without men and boys changing and that masculine culture hurts everybody. When you see men unable to share emotionally, you have loneliness and mental health crises and the underpinning issue is masculinity. That’s not being addressed at all and it’s a very difficult issue to get funding for.

The other area where you’re making your presence felt is by challenging norms about philanthropy
itself. What does your work mean in terms of the role of women in philanthropy?

The patriarchy is embedded in philanthropy as much as every other system so women have often been left out of leadership in philanthropy. A few years ago, the stock image of a philanthropist was an older white man – Rockefeller, Vanderbilt and then Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. It’s only in the last few years that women have been seen as philanthropists who are taken seriously and it’s only a few. Women are telling us: ‘When I’m sitting in that foundation board room, I’m not being looked to or taken as seriously as my brother or my father. I am still left out of the real decision-making.’ That’s one side of gender inequity – typical masculine culture is affecting women in philanthropy. But there’s a young woman who just joined Maverick. She comes from a multi-generational wealthy family with a foundation. The men do the investing in the business and the women have this nice thing called philanthropy. She is a young woman who wants to build a career, and joining a philanthropic network, starting to get involved in her foundation is at odds with that. That’s a really interesting nuance in how philanthropy is gendered that we need to unpack, particularly for younger generations because if she and others like her decide to resist getting involved in philanthropy because it is seen as ‘women’s work’, then we are going to miss out on this incredible opportunity that we have experienced at Maverick to start them early. We need to re-evaluate what it means to be a woman philanthropist. We’re still at the early stages, and that’s what I’m excited to see accelerate over the next decade.

A recent Alliance contributor identified some serious issues of gender representation on foundation boards, and one proposal is to have gender quotas to make sure that women are equally represented at the decision-making levels. What’s your view of that?

My sense is that gender quotas do serve a role in getting women into leadership positions, whether it’s philanthropy, politics, business. It would serve us better if philanthropy had time-limited quotas on gender and leadership. But it’s not going to solve the problem of patriarchy on its own. We still have a deeply patriarchal, masculine culture within philanthropy that needs to be disrupted. Quotas would be one small piece of solving that puzzle.

And the work of Maverick will be another small piece?

Small but mighty is what I like to say. The late Anita Roddick who was a very early mentor of mine once said: ‘If you think something small can’t have an impact, try sleeping in bed with a mosquito.’ I always come back to that line when I think about Maverick and the contribution that we are making to the impact of philanthropy on women and girls.

The post Maverick Collective’s Rena Greifinger on gender equity and changing the status quo appeared first on PSI.

Karl Hofmann is the President and CEO of Population Services International (PSI), a non-profit health enterprise working in over 40 countries worldwide, with programs in family planning and reproductive health, malaria, water and sanitation, HIV, and non-communicable diseases.

PSI works in partnership with local governments, ministries of health, and local organizations to create health solutions and health systems built to last.

Prior to joining PSI, Hofmann was a career American diplomat. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Togo, Executive Secretary of the Department of State, and Deputy Chief of Mission (senior career diplomat) at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France. He also served on President Clinton’s National Security Council staff.

Hofmann is Vice-Chair of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Director of the One Acre Fund, a member of the CSIS Commission on American Health Security, and of the American Academy of Diplomacy. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the National Defense University.

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