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GCC-funded smartphone blood pressure innovation, OPTiBP, receives recognition by WHO
High blood pressure during pregnancy is associated with a multitude of maternal health risks, including pre-eclampsia, hypertension, and early death. Women with a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy have more than twice the risk of premature death from heart disease making it essential to measure and track blood pressure, especially in low-resource settings […]
Devex: Grand Challenges Canada and other non-profits embrace the four-day work week
Increasingly, there’s been buzz around the idea of moving away from the traditional 9-5, Monday-Friday work model, especially in innovative sectors and non-profit organizations. With more employees working from home, growing discussions around employee mental health and work-life balance, and growing disenchantment with the five-day work week model, the four-day work week has been hailed […]
Saving and improving newborn lives by Scaling Up ‘Kangaroo Care’
An estimated 15 million babies – more than 1 in 10 – around the world every year are born too early. Premature births can lead to a higher rate of infant mortality or a lifetime of disability, including learning disabilities, and visual and hearing problems. By providing funding and support to innovators like Dr. Nathalie […]
Better Data, Better Approaches: Why Data-Driven Innovation is Key to Improving Youth Mental Health
Guest Blog by Carolyn Culey, Data Advocacy Consultant at United for Global Mental Health. This week, the World Data Forum is taking place in Hangzhou, China, bringing together global experts from government, civil society, academia, the media and beyond. The Forum includes several sessions related to innovation, nurturing inclusive partnerships, building trust and ethics in […]
Grand Challenges Canada at the Skoll World Forum: Five Innovative Solutions to Prioritize Mental Health for Young People Worldwide
One in seven adolescents worldwide faces mental health conditions, with anxiety and depression being the most common issues. Additional stressors, like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, exacerbate the situation. Despite the growing need, national health budgets globally only allocate 2% to mental health. At this year’s Skoll World Forum, Grand Challenges Canada’s Director of Scale and Sustainability, Adetunji Eleso, joined […]
Meet the Youth and Lived Experience Advisors Supporting Being!
Young people (aged 0-24) make up nearly half of the world’s population. The majority, 90%, live in low- and middle-income countries. And while young people may be consulted, they rarely have the opportunity to lead or share in decision-making on issues that affect them, including their mental health. Around 75% of mental health challenges begin […]
Lessons from Jacaranda Health: Successfully Scaling Maternal Health Innovation in Kenya
Disclaimer: This piece discusses pregnancy and motherhood; while we use the term “mother” throughout the piece to mirror the language of the community we are collaborating with; we also acknowledge that not all pregnant people identify as “mothers.” We would like to recognize that pregnancy and motherhood can be experienced by people of all genders. […]
Kenya-Based Social Enterprise Wins $10,000 CAD Canadian Innovation Prize for User-Friendly Affordable Toilets and Waste Management
As of the end of September 2022, more than 150,000 lives have been improved and more than 15,000 metric tonnes/year of sanitation waste safely removed Nairobi/Toronto, November 7, 2022— Fresh Life, a Kenya-based, social enterprise that works to make safely managed sanitation in low-income urban communities accessible and affordable, is this year’s winner of Grand […]
Launch of Being, a new international mental health initiative for young people
Initial funding of $35 million (CAD) to support work in 13 low- and middle-income countries Being, an international mental health initiative to fund and support research and innovative approaches that improve the mental wellbeing of young people aged 10 to 24 in low- and middle-income countries, launched today. The initiative is hosted by Grand Challenges […]
Reflections from Grand Challenges Canada’s 2022 Summer Fellows
Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) has seen yet another summer come and go. Despite our work-from-home context, summer fellows went above and beyond with new perspectives, inventive solutions, and passionate attention to issues that mattered most to them. The fellows never cease to amaze GCC with their dedication and hard work! Here’s what they had to […]