Opal Health

CUSTOM CHALLENGE; Uganda

PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED

Preventing maternal and newborn deaths

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

DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION

Opal Health will equip pregnant women to solve their own maternal and newborn care barriers.

Opal Health trains government health workers in Uganda in a method that strengthens the role of communities in ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

Their approach is Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), a WHO-recommended, GiveWell-endorsed method with strong evidence of cost-effectiveness across multiple countries. In partnership with Uganda's Ministry of Health, they are embedding PLA into the national community health system, making it scalable, government-owned, and built to last.

Opal Health was co-founded by Melissa Kaminker and Matthew Beer in November 2025. Melissa serves as Opal Health's Executive Director.

PILOT AND SCALING GOALS

• Directly reach 11,000 people during the pilot.

• Distribute 1 proven intervention.

• Raise $50,000 in funding.
  

FOUNDING TEAM

Melissa Kaminker - Executive Director