The Good Start Challenge announces 22 finalists in nine countries

From over a thousand entries, 22 finalists have been announced for the Good Start Challenge – a €2.6 million global initiative to advance innovative, practical solutions that improve the wellbeing of parents and caregivers of babies, toddlers and young children.

Recent research shows that becoming a parent reshapes the human brain to an extent comparable to adolescence – and the caregiving a child receives in their early years fundamentally shapes their development. Supporting caregivers to raise the next generation is an investment in building stronger communities.

Supporting caregivers to raise the next generation is an investment in building stronger communities.

The choice of finalists was incredibly difficult. The Challenge surfaced a wide range of bold and creative ideas from across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Contextually relevant and rooted in lived experience, these ideas predominantly came from grassroots and community-based organisations and social enterprises.

Some entrants had never worked with parents and caregivers before hearing about the Challenge. The breadth of media coverage – with over 800 mentions in outlets with an estimated reach of 264 million readers – shows how deeply the topic of parental wellbeing resonates around the world.

The 22 finalists include initiatives focused directly on reducing trauma, anxiety and depression among parents. Some are aimed at those with specific vulnerabilities, such as families experiencing displacement. Many use new technologies, from AI to WhatsApp groups, to scale guidance and peer support.

Other projects tackle important root causes of caregiver stress – from models of shared childcare, to initiatives that combine parenting support with livelihoods, or improving access to healthcare. Gender equality is a recurring theme, with several finalists involving fathers to challenge unequal caregiving loads.

The 22 finalists each receive a grant of €50,000 to further develop their idea, alongside capacity-building support that includes a three-day workshop, virtual training sessions and one-to-one coaching. In June 2026, up to six winners will receive a further €200,000 to scale their solutions.

• Daddy’s Embrace by Fundação Cultura e Medicina. A community initiative to foster father-baby bonding by including and empowering marginalised fathers living in urban areas of Brazil that are impacted by gang violence.
• PIPA by Instituto Pipa. An AI-integrated digital platform that offers a range of support to parents in Brazil – including mental self-assessments, monthly monitoring, and remote access to specialists. The solution has been developed in partnership with Diálogo e Inovação Marketing e Planejamento Ltda.
• The Collaborative Care Circle (C3) by Fundação de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão (FEPE). An app that supports a network of women to share safe care for children through a ‘credit’ system, freeing up time for mothers for personal or professional development. The solution has been developed in partnership with IPREDE – Instituto da Primeira Infância.

• Alas y Raíces by Fundación GENFAMI. An AI-powered digital platform that provides parenting guidance to highly vulnerable Afro-descendant teenage mothers, promoting emotional bonding, the transmission of cultural knowledge, self-care, and the importance of mental health.
• Familias Fuertes, Infancias Seguras by FUNDACIÓN EUGENIO MENDOZA. A community-based network of childcare that strengthens the mental, social and economic wellbeing of Venezuelan migrant parents in Colombia.

• EKISIL Solar-Digital SafeHubs by EKISIL CBO. Community-run, solar-powered kiosks that provide mothers in the harsh conflict-affected Ethiopian-Kenyan border with safe spaces for trauma counselling and health support, and access to digital maternal and child wellbeing resources.
• Empowering Parents and Caregivers to Nurture Children with Epilepsy and neurological disabilities by CareEpilepsy Ethiopia. An initiative that delivers clinical and mental health services, parent training, peer support and digital helplines to caregivers of children with epilepsy and associated disabilities.
• Refugee Mothers Empowerment Hub by Tomorrow is Better. A community-based initiative that combines affordable childcare, vocational training, and a marketplace for mothers to generate income, enabling refugee women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to both work and support their families.

• BUNDA by Yayasan Balita Sehat Indonesia. A low-cost psychosocial programme to support pregnant and breastfeeding mothers living in rural and disaster-prone areas of Indonesia to cope with perinatal depression.
• Mama Bapa Setara by Yayasan Selancar Arungi Indonesia. Parenting and cooking classes that support the wellbeing of disadvantaged parents and caregivers by promoting more equality between women and men in sharing caregiving responsibilities, thereby reducing stress and mothers’ time poverty, while improving the nutrition and development of children.

• CareConnect Circles by Childline Kenya. An initiative that offers AI-powered parenting support, peer-led community circles, and a 24/7 helpline, strengthening the wellbeing of displaced and vulnerable parents of young children in Kenya.
• Nature+ Kakuma by Farming & Health Education. A maternal support programme that combines pregnancy-to-postnatal health care, mental health support, and small-scale climate-smart farming to empower refugee parents in Kakuma, Kenya.
• Tunzo Asili by Lake Region Development Program. Community-led childcare with play-based trauma recovery and maternal economic empowerment, aimed at breaking a cycle of disrupted childcare, maternal trauma, and loss of income for mothers and children aged 0-6 affected by recurrent flooding in Kenya’s Lake Region.

• Afinidata Contigo by Educatic S.A./Afinidata. An AI-powered virtual assistant that is accessible across Latin America – even in regions with poor connectivity – that provides practical guidance and personalised support for pregnant women, teenage mothers, and indigenous communities.
• AprendWell AI by International Rescue Committee, Inc. A WhatsApp-based companion that strengthens caregiver wellbeing in Mexico through mental health support, parenting strategies, and therapy-like interventions. The solution has been developed in partnership with Sorece, Asociación de Psicólogas Feministas.

• Parent Play Pods – Leyte (P3 Leyte) by FundLife International Inc. Early pregnancy remains a leading cause of school dropouts in the Philippines, leaving many young mothers without support to manage stress, livelihoods, or childcare. P3 – Leyte runs weekly 90-minute sessions in barangays (village-level communities) in rural and disaster-prone Leyte providing quality childcare, peer support and access to health services.

• CareNet by JMA PULSEBIT SYSTEMS AND SOLUTIONS LTD. A digital financial ecosystem that combines micro-insurance with savings and support, making maternal and child health services more affordable and accessible across Senegal, lowering parents’ anxiety around accessing healthcare.
• kSanté Parentalité & Petite Enfance by Kajou Sénégal. An initiative to train and equip Senegal’s community health workers to become ambassadors for parental health – particularly those who have been internally displaced – using kSANTÉ, a digital training platform.
• The Mindup/Tawfekh Keur Jaboot Solution by Atou Nutrition. A parenting ecosystem, rooted in the community and amplified by digital tools, that gives parents – especially vulnerable mothers – time, confidence, and a safe space to raise their children.

• Integrated Mental Health Care for Refugee Families by StrongMinds. An initiative to integrate mental health care into government and refugee-led systems in Adjumani District, Uganda, by making psychoeducation, screening, trauma-sensitive first-line treatment, and referrals available to refugees.
• Parent Playbox Wamu by Child’s i Foundation. An initiative aimed at families in Uganda, offering safe spaces to engage in social worker-led playful activities, to build confidence, reduce stress, and create supportive networks that foster resilience and belonging for vulnerable caregivers. This solution has been developed in partnership with Learn to Play.
• The BuriCare Baby Carriers by BuriCare Baby Carrier Limited. A sustainable, tech-enabled baby carrier offering real time data, designed to lower anxiety and improve the wellbeing of caregivers of preterm and critically ill babies in underserved communities across Uganda.