People usually don’t realize that money is an invention that works only because a community stands behind it, willing to use it in exchanges for goods and services. Most currencies are creatures of national governments that manage and back them. But what if a poorer community created its own currency to foster social exchange? That’s what happened in the informal settlement, or slum, known as Bangladesh in the town of Mombasa on the Kenyan coast.People use these currencies to pay for food, education and health care. "We operate under the fundamental assumption that the goods, resources and human capacity exist in these communities—the only thing that's missing is money," Grassroots co-founder Will Ruddick says.Today’s guest is Will Ruddick, the founder of Grassroots Economics Foundation, a non-profit foundation in Kenya that seeks to empower marginalized communities to take charge of their own livelihoods and economic future. Will has implemented community currencies using blockchain technology in over 40 locations across Kenya to enable more than 40,000 small businesses to take an active role in their own economy and development. Will is currently working to educate and scale these solutions together with humanitarian and technology partners worldwide including the Red cross.