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49. How I'm Building a Marketplace to Improve Access to Healthcare in Africa | Sam Baddoo, Fleri Founder 

Dear Diaspora

Release Date: 11/03/2020

Embracing Authenticity While Growing Your Business with Uche Ogba show art Embracing Authenticity While Growing Your Business with Uche Ogba

Dear Diaspora

Welcome to this special episode of Dear Diaspora! It's bittersweet to share that this marks my final episode of the show. Over the past three years, I've had the privilege of sharing the stories of African entrepreneurs and changemakers worldwide, while also pursuing my own professional goals. I’m now making space to do more of what I love–travel, be outside, all the things. While my podcasting era has come to a close, I hope to continue to find ways to be in community with you all. Thank you for listening and being a part of this incredible experience. Uche Ogba, CEO of ECHÜ Marketing...

info_outline 65. Addressing Period Poverty: Haja's Entrepreneurial Journey in Sierra Leone show art 65. Addressing Period Poverty: Haja's Entrepreneurial Journey in Sierra Leone

Dear Diaspora

Welcome back! I had the pleasure of speaking with Haja Batsu, founder of Uman4Uman for this episode. Uman4Uman is a social enterprise that provides sustainable menstrual products to girls in Sierra Leone.  We dive into: Haja’s journey building a social enterprise from the ground up Her experiences pitching her business to people who don’t understand period poverty How you can support her work (links below)  Mentioned in the episode: Sponsor a Grow for Me farm using referral code ‘dear diaspora’:  More about Uman4Uman:  Follow Uman4Uman on IG:  Connect with...

info_outline 64. Esther Armah on Global Blackness, Racial Healing and Revolutionary Black Grace show art 64. Esther Armah on Global Blackness, Racial Healing and Revolutionary Black Grace

Dear Diaspora

Welcome to the latest episode of Dear Diaspora! I had the pleasure of speaking with Esther Armah, a creative powerhouse and author of the book Emotional Justice: A Roadmap for Racial Healing. Tune in to hear us discuss her concept of "revolutionary Black grace," which she describes as a way to honor our unique Blackness while connecting it to a global Blackness. We dive into what it looks like in practice, how we can use it to end the “diaspora wars," and how we can all work to replace judgment with compassionate curiosity.  Oh, and listen until the end for a brief podcast/life update!...

info_outline Jasmin Church on Living in South Africa, Cultural Identity, and Ending the Diaspora Wars show art Jasmin Church on Living in South Africa, Cultural Identity, and Ending the Diaspora Wars

Dear Diaspora

Discussions surrounding the “Diaspora Wars” – cross-cultural arguments among different ethnicities of African people – are often counterproductive. This week’s episode, with social impact professional and digital creator Jasmin Church, aims to shift that!  Jasmin is passionate about connecting communities across the diaspora, and her Youtube channel @jazzyjetsets, focuses on her life as an expat in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Tune in to hear about: Her journey from Trenton, NJ to Johannesburg, SA How our African and Black American cultural identities have evolved over...

info_outline 62. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review show art 62. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review

Dear Diaspora

Hey fam, thanks for tuning in – we’re diving into all things Black Panther: Wakanda Forever! My guest co-host is CJ Haamankuli, Globe Trotter, Nurse Practitioner – and one of my favorite cousins.   Tune in to hear us discuss: How this sequel compares to the first movie How each of the characters showed us there’s no “right” way to grieve  Queen Ramonda’s empathetic leadership style  How African cultures are represented in the movie How the movie “blends” African cultures – and whether it helps or harms people’s understanding of the continent  Why...

info_outline 61. Why Now is the Best Time to Invest in Africa with daba CEO Boum III Jr. show art 61. Why Now is the Best Time to Invest in Africa with daba CEO Boum III Jr.

Dear Diaspora

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode with daba Co-Founder and CEO Boum III Jr.! Boum is an entrepreneur driven by his passion for Africa. After working at Nasdaq and earning his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he went on to launch daba – a new application allowing everyday investors to find and invest in Africa's most promising opportunities.  Tune in to hear us discuss:   His journey from Cameroon to the United States  How his African identity has shaped his experiences building an Africa-focused startup His thoughts on why so many...

info_outline 60. Is Ghana Worth the Hype? My Unfiltered Opinion on Living and Working in Accra show art 60. Is Ghana Worth the Hype? My Unfiltered Opinion on Living and Working in Accra

Dear Diaspora

To say that Accra, Ghana has become one of the world’s most influential cultural hubs would be an understatement. This week’s episode is dedicated to sharing my experiences living and working in Ghana!  Tune in to hear: How Ghana has positioned itself as the gateway to Africa My experiences working with Emerging Public Leaders Ghana How I handled living in one of Africa’s most expensive cities My thoughts on whether Ghana is worth the hype  What I love about Ghana’s food scene and more! Resources mentioned:   Ask me a question:   Follow Dear Diaspora on...

info_outline 59. Destigmatizing Mental Health in African Immigrant Communities with Alice Mills Mai show art 59. Destigmatizing Mental Health in African Immigrant Communities with Alice Mills Mai

Dear Diaspora

It’s great to be back – thanks for tuning in to this special episode with guest Alice Mills Mai! Alice is a licensed mental health counselor, researcher, entrepreneur, and proud daughter of Ghanaian immigrants. Tune in to hear about:   Her journey becoming a mental health professional after realizing nursing wasn’t for her Why there’s still so much stigma surrounding mental health in many African immigrant communities Healing practices inherent to many African cultures that we may not regard as mental health practices (when they actually are) Immigration being a traumatic...

info_outline 58. Embracing Indigenous African Languages with Yeve Sibanda show art 58. Embracing Indigenous African Languages with Yeve Sibanda

Dear Diaspora

Tune in for tips on learning, teaching and celebrating African languages, especially when based in the Diaspora!

info_outline 57. Mutale Sitali on Building a Sustainable Furniture Brand in Zambia show art 57. Mutale Sitali on Building a Sustainable Furniture Brand in Zambia

Dear Diaspora

For this week’s episode, I was joined by the lovely Mutale Sitali, founder of Likota — a Zambian furniture brand specializing in making furniture from reclaimed and recycled wood material. Their vision? Becoming a pioneer for the industry by creating furniture that is beautiful, eco-friendly, and reliable.

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More Episodes

For today’s episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Sam Baddoo, Founder of Fleri—a health insurance marketplace that helps immigrants protect the people they love, everywhere.

Every year, immigrants across the globe send billions of dollars in remittances to their loved ones in lower-income and middle-income countries. What’s unique about Fleri is that it "unbundles" remittances by providing immigrants a direct way to provide quality healthcare to their loved ones back home.

During the episode, Sam and I discuss:

  • His upbringing in Ghana and experience studying in Morocco 
  • The African immigrant experience and how he found his footing after emigrating from Ghana
  • How remittance payments transform African economies
  • How Fleri will work to reduce the burden of out of pocket healthcare costs
  • Africa’s healthcare landscape and which countries are getting it right
  • What healthcare in Africa could look like in the next 10 years

“We have the power. We just have to figure out how to use it.” – Sam Baddoo

Resources mentioned: