Dignity Infrastructure: Designing Integrated Systems for Wellbeing

​Event Description

Across the social sector, we continue to design and fund solutions in silos: education separate from health, livelihoods separate from wellbeing, sanitation separate from dignity. But for the people these systems are meant to serve, these challenges are deeply interconnected.

This session explores the concept of “dignity infrastructure”: integrated, locally grounded systems that bring together livelihoods, health, education, sanitation, and social support to enable real, sustained wellbeing.

We will examine why siloed approaches persist, from funding structures to institutional incentives, and what it takes to move toward coordinated, cross-sector solutions, especially in resource-constrained environments. Particular focus will be given to young people, whose wellbeing depends on aligned systems across mental health, education, economic opportunity, and social context.

Drawing on practical examples from implementation contexts, including work across East Africa, the conversation will highlight how integrated models can be designed, financed, and governed in ways that are both effective and durable.

Bringing together practitioners, funders, and policymakers, this session will focus on how to shift from fragmented interventions to systems that reflect the realities of people’s lives.

Speakers

• ​Chris Nsabiyumva is Co-Founder and Deputy Executive Director of SaCoDé, advancing solutions to end period poverty in Burundi.

• ​Claire Cole is Co-Director of the Thrive Together Project at TransformativeStory, advancing research on wellbeing and sexual and reproductive health across global contexts.

• ​Zach Carpenter is President of The Kilgoris Project, advancing holistic education through integrated learning, health, and nutrition systems in rural Kenya.

​Discussion Questions
Why do siloed approaches persist, and what incentives need to change to enable integration?
What does it take to design and deliver truly integrated systems at the community level?
How can funding models support cross-sector outcomes rather than isolated interventions?
What does meaningful wellbeing look like for young people, and how do we build systems around it?