“The people closest to the problem are often closest to the solution.”
That idea anchored a thought-provoking conversation moderated by Peggy Clark, Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, at Aspen Ideas: Health, featuring Veronica Arroyave, Ph.D., MPH, Executive Director of the Baxter Foundation, and Dr. Elizabeth Coté, Senior Vice President for Global Programs at Operation Smile.
The discussion challenged a common assumption in global health: that lasting impact comes from funding individual interventions alone. Instead, it showed how investing in local health workers, institutions, and partnerships expands workforce capacity, improves patient outcomes, and builds care that lasts.
Drawing on lessons from a partnership to expand access to surgical care in India, the speakers demonstrated how trust-based, flexible philanthropy can evolve beyond delivering services to strengthening the systems communities rely on every day. The goal isn’t simply to provide care—it’s to build the local capacity for communities to deliver it themselves. The result is a stronger, more resilient health system that continues to adapt and serve people long after external funders step back.
It’s a powerful reminder of what the right partnership makes possible. When philanthropy earns the trust of local teams and commits to long-term investment, communities are empowered to shape solutions that reflect their own priorities and realities.
At the Aspen Global Innovators Group, we believe meaningful change starts by investing in people and communities—and in the partnerships that make lasting impact possible.
