Synchora Health

CHILD IMMUNIZATION CHALLENGE; Ghana

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Routine childhood immunizations

Learn more about the Immunization Challenge and how Increasing routine childhood immunization rates in low-coverage areas could prevent millions of childhood deaths.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

Synchora Health increases immunization completion for children by delivering voice and SMS reminders to caregivers and point-of-care tracking to health workers.

Synchora Health distributes through both static and mobile child welfare clinics where frontline nurses and community health volunteers enroll children, trigger automated reminders, and record doses at the point of care. The pilot runs across three facilities in Ghana's Ashanti Region - Juaben Government Hospital, Achiase Health Center, and Bomfa Health Center - enrolling at least 300 children over three months. From there, they will scale to 30 clinics in Year 1 using a replicable model with no disruption to existing clinical workflows. The venture’s unique value is that every dose (data) recorded feeds directly into DHIMS 2(the national health information system), validating manual data entry and turning point-of-care interactions into real-time Immunization monitoring.

Led by Shadrach Tetteh Boyetey, a Physician Assistant and Health Systems Researcher focused on digital health interventions with a decade of frontline clinical experience under Ghana's Ministry of Health. Dr. Ekins Kuuzie is a medical doctor with an MSc. in Digital Health Entrepreneurship from University College London and a serial startup founder. The venture’s technical co-founders are Osumanu Ra-Is Silbaway, a computer engineer with close to a decade of industry experience, and Richard Winner Duvor, a full-stack software developer.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Directly reach a minimum of 300 children within three months.

• Distribute a minimum of 5,400 proven interventions: 2,700 automated voice call reminders and 2,700 SMS reminders.

• Raise an additional USD 25,000 during the pilot period by signing 3 private facilities onto paid subscription agreements and securing at least one additional grant.

FOUNDING TEAM

Shadrach Tetteh Boyetey - Founder

Ekins Kuuzie - Founder

Richard Winner Duvor - Founder

Osumanu Ra-Is Silbaway - Founder

Niora, Inc.

TRANSPARENCY CHALLENGE: Ghana

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Learn more about the Transparency Challenge and how citizen reporting platforms can be used to hold government officials accountable and reduce corruption.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

Niora Systems is building the financial infrastructure for reliable medicine access in emerging markets by reducing volatility in pharmaceutical procurement.

Niora Systems distributes its solution through direct partnerships with hospitals, integrating procurement coordination and financial management tools into existing pharmaceutical purchasing workflows. Our pilot is launching in Accra, Ghana, beginning with selected departments at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Trust Hospital. Rather than distributing medicines ourselves, we work with hospitals and suppliers to coordinate procurement, forecasting, ordering, and payment processes through a centralized platform. What sets Niora apart is our focus on financial and procurement stability: we address the payment volatility and coordination failures that often drive medicine shortages, helping hospitals and suppliers operate with greater predictability and reliability.

Niora Systems was founded by Adeline (Pinyu) Liao, a researcher at Stanford University focused on pharmaceutical market design and global health systems. She is joined by Sylvester Denyoh, a Ghana-based registered pharmacist with deep experience in pharmaceutical operations and healthcare delivery, and Dan Poku, a Ghana-based data scientist and software developer focused on applying technology to solve complex social challenges.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Reach 5,000 patients.

• Distribute 100 procurement transactions.

• Raise $50,000.

FOUNDING TEAM

Adeline Pinyu Liao - Founder and CEO

Sylvester Denyoh - Co-founder of Niora Ghana, Partnerships Lead

Dan Poku - Founding team, Lead Engineer

SafeStart Global Inc.

CUSTOM CHALLENGE; Nigeria

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Distributing safe water treatment (point-of-use chlorination).

Learn more about the Custom Challenge and why we only fund ideas that focus on distributing proven poverty interventions.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

SafeStart’s mission is to accelerate proven, cost-effective maternal and child health innovations from evidence to real-world delivery.

SafeStart expands access to safe drinking water through a community-based chlorine access model in rural Kano State, Nigeria. The model combines community engagement and behavior change activities with reliable last-mile access to chlorine products through trusted local distribution points. By addressing both knowledge and access barriers, SafeStart helps households consistently treat drinking water and sustain safer water practices over time.

SafeStart expands access to safe drinking water through a community-based chlorine access model in rural Kano State, Nigeria. The model combines community engagement and behavior change activities with reliable last-mile access to chlorine products through trusted local distribution points. By addressing both knowledge and access barriers, SafeStart helps households consistently treat drinking water and sustain safer water practices over time.

SafeStart was founded in 2026 by Elisa Maffioli and Grant Edmond to help proven global health interventions reach families at scale. Elisa leads research and partnerships while continuing her academic role; Grant serves full-time and leads operations, finance, monitoring and evaluation, and implementation.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Reach 139,000 people.

• Distribute safe water treatment (point-of-use chlorination).

• Raise ~$700k.

FOUNDING TEAM

Elisa Maria Maffioli - Founder

Grant Edmond - Founder

Let Our Children See

READING GLASSES CHALLENGE; Kenya

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Reading Glasses

Learn more about the Reading Glasses Challenge and how increasing access to non-prescription reading or working glasses can improve the livelihoods of those in need.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

LOCS is a social enterprise that aims to restore productivity and independence in Kenya by integrating affordable reading glass distribution into the national health system through a network of trained Community Health Volunteers.

Operating out of Kisumu County, Kenya, the model integrates reading glass distribution into the existing national health system by transforming public health facilities into "reader access points". The venture will mobilize a network of trained Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) who will conduct home-based near-vision screenings and provide immediate correction or facility referrals. What truly sets LOCS apart is its sustainable, commission-based incentive structure for CHVs, which ensures consistent community outreach and financial viability without long-term donor dependency. This approach fills the critical gap left by sporadic marketplace screenings by providing a permanent, facility-anchored presence in rural areas.

Shadrack Muma and Mercy Viola serve as the visionary leaders of Let Our Children See (LOCS), an organization they established in 2025 to address critical gaps in vision care (presbyopia).

As the primary point of contact and Project Lead based in Kisumu, Shadrack oversees all pilot operations and high-level stakeholder engagement. Drawing on a decade of experience in vision access programs, he is responsible for the strategic integration of the model into public health facilities and the direct management of Community Health Volunteers (CHVs). His role is a full-time commitment, ensuring hands-on leadership as the initiative works to scale from the pilot phase to a nationwide model.

Based in Kisumu, Mercy serves as the Field Coordinator, managing the essential day-to-day operations required for a successful pilot. She handles the coordination between health facilities and CHVs, monitors stock levels for reading glasses, and ensures strict reporting compliance. With a proven track record in health program management and volunteer coordination, she dedicates the majority of her time to ensuring smooth daily activities and high-quality service delivery.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Directly screen 7500 presbyopes within three months.

• Use 50 CHVs to distribute 2500 reading glasses in three months.

• Fundraise an additional $10,000 USD from other donors within three months.

FOUNDING TEAM

Shadrack Muma - Project Coordinator

Mercy Viola - Field Coordinator

Mangochi Immunization Advancement (MIA)

CHILD IMMUNIZATION CHALLENGE; Malawi

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Routine childhood immunizations

Learn more about the Immunization Challenge and how Increasing routine childhood immunization rates in low-coverage areas could prevent millions of childhood deaths.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

MIA works on increasing full childhood immunization in Malawi by using SMS reminders and conditional cash transfers to ensure children receive life-saving vaccines on time.

MIA delivers its intervention through public health facilities in Mangochi District, Malawi, enrolling caregivers of children aged 12–35 months at the point of care. Caregivers receive automated, personalized SMS reminders before each immunization visit, while completion of scheduled visits is verified through facility records and linked to small conditional cash transfers delivered via mobile money. The model is integrated with existing EPI systems and implemented in coordination with frontline health workers to ensure accuracy and accountability. Our pilot will run across six health facilities, reaching 500 children and their caregivers. What sets MIA apart is its tightly integrated, real-time verification and payment system that directly links immunization events to incentives, ensuring both high reliability and impact at low cost.

MIA was founded by Suzgo James Mwasikakata alongside Michelle Mwampashi Samuel, Dr. Kondwani C. Mamba, and Ketson Kayuni, a multidisciplinary team with expertise in public health, digital systems, and financial management. The team combines strong experience in immunization and health systems strengthening with finance and internal audit expertise from Michelle and Ketson, ensuring robust financial accountability. Suzgo James Mwasikakata leads the venture’s strategy and implementation in Malawi.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Directly reach 500 children and their caregivers during the pilot phase, implemented across 6 health facilities in Mangochi District, Malawi.

• SMS reminders: ~6,000 messages (500 caregivers × ~12 reminders each, assuming 3 reminders per visit across 4 immunization visits), Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs): up to 2,000 payments within three months

• Fundraise $30,000 in additional funding within three months from new investors and donors, complemented by continued engagement and support from the D-Prize.

FOUNDING TEAM

Suzgo James Mwasikakata - CEO/Founder

Michelle Mwampashi Samuel - Programs Manager

Kondwani C. Mamba - Technical Advisor

Ketson Kayuni - Internal Advisor

Youth Impact Philippines (TISA)

CONNECT-ED CHALLENGE; PHILIPPINES

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

ConnectEd Education Program

Learn more about the ConnectEd Challenge and how a high-access, low-cost phone-based innovation can deliver remedial education to underserved primary-aged learners.

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

Youth Impact Philippines (TISA) will utilize TISA-hired and trained facilitators to deliver mEducation (ConnectEd), which will allow the venture to test and adjust for optimization through different delivery models, including testing necessary variations for different regions across the Philippines.

The venture will operate in areas frequently exposed to disasters such as typhoons, floods, landslides, and earthquakes. It will identify key government champions at local and regional levels where there is demand to launch mEducation and advocate for its spread. Additionally, the team will build a direct delivery high-quality demonstration arm to experiment, optimize, and share learning, feeding directly into government-led delivery.

To achieve its goals, TISA will train and support teachers by leveraging TISA-hired youth facilitators to lead master training, identifying a cohort of master teacher trainers to further train, mentor, and support teachers in their communities. They will also establish monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems to collect and use timely and actionable data and share this at all levels from households to communities, schools, school divisions, and regional and national leadership.

Youth Impact Philippines (TISA) is led by Mariel Bayangos, Maria Perlita de Leon, and Desiree Gestiada. They initiated TISA after Mariel’s impactful career of over 10 years in the Ministry of Education. TISA is a Filipino term for chalk, which represents the classroom. It also symbolizes learning, the infinite thirst for knowledge and understanding.

The team is a mix of experiences from the government sector and development work. They have solid, grounded experience and expertise in the education sector, ranging from education policies, education governance, curriculum design and implementation, and partnerships.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Reach 200 Grades 3 - 6 elementary school students during the pilot.

• Distribute the ConnectEd proven intervention only.

• Raise an additional USD 500,000 during the pilot.

FOUNDING TEAM

Mariel Bayangos - Founder

Maria Perlita de Leon - Founder

Desiree Gestiada - Founder