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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In this episode, Anubha speaks with Dr. Benjamin Wachira, Kenya’s first emergency physician and the visionary behind the Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF).

Ben reflects on his journey from a bright-eyed medical student eager to save lives, to recognising a devastating gap in his training: there was no structured preparation for handling patients in life-or-death situations. During his years studying in South Africa, he witnessed trauma cases from stabbings, shootings, and road accidents being treated every day - cases he realised he had never seen in Kenya. The reason was stark: most Kenyan patients in emergencies never made it to the hospital at all.

That realisation set him on a mission to transform emergency care back home. Through EMKF, Ben has worked alongside government and healthcare providers to build a system that was once non-existent. From drafting Kenya’s first national emergency healthcare policy (now enshrined in law) to creating emergency protocols, training frontline providers, and expanding public ambulance services from zero to ten, his work has started to reshape the system. Emergency departments in counties across the country are being renovated and equipped, and thousands of patients are now receiving lifesaving care each year who otherwise would not have had a chance.

As EMKF has grown, its work has reached beyond Kenya, offering research, tools, and lessons to support neighbouring countries as they develop their own systems. Ben’s story is one of persistence and vision, showing how one determined physician can not only save lives at the bedside, but reimagine an entire nation’s approach to emergency care.

Tune in to hear how emergency medicine is being transformed in Kenya, and why Ben believes access to timely care must be recognised as a basic right.

Philanthropod is powered by the Australian International Development Network and hosted by Anubha Rawat.

Thank you to Compact Sound for editing and mixing.

For more information about AIDN, and for more episodes, visit: www.aidnetwork.org.au.

For more information about Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation, visit: https://www.emergencymedicinekenya.org/

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