Benjamin Perks, UNICEF’s Head of Advocacy for Child Development and Protection, joins Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast to make the case that the single most powerful investment a society can make is in the relationship between children and their caregivers.

Drawing on more than three decades of neuroscience, public health, and social science, Perks explains why secure caregiver child attachment is not only the foundation of healthy childhoods but also one of the strongest predictors of lifelong wellbeing, economic productivity, and social stability. When those relationships break down, the costs ripple outward into education systems, health services, labor markets, and criminal justice systems. When they are strengthened, the benefits compound across generations.

At the center of the conversation is the Global Caregiver Forum, an inaugural intergovernmental gathering convened by UNICEF and the World Health Organization with the Government of Spain. Ministers from roughly 25 countries, alongside leading scientists and practitioners, are coming together to accelerate the global scale up of evidence based parenting and caregiver support programs.

Perks describes why these programs represent a breakthrough in public policy. A 2022 WHO led systematic review of more than 435 randomized controlled trials shows that evidence based parenting programs consistently increase nurturing care, reduce violence and maltreatment, improve children’s developmental outcomes, and significantly improve parental mental health. In other words, they deliver on child protection, early learning, and adult wellbeing at the same time.

The discussion moves from science to systems. Today, only about one quarter of countries report having widely available parenting programs, even though the interventions are relatively low cost and highly scalable. Perks explains how UNICEF and partners are working to build the global architecture needed to change that, including common frameworks, measurement tools, and coverage indicators similar to those used for vaccines and other public health interventions.

A critical theme is the return on investment. While the largest gains of early childhood support appear over decades, Perks points to growing evidence that parenting programs also generate benefits within political and budget cycles. These include reductions in low birth weight, fewer child placements in institutional care, better parental mental health, and lower productivity losses, all of which translate into tangible fiscal savings for governments.

Listeners also hear what modern caregiver support actually looks like. All families have access to support, with additional intensity for those facing higher risks due to poverty, trauma, or mental health challenges. Delivery channels range from home visiting and health systems to community hubs and digital tools, all adapted to local culture and context.

Beyond the forum, Perks reflects on a broader shift underway in global child policy. Too often, governments are presented with long lists of disconnected reforms. He argues that real progress requires focusing on a small number of interventions that are scientifically proven, politically feasible, and capable of driving multiple outcomes at once. Parenting programs and universal access to quality early childhood education sit at the top of that list.

The conversation also touches on the newly established International Day of Play, a United Nations observance led by UNICEF and UNESCO. Perks explains why play is not a luxury but a biological and social necessity that underpins learning, creativity, resilience, and human connection across the life course.

The episode closes with a powerful reminder. In a world marked by polarization and instability, the science of child development offers something rare: a practical, evidence based pathway to improve human wellbeing at scale. By investing in caregiving, attachment, and play, societies have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent trauma, and give every child the chance to grow up safe, loved, and nurtured.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Surita Sandosham, President and CEO of Heifer International, shares how one of the world’s most established development organizations is reimagining the fight against hunger and poverty through locally led, systems-based solutions.

With more than 80 years of experience and work spanning 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, Heifer International partners with smallholder farmers, especially women, to build sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. The conversation explores how farmers move from subsistence to thriving producers by strengthening social capital, building profitable value chains, and creating cooperative models that unlock market access, finance, and long-term resilience.

Surita explains why women and youth are central to transforming agriculture, particularly in contexts where women face barriers to land rights, credit, and decision-making, and where young people often see farming as an unattractive future. From self-help groups and savings models to partnerships that enable mechanization and entrepreneurship, the discussion highlights how dignity, agency, and opportunity are created at the community level.

The episode also dives into the Personal Transformation Index, a data-driven framework developed with academic partners to measure confidence, leadership, decision-making, and civic engagement among farmers. The results reveal how social capital and values-based development translate into stronger livelihoods, reduced household conflict, shared decision-making, and greater participation in local governance.

Throughout the conversation, Surita reflects on the urgency of global food insecurity, the limitations of working in isolation, and the importance of long-term partnerships with governments, multilaterals, businesses, and donors. The episode closes with a powerful reminder that ending hunger is not only about food production, but about building inclusive systems where farmers are recognized as producers, leaders, and stewards of the planet.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

As we close out 2025, host Alberto Lidji analyses fifty deep-dive conversations from the past year to identify the key trends currently reshaping the social impact landscape. This special 2025 roundup episode moves beyond individual projects to explore the fundamental evolution of systemic transformation. Alberto synthesises the year’s insights into three defining shifts: the transition from isolated funding to orchestrator models, the strategic focus on structural root causes, and a fundamental evolution in how we approach leadership and burnout.

Key Themes Explored in This Episode:

• The Evolution of Collaboration: Why the retreat of traditional funding streams in 2025 turned partnership from an aspiration into a vital survival mechanism.

• The Orchestrator Model: Exploring the move toward philanthropic bridge-building, where foundations support government-led initiatives and remove systemic friction points rather than driving isolated agendas.

• Rigidity in Mission, Flexibility in Approach: Why the most effective strategies this year focused on markets and addressing systemic drivers rather than treating symptoms.

• The Grace Shift: A look at how leadership archetypes are evolving to prioritise personnel well-being and structural support as prerequisites for long-term impact.

• The Call to Agency: A concluding reflection on the power of citizen entrepreneurship and why individual action remains the ultimate antidote to global anxiety.

Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.