Gender Equality and ROSCAs

What would change in Canadian society if women-led ROSCAs were viewed as social innovation? Join our next guest, Esther Enyolu, and host Serena Bahadur, in an inviting conversation that presents ROSCAs as a key social innovation not only in women’s economic empowerment, but gender equality in Canadian society. With over 30 years experience in community service and program development to support women, Esther highlights what the formal coop sector can adopt from the ROSCA model, and how policymakers can uproot the stigma around them. Once ROSCAs can be seen for the future they hold, Canada comes closer and closer to an equal society. 

About

A fierce and spirited community leader, our next guest Esther Enyolu comes with an undeniable sense of humanity that she brings to every space she sets foot in. Esther is the Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre, or WMRCC, of Durham. She has also served on the Barrie Anti-Racism Task Force, working with police, government, social services, and school boards towards its collective goal. Esther is a 2016 Honouree of the 100ABC Women Award, and of course is an outspoken and driven member of the Banker Ladies Council. All her community involvement has a strong undertone of equity, equality, human rights, and social justice.

How do ROSCAs promote and protect gender equality? Our next podcast episode features Esther Enyolu, a Banker Lady and community leader, to shed light on innovative ways we can progress towards equality. D.E.F.Y with us as we center Black women with true expertise. pic.twitter.com/wS3DwvD1t1

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Mutual Aid, Not Charity

With candor and compassion, Mabinty and Serena determine how mutual aid builds community and increases feelings of empowerment. While charity intitivaties in Canada may have positive intentions, its impact cannot compare to that of mutual aid - which Mabinty highlights with her experiences in leading cooperative banking and supporting her community with it. Listen in as our newest guest and host advocate for expertise to be seen as real-life experiences, reminding us that no matter the cultural context, mutual aid never loses its value and potential.

About

Mabinty Bangura is a Toronto-based, passionate member of the Banker Ladies Council and a life-long advocate of susus or ROSCAs. Hailing from Sierra Leone, she is a family and community-orientated Black woman whose expertise in banking co-ops is not to be overlooked. Mabinty has starred in the Banker Ladies film on filmsforaction and featured in newspaper articles such as Next City, and the Globe and Mail. For this episode, she sits to speak with us all about “Mutual Aid, Not Charity”.

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INTRODUCING Mabinty Bangura! On August 31st, join us for D.E.F.Y’s next guest. As Season 3 continues to highlight the voices of the Banker Ladies, the episode next on your queue, “Mutual Aid, Not Charity” promises to shed a new light on long-standing economic practices. pic.twitter.com/VansdPuAFC

— Africana Economies (@AfricanaEconomy) August 19, 2024

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Social Innovation In Money Pooling Systems For Immigrant Women

The perspective of Juliet ‘Kego is not one to miss. Her life-long and cross-cultural experience with ROSCAs, or money pooling systems, have allowed her to craft a unique take on how its users can unite regardless of their racial or cultural affiliation. Without forgetting to highlight why the Banker Ladies spearheading this initiative are Black, she pays tribute to the multicultural integration necessary for ROSCAs to flourish in Canada no less. In this pioneering conversation, Juliet ‘Kego and your host Serena Bahadur consider the role of multicultural integration in the social innovation of our money pooling systems. As these systems inevitably take hold in the Canadian cooperative sector, Serena and Juliet reimagine a financial economy where ROSCAs, immigrant women, women of color, and youth take center stage.

About

Season three's newest guest is Nigerian, a prominent member of the Banker Ladies Council and a passionate social justice advocate. With an MBA from Manchester Business School and fruitful experience as a financial advisor at Sun Life, Juliet has vast personal and professional understanding that shine through in her many initiatives. She is the founder of POETRY4CHANGE and SEEDS4HER/HIM Leadership initiatives for African Youth, co-founder of Whole Woman Network and also of Black Women Professional Worker Cooperative, and strategist and visionary of F.L.O.W Initiative, which stands for Financial Literacy and Opportunities for Women. Suffice to say, Juliet 'Kego is a Black feminist-minded co-operator who understands trust, mutual aid, and reciprocity.

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COMING SOON! Continuing our NEW Season 3 with the Banker Ladies, council member @julietkego is our guest for episode two. With the clear and alluring goal of an inclusive and innovative ROSCA Federation within our grasp, listen in our conversation all about it! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/J5pTlh4Et5

— Africana Economies (@AfricanaEconomy) July 24, 2024

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Spreading a ROSCA Movement to Address Inequality in Society

 

Join us as we kick off the all-new season three with The Banker Ladies Council! Black Feminist Cooperator and Co-Founder of The Banker Ladies Council, Andria Barrett, starts us off strong with her take on how Black and racialized women of the diaspora come to use ROSCAs here in Canada. On a journey to empower themselves and their communities, women are using a technique passed down through countless, abundant cultures worldwide. With humor and humility, Andria Barrett takes us through the successes and challenges faced by The Banker Ladies Council as they build and expand The ROSCA Network of Canada. In this conversation of strength and hope, she and your host Serena Bahadur discuss how the Banker Ladies work to reduce systemic inequalities in our Canadian societies. We welcome all ears, from students to professionals and policymakers, to hear straight from the source how our actions today can enrich our economic participation tomorrow.

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About

To headline this season, we have co-founder of the Banker Ladies Council, Andria Barrett! As the director of the ROSCA Network for all of Canada, our guest is a Black feminist cooperator with a true zeal for membership-based institutions at heart. Born in Brampton, Ontario and of Jamaican descent, Ms. Barrett grew up seeing ROSCAs, or Partna for Jamaicas, first-hand for both social and financial needs. She has presented in Jamaica speaking on the Partna bank system in Canada to the Bank of Jamaica. Continuing that impressive global tour, she also saw Boston and Kansas City in the US to speak about the Banker Ladies experience to promote the development of people-to-people do-it-yourself finance. Most recently, Ms. Barrett ran in a provincial election, which she used the Partna bank to assist in financing her electoral campaign. 

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