Grand Challenges Canada

Anushree Banerji, Portfolio Manager at Grand Challenges Canada (GCC), recently travelled to Kisumu, Kenya for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) to co-implement the Mountain Model. ⛰️ The #MountainModel is a demand-driven innovation adoption framework that leverages domestic resources to address urgent health challenges. ✍️ The signing of this MOU with the LREB, a bloc of 14 counties, makes it ideal to scale the Mountain Model, which is currently implemented in #Kenya with funding by GCC (with support from Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada) and the Insight Health Advisors. 💬 Anushree wrote a blog post about their reflections from Kenya. To read, visit: https://lnkd.in/dFs_DzJC Cc: Anushree Banerji, Lake Region Economic Bloc, Insight Health Advisors, Drop Access Limited, Sanivation, Results for Development, Financing Alliance for Health, Health-E-Net, Million Lives Collective

Continuing the theme of #Equity, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) has funded 132 mental health projects across 42 low- and middle-income countries since 2011. GCC is the host of the Being Initiative, a global youth mental health initiative, which funds youth mental health initiatives in 12 priority countries and includes other International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders (IAMHRF) members and partners - Fondation Botnar, United for Global Mental Health and Orygen. 🎉 Over a decade of investing in mental health innovation culminated in the first-ever Being Global Gathering, held in Rabat, Morocco in November 2024. The event brought together innovators from across Grand Challenges Canada’s Global Mental Health portfolio, together with Being partners and youth advocates (https://bit.ly/4gfUlk0). 💡 Organised by Orygen, Being’s Learning and Support Network, the gathering provided an opportunity to reflect on successes and challenges in evidence generation, sustainability and scaling of mental health innovations. Events like this exemplify the power of #GlobalCollaboration, aligning efforts to create lasting change in #YouthMentalHealth.   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dayiXm9U 🎉 Congratulations to Grand Challenges Canada and its partners for creating opportunities to improve equity in #MentalHealthResearch! #SuccessStories #CelebratingSuccessinMentalHealthResearch #MentalHealthResearch 

As we step into 2025, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the milestones that defined 2024. Here are some of the ✨highlights: 📘Publishing “Mapping Youth Mental Health Landscapes”, a report uncovering insights from 12 countries 📣Launching our first Request for Proposals to support youth-led #mentalhealth solutions 🇺🇳Spotlighting youth voices at UNGA79 and hosting Being the Change, an impactful event on the sidelines 🌍Convening innovators and partners at the Global Gathering for Youth Mental Health in Morocco These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our partners, advisors, and team. Thank you for your unwavering support. Want the full recap? 👉Check out our latest newsletter for all of our 2024 highlights: https://lnkd.in/e_JNgrYq ✉️Join our mailing list here: https://lnkd.in/eMUSy-8i Grand Challenges Canada Fondation Botnar United for Global Mental Health Science for Africa Foundation Orygen NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

We are thrilled to be awarding the prestigious 2024 Grand Challenges Canada Rotman Innovation of the Year Award to the Community Empowerment Lab (CEL)! 🎉 CEL’s innovative Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) approach is transforming neonatal care in Uttar Pradesh, India, saving lives and improving health outcomes for newborns. 🍼 Under the leadership of Dr. Vishwajeet Kumar and Aarti Kumar, CEL has championed the use of KMC—a method involving skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant—to enhance survival rates of low birth weight and premature babies. 👩🍼 🌟 Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/geZMPCJP Community Empowerment Lab (CEL), Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada, THE ROTMAN FAMILY PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION INC, Vishwajeet Kumar, Aarti Kumar, Kristin Neudorf, Sanjana J, Rahul Chandran, Karlee Silver

We believe in bold, community-driven solutions. That’s why we prioritize early investment and adoption – so that innovators can scale and serve their communities. 📈 Curious about how innovators leverage their funding? Learn more about it in our 2023-2024 annual report. 👉 Visit the link in our bio to read the report: bit.ly/CHIC2024

#16DaysOfActivism: A Moment of Reflection & Action This year, as we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we take time to reflect on the urgent need for innovative solutions, survivor support, and systemic change. 🧡 From the powerful screening of The Girls of Meru to the insightful Q&A with Lawyer Fiona Sampson, these moments of learning and courage inspire our commitment to end violence against women and children. Read more about our efforts, the documentary screening, and the conversations that matter through our blog post by Neelam Azmat: bit.ly/4fbFrKF #EndGenderBasedViolence #Advocacy #16Days #EndGBV --- Cette année, alors que nous commémorons les #16jours d'activisme contre la violence fondée sur le sexe, nous prenons le temps de réfléchir à l’urgence de solutions novatrices, au soutien des survivant·e·s et au changement systémique. 🧡 De la puissante projection Les jeunes filles de Meru à la séance de questions-réponses éclairante avec l'avocate Fiona Sampson, ces moments d'apprentissage et de courage renforcent notre engagement à mettre fin à la violence contre les femmes et les enfants. Pour en savoir plus : bit.ly/4fbFrKF

It’s nice when your friends get along! Delighted to see Benjamin Mboya (MSc, PhD) showcase Ujamaa Africa’s work in scaling a proven preventative approach to combating sexual and gender-based violence at The Sanergy Collaborative ’s speaker series.   #Partnerships #Scale #FreshLife #Ujamaa

I am back in Nairobi, representing Grand Challenges Canada; this time at the Global Digital Health Forum. On Friday, I’ll be speaking at a panel that is exploring concrete solutions at the intersection of digital health and climate change. That is, how digital health tools can be adapted to build climate resilience. Join to hear perspectives from YLabs, Jacaranda Health, and PharmAccess on how they are tackling this important challenge. 🌍 #GDHF2024 #Climate #Innovation

One thing I've been wrestling with since joining Grand Challenges Canada is – what does it take to really support an #innovation ecosystem for youth mental health? Which is why last week’s session at the Being Initiative Global Gathering on an ecosystem-level approach was a highlight for me! We know that solving #youthmentalhealth challenges requires more than funding isolated interventions – we need to do more to break down barriers to scale and sustainability. The complex and dynamic barriers—such as stigma, policy gaps, fragmented efforts, and lack of funding—mean we need holistic, systems-based solutions. But what do we know about what is working and what isn’t – here are some takeaways from the discussion: ✨ #YouthLeadership: Youth need to be recognized as experts with solutions, not just beneficiaries. This means we need to rethink how the sector engages young people, ensuring their voices are at the center of #systemschange efforts. ✨Grassroots Leadership as Catalysts for Change: Innovators are uniquely positioned to identify barriers and advocate for the changes needed. StrongMinds shared a great example of equipping youth to advocate for policy changes that integrated #mentalhealth education into schools —addressing both demand for school-based innovations and systemic bottlenecks to scale. ✨Transforming Stigma into Advocacy: Many innovators are shifting deep-seated narratives, working with parents, community leaders, and local governments to challenge stigma and prioritize mental health. These efforts lay the foundation for broader systemic change. ✨ Collaboration Across Sectors: Cross-sector partnerships—between education, health, social welfare, and more—are essential. ✨ Addressing Barriers to Scaling: - Policy Navigation: Innovators navigate buy-in/approvals from multiple government bodies, which can be time-consuming and relationship-dependent. Demonstrating alignment of innovations with national priorities and measurable impact can help overcome these hurdles. - Resource Competition: Many organizations face challenges in collaborating due to limited resources and competitive funding landscapes. There may be a role for funders to incentivize partnerships and foster a culture of collective action. - Power Dynamics: Large organizations often dominate national-level networks and technical working groups, sidelining smaller grassroots actors. Recognizing and elevating the contributions of these smaller organizations is critical for impactful solutions. Ecosystem-level change is not linear—it requires flexibility, collaboration, and an inclusive approach . There is so much we are learning as we unpack how to take an ecosystem approach – I’d love some more thought partners, so reach out! Sireesha J. Bobbili Orygen United for Global Mental Health Science for Africa Foundation Sense International India Schizophrenia Research Foundation (I) Sangath India Reinserta Tamer Institute for Community Education #BeingConnected

This #InternationalDayofPersonswithDisabilities, hear from Uttam Kumar Director at Sense International India, about why mental health approaches must prioritize persons with disabilities. "It's not just about education or employment— their mental wellbeing matters too." 💡 Sense International India is a transition-to-scale innovator in Grand Challenges Canada's #GlobalMentalHealth portfolio and supports individuals with deafblindness. Deafblindness involves varying degrees of vision and hearing impairment. To address #mentalhealth challenges among children, young adults with deafblindness, and their families, Sense International India equips Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) workers with training and provides vital mental health support. Learn more about their impactful work ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gYSnrThQ. Grand Challenges Canada NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) *Correction: We apologize for the slight error in the spelling of Mr. Kumar's name in the video below. The correct spelling is Uttam Kumar.