More than a decade on from the UN’s introduction of theSustainable Development Goals, its vision still hasn’t been fully realized. The forward-looking promise to end poverty, reduce inequality and improve health and education by 2030 is only on track to meetaround 35% of targets. In parallel, international conflict is mounting, resulting in a huge spike in the number of displaced communities. Many face the harrowing reality of a lack of clean water, ample food supplies and a safe place to sleep at night.
Never has this mattered more than with regard to the next generation and those who support them. If we want to change course, we need to approach these challenges differently. Well-being solutions for parents and caregivers is one starting point — and these need investment
Through our experience working on global parental well-being initiatives through the LEGO Foundation and the Van Leer Foundation, we have seen firsthand that when parents are empowered to live well, the effects can ripple outward. Young children can grow into healthier, more resilient adults. Communities can become stronger. Economies can take off
Supporting parents to thrive is an overlooked but urgent requirement for a safer, healthier world. Solutions that can enable this at local, regional and global scale offer an investment opportunity
A growing strain on parents
Globally, parents and caregivers face challenges of poor mental health, exclusion from services and unequal caregiving responsibilities. They are also consistently more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults
To make matters worse, they often feel stigmatized for reaching out for support. This can be more acute in the Global South. Research in Ethiopia provides one example of how caregivers can experience shame in asking for help, leading to reduced engagement with available services
The result is a silent struggle, met by the reality that just 26% of governments worldwide rate their support for parent well-being programs as sufficient
In low- and middle-income countries, initiatives often find it hard to scale because services are fragmented and programs are frequently implemented in isolation. Perhaps most critically, funding is incredibly limited
Aligning parental and caregiver health with global development
Four SDGs stand to benefit directly from the shift toward investing in parental well-being: health, education, economic growth and peaceful societies.
When parents and caregivers have the tools to protect their own well-being, children are more likely to thrive. This early support also shapes education long before school begins, as high-quality early childhood care improves children’s cognitive and emotional skills
The impact can extend to economic growth. Parents who have access to childcare, stable work and supportive communities can better participate in the workforce and can build secure futures for their families. And stronger families build stronger societies. In times of crisis, families are often the first line of support. When parents are empowered, communities become more resilient
Stories that show the value of impact-driven investment
Local solutions are demonstrating how we can tackle this global problem in practice — and what impact is possible with strategic and intentional investment
The Good Start Challenge, a global prize initiated by the Van Leer Foundation; supported by the FEMSA Foundation, Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, and the LEGO Foundation; and designed and delivered by the global challenge prize expert Challenge Works, has awarded €50,000 in funding to 22 innovations. Six of these will go on to win €200,000 each later this year to support these well-being solutions to further develop and scale
One example of this work is in Uganda, where the Child’s i Foundation has developed Parent Playbox Wamu: an initiative that provides safe spaces for families so that they can engage in social worker-led playful activities, demonstrating the value of play-based parent-child interactions in well-being overall. This solution is helping to build parent and caregiver confidence, reduce their stress, and create supportive networks that foster resilience and belonging
In Ethiopia, the Refugee Mothers Empowerment Hub, developed by Tomorrow is Better — an NGO based in Addis Ababa — brings together childcare services, vocational training and a marketplace where mothers can generate income. By empowering refugee women to work, while ensuring their children receive care, this solution improves outcomes for parents, children and society
It takes a village to raise a child — and to support a parent. This solution embodies that. “When a mother refugee comes to [the] hub, she feels safe… because she is served by… refugees,” says Lien Gamil of Tomorrow is Better. “I tell refugee mothers they can do it… because if we could do it, they can too.”
These are just two of the 22 finalist solutions that have been supported by the challenge, whose mission is to fund and scale new approaches that improve the well-being of families in underserved communities across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia
From solar-powered safe spaces for new mothers to support for fathers during the newborn stage, the challenge has surfaced an inspiring patchwork of solutions that have the potential to transform the lives of parents in the present
Scaling these (and other) impact-focused solutions through blended finance can catalyze deep, lasting transformation across global communities
From concept to reality
These solutions demonstrate that local ambition and grassroots action are creating the blueprints for scale. Now, we need to translate this into impact at the global level. Investors (whether traditional, philanthropic, or impact-focused), governments, global corporations and international institutions must all be willing to prioritize parental well-being to alter the current trajectory
Doing so will directly support the UN’s 2030 vision to transform the lives of so many who lack access to essential reponsible for where life itself begins
Rushda Majeed is a chief programme officer at the Van Leer Foundation. Tarek Alami is a vice president and head of international programmes at the LEGO Foundation
Guest posts on ImpactAlpha represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ImpactAlpha
