Home Podcasts The Impact Room

The Impact Room

Philanthropy Age 29 episodes Latest Oct 2, 2025

The Impact Room is a podcast that connects people and ideas making a real difference in the world. It features stories of success and failure from global guests working on development challenges such as youth unemployment, internet freedom, modern slavery, and neglected tropical diseases. The show is produced by Philanthropy Age and hosted by Maysa Jalbout.

Episodes

Remembering Jane Goodall Oct 2, 2025 1951 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Jane Goodall and thought by way of tribute, we would re-share our interview with Jane.The globally celebrated conservationist stepped into The Impact Room back in April 2023 to discuss her long career and explained why, despite being nearly 90, she still spends a large pa

Gaza: the war on education Jul 2, 2024 1672 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.With all 12 of Gaza’s higher education institutions destroyed by Israeli bombs, what next for students, faculty, and the future of Palestinian learning? In this episode of The Impact Room, host Maysa Jalbout, explores the impact of the war on higher education in Gaza, on both students and teaching staff, as well as the i

Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah on Gaza's suffering Apr 1, 2024 1996 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah is no stranger to conflict zones, having spent decades volunteering for medical charities in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. But the plastic and reconstructive surgeon says his latest experience in Gaza has no parallel. The scale of the current suffering in Gaza, “the intensity, the fero

Water as a weapon of war Feb 20, 2024 2297 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Water scarcity is a growing problem around the world, especially in the Middle East, but climate change is only half the story.In this episode of The Impact Room, we look at the social, economic, and geopolitical importance of water. We explore how its co-option, commodification, and unequal distribution is creating sho

Big Bets with Dr Rajiv Shah of The Rockefeller Foundation Dec 8, 2023 1407 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.The Rockefeller Foundation is one of the world’s oldest and largest philanthropies. It was launched in 1910 with funds from oil, but in 2020, unveiled a plan to divest its US$5bn endowment from existing fossil fuel interests and refrain from future investments in the sector. The foundation has also committed to invest US$

Climate change and food insecurity: can philanthropy help? Dec 2, 2023 3402 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Close to 800 million people were classed as food insecure in 2022 due to a mix of conflict, rises to cost of living, Covid-19, and climate change, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).As needs rise and budgets shrink, aid agencies are unable to keep up with demand and shrinking budgets are le

Wanjira Mathai: this is the decisive decade Nov 30, 2023 1884 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Wanjira Mathai is the managing director of the World Resources Institute (WRI), the chief Africa adviser to the Bezos Earth Fund and the former chair of the Green Belt Movement in her native Kenya. Speaking to Maysa Jalbout on The Impact Room ahead of COP28, Mathai, describes the moment we’re in as “the decisive decade” a

The war on Gaza's children Nov 20, 2023 1451 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.We were due to kick off Season Four with a series of interviews about climate philanthropy, ahead of the UAE hosting COP28, but we felt we could not ignore the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. In solidarity with the people of Palestine, we have recorded some special episodes about the impact this latest war is

Season Four is coming soon... Oct 9, 2023 90 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Climate change, food security, funding collaboratives, and design for development. These are just some of the topics we’ll be discussing in Season Four of The Impact Room.Join Maysa Jalbout in conversation with a diverse line-up of global philanthropists, development leaders, industry experts, and frontline organisations

President Jimmy Carter's lifetime of service Jun 29, 2023 2434 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.This is a special episode dedicated to President Carter, who aged 98 has recently entered a hospice, and the extraordinary impact he has had around the world in the decades since leaving the White House.From resolving conflicts and building homes for the poor, to eradicating disease and championing human rights, President

New money May 16, 2023 4723 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Mosun Layode, Bheki Moyo, and Degan Ali discuss development funding and philanthropy in Africa.Just 14 percent of large gifts by international donors get to local NGOs in Africa, and only 9 percent of large gifts by African funders are channelled to proximate organisations, according to Bridgespan research. The rest of th

Who cares? The case for investing in the early years Apr 12, 2023 2576 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Ninety percent of children's brains are developed by the age of five - yet around the world, millions of young people are missing out on adequate nutrition, care, and stimulating play, causing them to fall behind, even more they have started school.In this episode of The Impact Room, host Maysa Jalbout discusses the

Will we ever achieve gender equality? Mar 8, 2023 1359 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Elizabeth Tanya Masiyiwa and Neera Nundy join host Maysa Jalbout in The Impact Room to discuss gender equality and what philanthropy can do to advance its progress.The Sustainable Development Goals were launched in 2015 to eliminate extreme poverty and support sustainable and resilient development. But eight years and a g

Jane Goodall and the power of hope Feb 20, 2023 1919 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Globally celebrated conservationist Dr Jane Goodall steps into The Impact Room to discuss her long career and explains why, despite being nearly 90, she still spends a large part of her time travelling the world meeting young people.Speaking to host Maysa Jalbout during a recent visit to the UAE, Dr Goodall reflects on so

Investing for impact Jan 25, 2023 3385 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen, and Myrna Atalla, executive director of Alfanar, the Middle East's first venture philanthropy organisation, join host Maysa Jalbout in The Impact Room to discuss what businesses, philanthropists, and impact investors can do to support social enterprises.A new generatio

Season three is coming soon… Jan 16, 2023 80 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Season three is on its way. Stand by to hear Maysa Jalbout back in conversation with philanthropists, development leaders, industry experts, and frontline organisations from around the world. Forthcoming episodes will tackle a range of topics including: social entrepreneurship and impact investing; giving with a gender le

Shifting the power: why development dynamics need to change Jul 16, 2022 2104 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.In this final episode of the current series of The Impact Room, Asif Saleh, executive director of BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, joins Maysa Jalbout to discuss community-led solution systems, microfinance, and climate accountability.BRAC began in 1972 as a relief organisation to support displaced people in the newly-indep

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi on new solutions for refugees Jun 16, 2022 3230 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, joins Maysa Jalbout in The Impact Room to discuss new pathways to respond to the global displacement crisis as he number of forcibly displaced people around the world surpasses 100 million.Ukraine alone has generated more than six million refugee movements sin

The TV show helping kids affected by war and displacement May 23, 2022 1551 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Sesame Street has been entertaining children around the world for generations. First launched in 1969, the show was an experiment to see if television – then just an emerging technology – could be used to educate young children. Today, this unique style of education and social messaging continues to be delivered by a dive

The superyacht millionaires who launched a migrant rescue mission Apr 4, 2022 3083 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Every year, tens of thousands of migrants risk their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean. Fleeing failed or fragile states and packed into overfilled boats, they seek a better life in Europe.Many don’t make it, either drowning en-route or being turned back by coast guards under strict orders not to assist them. In

The Indian NGO rewriting the global education playbook Mar 7, 2022 2396 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Rukmini Banerji is CEO of India’s Pratham Education Foundation.Founded 25 years ago to teach out-of-school youngsters in the slums of Mumbai, Pratham has grown to become one of the country's largest NGOs, delivering high quality but low-cost interventions to millions of Indian children.It works directly with childre

Unpacking the myth of the ‘good refugee’ Dec 6, 2021 2933 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.In the politics of migration, refugees are either demonised as intruders or celebrated for their success. But how does this distinction of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ refugees shape public policies and perceptions? And what is the effect on those who are defined by it?In the media narratives of the west, refugees are most commonly p

Breaking the chains of modern slavery Sep 20, 2021 3138 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Are global efforts to end exploitation making progress, or are countries and campaigners failing in their fight? Three experts weigh in. More than 40 million people around the world today are thought to be enslaved, a shadow economy of coerced labour, sexual exploitation and rights abuses estimated to be generating $150bn

Knowledge and power: who has it, and who owns it Sep 15, 2021 1632 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Lisa Seitz Gruwell, chief advancement officer at the Wikimedia Foundation, talks knowledge sharing, fake news, and why Wikipedia has a bias problem. It’s the world’s go-to site for information. Founded in 2001 with the aim of creating a free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia is today the largest crowdsourced collection of fr

Prize philanthropy: who are the real winners? Sep 12, 2021 2489 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Philanthropy-backed competitions involve big money, but do they also deliver results? From the Nobels to the Pulitzer, prizes have long been used as a means to recognise extraordinary achievement - and the nonprofit sector is no exception. Today, thanks to a leap in philanthropy-backed competitions, large cheques are bein

Coding in conflict: inside the tech hub empowering Gazan youth Aug 11, 2021 2649 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Hear from Ryan Sturgill, the former director of Gaza Sky Geeks, on the realities of running a tech hub in an occupied territory and the power of learning not to take 'no' for an answer.Palestine is a country too often associated with conflict. Home to the world’s longest-running occupation, headlines from the re

Rooting for change: solving the unemployment crisis Aug 9, 2021 2555 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Unemployment is a global crisis. From Saudi Arabia to South America, joblessness has been described as a ticking time bomb and, in many regions, has been a trigger for civil unrest. In this episode of The Impact Room, we are joined by two women who are at the vanguard of finding new solutions to this complex problem.Mona

Philanthropy and the last mile of disease elimination Aug 8, 2021 1933 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.Ellen Agler is CEO of the END Fund, a philanthropy-backed initiative working to bring an end to the five most common neglected tropical diseases. She joins the Impact Room to talk progress, pooled giving, and the decolonisation of global health. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect more than 1.7 billion of the world’

Coming soon! The Impact Room Jul 6, 2021 42 We'd love your feedback. Let us know what you thought about this episode.The Impact Room is a new space to connect people and ideas that make a real difference to our world. Step inside to hear stories of success and failure from a host of global guests, all working to solve some of the world’s most intractable development challenges. From youth unemployment and internet freedom, to modern sla

The Impact Room

Episodes

Recommended

—