Mental health support programme for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers named winner of €2.6m challenge to improve parental wellbeing across Southeast Asia

LONDON, Sept. 3,

2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A programme to support the mental health of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in rural areas across Indonesia has been named among the six winners of the €2.6 million Good Start Challenge, which sought innovative ideas to support parental wellbeing in underserved communities across Southeast Asia.

Foundation for Mother and Child Health Indonesia has developed BUNDA, a community-based programme that supports the mental wellbeing of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in rural Indonesia. It trains midwives and community health volunteers to provide practical and emotional support through home visits and health check-ups.

Through the programme, mothers learn simple ways to manage stress, build healthy routines, and seek support from their families, helping them to protect their wellbeing and provide nurturing care for their children.

The team has been awarded €200,000 and is being connected with partners to continue its scaling journey.

Rushda Majeed, Chief Programme Officer at Van Leer Foundation, said: "We launched the Good Start Challenge because we recognised an urgent need to bring innovation into support systems around families and prioritise parental wellbeing. The six winners show the potential and readiness of organisations to bring meaningful change to parents' everyday reality. Today we celebrate what has been achieved as a major milestone in our ongoing mission to ensure that not only children, but parents everywhere have a good start too."

Kathy Nothstine, Director of Cities and Societies at Challenge Works, said: "The Good Start Challenge has reinforced one clear lesson: innovation exists in every corner of the world, and challenge prizes provide the opportunity for these to surface and scale."

The Good Start Challenge was initiated by Van Leer Foundation; supported by FEMSA, Fundaçāo Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, and LEGO Foundation; and designed and delivered by global challenge prize experts, Challenge Works.

It launched in response to growing recognition that becoming a new parent can be a period of vulnerability. It received over 1,000 entries, showing that organisations around the world recognise the gap in support for parents, and have compelling ideas about how to close it.

To find out more: goodstart.challenges.org