Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

Helen Clark served as Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms and went on to become Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme for two terms, one of the most senior roles in the entire UN system. In this episode of Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji sits down with Helen for a wide ranging conversation covering her grassroots political beginnings in New Zealand's anti-apartheid movement, the state of global progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and the fragile state of the international order. Helen and Alberto discuss the importance of building pragmatic coalitions and cross sector collaboration, the role philanthropy can play amid shrinking development aid, the future of Asian philanthropy on the world stage, and her work chairing Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. They also explore the powerful role sport and volunteering play at grassroots level in building stronger communities. This conversation was recorded at the PBC 2026 Forum (Philanthropy for Better Cities 2026) in Hong Kong, and forms part of a special series marking the forum's 10th anniversary, convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, in association with the Institute of Philanthropy. It is a candid and ultimately hopeful conversation about how each of us, whatever our platform, can choose to do good. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. 

James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust, joins Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast to explore what happens when the fighting stops, but the dangers of war remain. The HALO Trust has been working since 1988 to save lives and restore livelihoods in communities affected by conflict. Today, it operates across 32 countries with around 10,000 staff, clearing landmines and other explosive remnants of war, while also tackling small arms and light weapons. James shares his perspective on the lasting impact of conflict and why landmines can continue to threaten civilians, often children, decades after a war has ended. He explains how HALO is using new technologies, including AI, satellite imagery, drones, robotics, ground penetrating radar, and magnetic resonance, to make clearance faster and safer. The conversation also looks at the people behind the work, the importance of employing and empowering local communities, and the role of governments and philanthropy in addressing the enormous scale of the challenge. They discuss mine risk education, the changing nature of conflict, the growing use of drones, and how humanitarian action can contribute not only to saving lives, but also to restoring livelihoods and helping countries move towards greater stability. And despite the sobering realities of today's conflicts, James leaves listeners with a powerful message: there is hope. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. 

Aunnie Patton Power, Founder of the Innovative Finance Initiative, joins Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast as she shares her views on how finance can be redesigned to better serve people, communities, and the planet. The Innovative Finance Initiative brings together more than 2,000 funders, intermediaries, and changemakers exploring what is possible beyond traditional approaches to finance. Aunnie explains why she believes the goal should not simply be to shift the existing system, but to build credible alternatives to it. The conversation explores some fundamental questions. What does it really mean to invest for impact? Who should decide where capital goes? Does “market rate” actually mean what we think it means? And how should asset owners think about their responsibilities to the communities and people ultimately affected by their investments? Aunnie also shares examples of alternative approaches to fund design, governance, ownership, and capital allocation, while challenging some of the assumptions that have come to underpin modern impact investing. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. 

Dr. Doris Macharia, President of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), joins Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast for a conversation about the global effort to end pediatric HIV and the challenge of reaching the children and families who remain underserved. EGPAF has been working for more than three decades to improve outcomes for children and mothers affected by HIV. Today, its work spans 12 countries in Africa, working alongside governments and communities to strengthen HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care. In this conversation, Dr. Macharia explains what she means by reaching the “last mile” and why the final stretch toward ending pediatric HIV can be among the most difficult. Alberto and Doris explore the barriers that continue to stand in the way, from poverty, stigma, and conflict to gaps in healthcare systems, diagnostics, treatment access, and follow-up. They also discuss how African health systems can become more resilient and sustainable, why reducing families’ out-of-pocket healthcare costs matters, and how philanthropy can help sustain hard-won progress. In this episode: Why children continue to lag behind adults in knowing their HIV status What it really means to reach the “last mile” The importance of strong primary healthcare systems How diagnostics, treatment, and community-based care can improve outcomes The challenges created by poverty, stigma, conflict, and limited resources Why sustaining progress may be as important as achieving it The distinctive role philanthropy can play in addressing complex global health challenges Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. 

Nearly 48 million Americans lived in food-insecure households in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and close to a third of the food produced in the United States goes to waste. Last year alone, roughly 15,000 American farms went out of business. Farmlink exists in the gap between those numbers. It started in April 2020, when college junior Aidan Reilly and his co-founder James Kanoff were sent home at the start of the pandemic and learned their local food bank had gone from serving 300 families a week to 1,000, almost overnight. Around the same time, they read about farmers dumping millions of gallons of milk and burying truckloads of potatoes because the contracts that normally moved their produce to schools, stadiums, and restaurants had disappeared. With no experience in farming or logistics, they started cold-calling farmers, rented a U-Haul, and made their first delivery: 60,000 eggs to a food bank. Ten days later they had 200 volunteers. Three weeks later they had moved a million pounds of food. Six years on, Farmlink is a fully remote, asset-light organization that, according to its founders, works with a network of more than 1,000 charity partners across every state. In this conversation, Aidan and CEO Eliza Blank explain what it actually takes to move perishable food fast, at scale, with no warehouses and no trucks of their own, and why they consider themselves the last call a farmer makes, not the first. As Eliza puts it, Farmlink exists to make sure "logistics is not the reason, and cost of transportation never is the reason why people aren't getting fed." In this episode, you'll learn: Why two 21-year-olds with zero farming experience became the people U.S. farmers call when they have nowhere left to turn How Farmlink moves perishable surplus into the hands of families in need within 24 to 72 hours, with no warehouses or trucks of its own Why the organization covers both coordination and freight costs, and how that decision unlocked supply that would otherwise rot in the field What is actually driving the wave of American farm closures, and why Farmlink wants to help farmers get paid, not just donate for free How a growing database of charity partners is helping Farmlink understand real-time capacity across a national network Why human relationships and trust, built over six years, remain the one thing technology cannot replace, even as data plays a bigger role What it would take to responsibly adapt the Farmlink model beyond the United States, and why the founders insist local ownership has to come first About the guests Aidan Reilly is co-founder of Farmlink, which he started in 2020 as a college student to connect farm surplus with communities facing food insecurity across the United States. Eliza Blank is Chief Executive Officer of Farmlink, leading the organization's work coordinating logistics, cost, and a nationwide network of charity partners to reduce food waste and hunger. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.