2025 marked real pressure across the global aid landscape, and the effects continue to emerge. Funding cuts. Programs paused or closed. Organisations asking hard questions about how to keep essential services running. But alongside that disruption, something else is emerging: a genuine sense of possibility.

In this conversation, host Anubha Rawat sits down with Neil Buddy Shah, CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), to take stock of where global health has landed after a difficult year, and to look seriously at what comes next.

CHAI works as a technical and strategic partner to governments in over 35 countries, sitting at the intersection of governments, business and health, negotiating the conditions that drive more equitable access to lifesaving medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics. It's a model with deep roots: CHAI was founded in 2002 at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and its early work negotiating drug prices is a case study in what's possible when the right stakeholders align around a clear goal. Crucially, CHAI only ever works at the invitation of governments, and that distinction shapes everything about how the partnership functions.

Buddy brings his expertise and CHAI's history to bear in this conversation, while staying firmly focused on what's ahead. He describes the current moment as defined by paradox: crisis on one side, and some of the most exciting scientific and biomedical developments in a generation on the other. And he's optimistic: periods of disruption, he reflects, are also opportunities to take stock, think differently, and do things differently.

From there, the conversation ranges widely. Buddy talks about the discipline of doing more with less, finding efficiencies without sacrificing coverage, helping ministries reanalyse budgets, and leveraging new sources of financing. He reflects on scientific breakthroughs as the thing that gives him the most hope, and what it takes to translate discovery into access for the people who need it most. As Chair of Anthropic AI's Long-Term Benefit Trust, he makes a case for why global health leaders should be thinking about AI's potential: not as a fix-all, but as a genuinely powerful technology that low-income countries could use to build healthcare models at scale. And because CHAI only ever enters a country at the invitation of its government, Buddy is attuned to what trust between implementers, governments, and funders actually looks like in practice, starting with humility, and with the conviction that the people closest to a problem are best placed to find its solutions.

On the future and what success looks like, he's both grounded and aspirational: ending the AIDS epidemic in Africa, driving real reductions in malaria mortality, and reaching a point where national governments are genuinely in charge of their own health systems. With better tools, more capital, and more technical knowledge than ever before, he believes these aspirations are within reach, if we're disciplined and intentional enough to pursue them.

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Cotton On is Australia’s largest fashion retailer, but it is their commitment to education, youth mental health, and climate action that sets them apart from a typical business.

From selling $5 tote bags, water bottles or reusable face masks to their youth-based market, the Cotton On Foundation has become a model for how Australian businesses can make a transformative impact in international development.

In this episode, Philanthropod’s host, Anubha Rawat, sits down with Logan Whitaker: Global Engagement Manager at the Cotton On Foundation. Together, they explore the Cotton On Foundation’s journey, model and aspirations moving forward. Beginning in 2007 with the reconstruction of a single classroom in Uganda, the Cotton On Foundation now supports 22 schools in Uganda, alongside climate and mental health initiatives across four continents.

At the centre of their model is a commitment to partnering with government schools and fostering their financial independence through trust-based relationships and mobile money systems for fee collection. They also take a whole-of-systems approach - including focusing on leadership and identifying opportunities to support students past primary school, to high school, and even to vocational studies where possible. In many ways, the Cotton On Foundation occupies a unique space between international development funder and implementer.

Looking ahead, the Cotton On Foundation is now aiming to complete its mission in Uganda - a vision that requires the construction of 19 additional schools. Presenting a unique opportunity for the sector, they are now seeking businesses, corporates, and funders to partner with them to ensure that Uganda’s rapidly growing population has access to quality education for generations to come.

This episode is recommended listening for anyone interested in the evolving role of corporate foundations within Australia’s changing international development and philanthropic landscape.

Learn more about the Cotton On Foundation here: https://cottonongroup.com.au/the-good-we-do/cotton-on-foundation/

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What role can NGOs play as “learning labs” for public policy in the Majority World?

How can Community Health Workers (CHWs) help scale locally-led health programs?

And why are leadership succession plans so vital for founder-led organisations?

In this episode of Philanthropod, host Anubha Rawat sits down with Jennifer Schechter (Co-Founder & CEO) and Emily Benson (Chief Partnerships Officer) of Integrate Health. Founded in Togo in 2004 with a focus on HIV healthcare, Integrate Health has since expanded to partner with the Togolese and Guinean governments to improve access to quality primary care by integrating CHWs into national systems. Holding over 700 community meetings each year, Integrate Health uses community-led data and digital tools to strengthen health outcomes. They collect 13,000 household surveys and track 150,000+ CHW visits annually, creating a vital feedback loop for continuous improvement - from maternal health to child mortality to vaccine delivery.

Throughout the episode, Anubha, Jennifer and Emily discuss the role that NGOs can play as “learning labs” for governments. Often facilitated by philanthropic funding, NGOs can take more risks, test ideas and generate evidence in ways governments can't. In turn, this provides evidence-based models that governments can adopt, ensuring long-term sustainability in line with national health policies.

The episode also explores the importance of leadership transitions in founder-led NFPs. After two decades as CEO, Jennifer will step back to join the Board in December 2025 and Emily will step in as CEO. This has been a deliberate and strategic decision to demonstrate both Integrate Health’s organisational resilience but also commitment to employee growth.

👉 Learn more about Integrate Health here: integratehealth.org

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