The Impact Room

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...

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 th...

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 fe...

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 s...

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 U...

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...

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 decad...

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 i...

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 organisation...

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, Preside...

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...

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 th...

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...

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...

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 generat...

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 l...

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-in...

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 s...

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 di...

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....

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 chil...

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...

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 $150...

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 f...

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 be...