Solar-powered support hubs, community-led counselling and hybrid digital tools are among the six winners of the €2.6 million Good Start Challenge.

The Good Start Challenge was launched in response to growing recognition that becoming a parent can be the catalyst for a period of increased vulnerability, uncertainty and isolation. 

For 2026, ideas were sought around innovative ways to improve parental wellbeing in underserved communities across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

More than 1,000 entries were received from countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Indonesia. 

The winning solutions are derived from existing community efforts or have been inspired by real-life experiences. Each winner has been awarded €200,000 to further develop their initiatives.

Every mother deserves a safe place to heal

One of the winners, EKISIL CBO, developed community-owned, solar-powered spaces to provide integrated support for displaced mothers and young children in Ethiopia. 

Mothers can access parenting support, health screening for children, trauma counselling and digital learning all under one roof. The SafeHubs scheme helps parents to build knowledge, confidence and resilience, and strengthen their children’s wellbeing and development.

“Our idea grew from our frontline work with displaced mothers on the Ethiopia-Turkana border, who were raising young children with little support, few opportunities and limited access to services,” said Damaris Mumbua Maundu, head of programmes and scale at EKISIL CBO. 

“Every mother deserves a safe place to heal, learn, connect and raise her child with hope,” she added.

In Uganda, StrongMinds provides group therapy for refugees in the northern region, including for parents of young children, as part of its work scaling depression treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. Winning the challenge will make an immediate difference to their work.

“In East Africa, one in two refugee parents experiences untreated depression, and support is often fragmented and short-term,” said Charlotte Oloya, deputy country director at StrongMinds. “We know that when a parent recovers from depression, it impacts the whole family, especially when their children are young. Our solution was developed in direct response to this. 

“The Good Start Challenge has enabled us to reach 3,551 caregivers – far exceeding our goal of 2,400. Winning the €200,000 means that we can extend this care to the many more in need.”

Other examples of the winning entries include a virtual wellbeing network for new mothers in Brazil and a WhatsApp-based mental health support tool for parents in Colombia.