Solar-powered support hubs among winners of €2.6m challenge to improve parental wellbeing across Sub-Saharan Africa

LONDON, Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar-powered support hubs for displaced mothers in Ethiopia have been named as one of the six winning innovations of the €2.6 million Good Start Challenge, which sought innovative ideas to support parental wellbeing in underserved communities across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The hubs were developed by EKISIL CBO. They are community-owned spaces that provide integrated support for displaced mothers and young children. In one trusted place, mothers can access parenting support, health screening for children, trauma counselling and digital learning.

Two other teams in Sub-Saharan Africa have been announced as winners of the challenge.

Heights and Minds and Atou Nutrition (Senegal) has developed MindUp Tawfekh Keur Jaboot, Senegal's first community-led hub where children learn and play while parents access regular health checks, nutrition advice, tailored support and affordable childcare.

As part of its work scaling depression treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa, StrongMinds provides group therapy for refugees in northern Uganda, including for parents of young children. Trained community volunteers, many of them refugees themselves, run free, six-week talk therapy groups in Dinka and Arabic.

The three teams have been awarded €200,000 each and are being connected with partners to continue their scaling journey.

Tarek Alami, VP, Head of International Programmes, LEGO Foundation, said: "We have invested in East Africa through the Good Start Challenge because of the strength of the region's local ecosystems and commitment to supporting children and families. EKISIL CBO and StrongMinds exemplify this through locally rooted solutions for displaced and refugee families. We look forward to seeing these solutions grow and the difference they can make to children's learning, development and wellbeing."

Rushda Majeed, Chief Programme Officer at Van Leer Foundation, said: "Today we celebrate what has been achieved as a major milestone in our ongoing mission to ensure that not only children, but parents everywhere have a good start too."

The Good Start Challenge was initiated by Van Leer Foundation; supported by FEMSA, Fundaçāo Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, and LEGO Foundation; and designed and delivered by global challenge prize experts, Challenge Works.

It launched in response to growing recognition that becoming a parent can be a period of vulnerability. It received over 1,000 entries, showing that organisations around the world recognise the gap in support for parents, and have compelling ideas about how to close it.

More information: goodstart.challenges.org