HopeCore was awarded $98,000 USD

Village HopeCore International received funding for the creation and expansion of a comprehensive Maternal and Child Wellness Program

Village HopeCore International received $98,062 USD for a Maternal and Child Wellness Program from the Amplify program, a partnership financed by the Department for International Development (DFiD) and implemented by IDEO.org. In November 2014 HopeCore accepted an online challenge conducted by IDEO.org, through OpenIDEO (openideo.com) aimed at generating creative, innovative, and collaborative solutions to the world’s problems. The challenge was, “How might parents in low-income communities ensure children thrive in their first five years?” There were 441 ideas submitted to this challenge. Over the next 2 months, HopeCore staff worked collaboratively with experts from around the world to respond to questions and refine their ideas. Only 31 ideas were chosen for greater refinement, including HopeCore. In January, HopeCore was one of the 10 “Top Ideas”.

Finally, in May 2015, HopeCore was chosen as one of five ideas to receive design support and one of only three ideas to receive funding for an idea. Between September and November 2015, HopeCore conducted a prototyping phase with an initial $10,000 USD from IDEO.org. After this phase and through collaboration with IDEO.org HopeCore submitted a refined year-long work plan and budget. On February 1, 2016, HopeCore signed a grant agreement with IDEO.org approving a budget of $98,062. The first installment of money was received on February 16, 2016, and we are excited to get to work.

These funds will allow us to develop and expand our program and we will now be able to reach mothers and their children below 5 years of age in 516 villages, the entire Maara Sub-County in Kenya.