Canada Funds African Innovative Projects

By Lilian Museka

Five Kenyan projects are among 31 Africa based ideas that will each receive 100,000 dollars aimed at saving the lives of mothers, newborns and children in developing countries.

In total, there will 65 imaginative new initiatives worldwide being funded by Grand Challenges Canada funded by the Government of Canada to a tune of 12 million dollars.

The announcement coincided with the global summit on maternal, newborn and child health that was held  in Toronto late last month.

The summit, organized by the Canadian government assed the progress on the Muskoka Inititative inaugurated at the G8 meeting  in 2010 that seeks to promote health and reduce maternal mortality in developing countries.

The summit’s agenda  included accelerating progress on maternal health, reducing newborn mortality, saving lives through immunization, scaling up nutrition, building civil registration and vital statistsc systems and building new partnerships with private sector to leverage innovation and financing.

One such project being implemented in Kenya is the Linda Kizazi pilot project in kibera that will seek to demonstrate best health nutrition through exclusive breastfeeding for six months.

Linda Kizazi will see mothers from Kibera intitated in a pilot community centre work program that will also provide a day care where they can breastfeed their young one.

“It will be phase one of the projects that will last 12 months, which will the be replicated if successful,” he said, adding that the ideas were bold with great impacts to transform societies around the world.

Minister of International development Hon. Christian Paradis said by supporting proof of concept projects, a difference would be felt in developing countries, including job creation.

Dr. Peter A. Singer, Chief Executive Officer at Grand Challenges noted that the projects would intergrate innovationa dna combination of science and technology with social and business innovations that will aim at finding solutions to helath challenges.

The 65 projects still in their phase one include 31 in Africa at a cost of 4.8 million dollars, 26 in Asia (5.6 million) and Latin America which will cost 1.4 million dollars.