LONDON, Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A digital tool to bolster the psychological wellbeing of teenage mothers in Colombia, and a virtual wellbeing network for new mothers in Brazil, have been named among the six winners of the €2.6 million Good Start Challenge, which sought innovative ideas to support parental wellbeing in underserved communities across Latin America.
GENFAMI (Colombia) has created UMBI: a digital tool accessible through WhatsApp that supports the psychological wellbeing of Afro-descendant teenage mothers with children aged 0-3.
PIPA Institute & Tempojunto (Brazil) runs a virtual support network for vulnerable mothers during their child’s critical early years, whereby trained professionals offer emotional support, practical guidance and specialist care through WhatsApp and video calls.
Both teams have been awarded €200,000 and are being connected with partners to continue their scaling journey.
Eva Fernández Garza, Social Value Director, FEMSA: “At FEMSA, we believe that meaningful change starts within communities. That is why we celebrate these locally-led projects and the impact they can have on the lives of children and families. We are confident they will empower parents and caregivers with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to help every child thrive.”
Ana Drummond, Chief Executive Officer, Fundaçāo Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal: “Brazil cannot deliver a good start for children while ignoring those who raise them. The winning solution that we celebrate today are representatives of the work that we are committed to day-to-day, and we can’t wait to see what the Brazilian winner, PIPA Institute, goes on to achieve – in Brazil and beyond.”
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 new 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.
To find out more: goodstart.challenges.org
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