When a child is born, a parent is also born.
Let’s re-imagine how we care for them.
What was the Good Start Challenge?
The Good Start Challenge was a €2.6 million global challenge to advance innovative solutions that improve the wellbeing of parents and caregivers of young children in disadvantaged circumstances in Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.
The Challenge offered a unique opportunity for innovators to take their solutions to the next level with the support of local and international partners. With an initial grant of €50,000 and access to a portfolio of capacity building support, innovators developed, tested and refined their solutions, and progressed to the chance to win a final award of €200,000.
Where did the Challenge take place?

Meet the winners
Foundation for Mother and Child Health Indonesia – BUNDA
Based in Indonesia, their winning solution BUNDA is a community-based programme supporting the mental wellbeing of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in rural communities.
Through home visits and Posyandu health services, trained midwives and community health volunteers provide practical emotional support. Mothers learn simple ways to manage stress, build healthy routines and seek support from their families, helping them feel better and provide nurturing care for their children.
Heights and Minds & Atou Nutrition – MindUp Tawfekh Keur Jaboot
Atou Nutrition and Heights and Minds Foundation, has developed Tawfekh Keur Jaboot, an innovative parenting ecosystem rooted in the community and amplified by digital tools.
The solution aims to give parents , especially vulnerable mothers, the time, confidence and safe space they need to raise their children with dignity and care.
EKISIL CBO – EKISIL Solar Digital SafeHubs
Their solution, EKISIL Solar Digital SafeHubs uses community-run, solar-powered kiosks to provide mothers in conflict-affected communities with safe spaces for parenting support.
The SafeHubs also provide trauma counselling and digital access to vital maternal and child wellbeing resources.
StrongMinds – Integrated Mental Health Care for Refugee Families
StrongMinds,integrates mental health care into refugee support systems in Adjumani District, providing psychoeducation, screening, trauma-sensitive treatment and referrals.
Their approach provides support across transit centres, reception sites, health facilities and schools, helping to reduce the mental health burden of displacement and create a scalable, government-led model for expanding mental health care across refugee-hosting regions of Uganda.
PIPA Institute & Tempojunto – PIPA Programme
Instituto PIPA, supports vulnerable mothers through humanised listening, personalised guidance and continuous monitoring.
By integrating technology, specialised support, community actions and PIPA Boxes, it creates an emotional and informational support network that strengthens mental health and promotes positive bonds between caregivers and children aged 0 to 3 years.
GENFAMI – UMBI
Fundación GENFAMI, has developed a free, culturally sensitive AI parenting app providing safe guidance to Afro-descendant teenage mothers.
The app strengthens psychosocial wellbeing, self-care, self-efficacy and caregiving skills for children aged zero to three, while fostering bonding, the recovery of ancestral knowledge and community-based support for families and communities.
Meet the Finalists
Latin American finalists
- Afinidata (Mexico)
- Culture & Medicine Foundation (Brazil)
- IPREDE & Facildade de Medicina UFMG (Brazil)
- Fundación Eugenio Mendoza (Colombia)
- GENFAMI-UMBI (Colombia)
- PIPA Institute & Tempojunto (Brazil)
- International Rescue Committee (Mexico)
Sub-Saharan Africa finalists
- Heights and Minds & Atou Nutrition – MindUp Tawfekh Keur Jaboot
(Senegal) - BuriCare Baby Carrier Limited (Uganda)
- CareEpilepsy Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
- Child’s i Foundation (Uganda)
- Childline Kenya (Kenya)
- EKISIL CBO – EKISIL Solar Digital SafeHubs (Ethiopia/Kenya)
- Farming & Health Education (Kenya)
- JMA Pulsebit Systems and Solutions Ltd (Senegal)
- Kajou (Senegal)
- Lake Region Development Program (Kenya)
- StrongMinds – Integrated Mental Health Care for Refugee Families (Uganda)
- Tomorrow is Better (Ethiopia)
- Heights and Minds & Atou Nutrition – MindUp Tawfekh Keur Jaboot
Southeast Asian finalists
- FundLife International Inc (The Philippines)
- Foundation for Mother and Child Health Indonesia – BUNDA
(Indonesia) - Yayasan Selancar Arungi Indonesia (Indonesia)
Who is involved?




