Dr Gracer interviews Casey Santiago (left), CEO of Kangu, a social media site that allows crowdfunding for pregnant women in developing countries.
This type of crowdfunding is a new phenomenon in which a site visitor can choose a specific mother to support with as little as $10. Many others also can do this at the same time until the $200 needed for the medical costs is reached. The donor then gets regular updates as to the progress of the mother and baby.
Another way to support these women is to make the donation as a “gift” for your mother in celebration of Mother’s Day”. In this way you and your mother get progress reports and your gifts last much longer than the usual flowers or candy. All the sources are vetted and the money you donate does go to medical care and not to support a large bureaucratic organization. Dr. Gracer went to the site and sent a gift in honor of his mother and others for his wife and daughter as his gifts this year.
More about Casey Santiago: Before founding Kangu, Casey worked for fifteen years in over 20 countries in global health, microfinance and technology. As an early staff member at Kiva.org, Casey managed a portfolio of $10M+ debt investments in West African institutions, and later led engineers to develop software for 60+ global partners. She has advised for-profit, non-profit and social enterprises on strategic planning, new product development and financial sustainability, including Doctors without Borders, Grameen Foundation, Institute for OneWorld Health, Bristol Myers-Squibb, the YMCA, the United Nations, and the US Government, both independently and as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte. She lives in New York with her husband and her two small children who inspire her daily.
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