- The initiative seeks to address challenges in education, health and child protection through innovation in technology.
- Faced with the situation aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the education and health of children and adolescents in Latin America, Impactus Ventures and a group of strategic allies make an urgent call to find high-impact technological solutions that help improve the actual conditions.
The Impactus Ventures organization, in alliance with FEMSA Foundation, Amalfi Sociedad de Inversiones, BID Lab and + Global of Chile’s Mustakis Foundation, call on innovative startups from around the world to participate in the ChildTech Challenge with the aim of stimulating innovation and have an impact on the development of children in Latin America.
In a context where the pandemic has exacerbated the situation of lag in education, exposure to online toxicity and mental health in the region, this initiative seeks to encourage the implementation of technology-based solutions by providing support to reach more people. This work will be done alongside two Chilean non-profit organizations dedicated to the protection and strengthening of children and adolescents, and the call will focus on two categories: the first one in Protection and Mental Health for Children and Adolescents and the secondone in Early Childhood Education.
“We have decided to launch this call as urgent in the face of the current situation that has worsened with the pandemic, where thousands of children and adolescents require help. We believe that technology-based solutions are catalysts for important development processes and will have a high impact and reach in Latin America. The conditions exist to achieve this, there is evidence from other parts of the world where very favorable results have been obtained”, highlighted Sofía Ramírez, Director and Co-Founder of Impactus Ventures.
According to data from UNICEF, before the pandemic there was already an education crisis. In countries like Mexico, around 80% of girls and boys in primary school did not reach the expected knowledge in reading comprehension and mathematics. In addition to this, during the COVID-19 pandemic there have been situations that have increased this situation severely. UNICEF estimates that about 60% of the children and adolescents who have missed a school year in the world due to confinement by COVID-19 are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In addition to this, the closure of schools and isolation have also affected their development and physical and emotional health. Insufficient physical activity and sedentary lifestyle have increased the risks of overweight and obesity, as well as irregular sleep and other consequences for physical and mental health such as irritability, anxiety and concentration1.
“We realize that this situation has worsened during the pandemic and we believe that it is time to make an urgent call to join forces and seek accurate and high-impact solutions to these challenges in Latin America,” said Ignacia Donoso, Director of Impactus Ventures Projects.
1 https://www.unicef.org/mexico/comunicados-prensa/3-de-cada-5-ni%C3%B1os-y-ni%C3%B1as-que-perdieron-un-a%C3%B1o- escolar-en-el-mundo-durante-la
Investing in early childhood is essential because it influences the growth and development of nations. “Science has proven that early childhood is by far the most important stage in people’s development. We have an interest and commitment to promote innovation in this sector to support the care and development of children, as well as the interactions they have with their parents and caregivers. In this way we will build a more prosperous, fair and equitable region”, said Eva Fernández, Manager of Social Investment in Early Childhood at FEMSA Foundation.
Collaboration must be strengthened to provide impactful responses to urgent problems in the region, such as early childhood development. “We have been in the era of “co-” for a while, having collaboration as the key. Mustakis Foundation from + Global has pushed to bring in its purpose, the integral development of people, increasing its scale through radical collaboration and with agility. + Global comes to represent this vision: + together, + collaboration, + humans, + connected, + community, + social impact”, explained Leonor Merín, Director of Innovation & Content of FGMM.
The contest will be officially launched on July 15 at an event where experts in the subjects related to the ChildTech Challenge – such as technology, social entrepreneurship and child and youth development in Latin America – will participate. As a first stage, the solutions will be implemented in Chile, with the idea of bringint them to other countries in the region.
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About Impactus Ventures
Impactus Ventures is a social innovation platform which serves as a bridge between high-impact ventures and public, private and social sectors. It focuses on providing support to improve the lives of millions of people, especially children and teenagers, with the help of proven and successful technology-based solutions. Impactus Ventures emerges from observing the large number of problems faced by millions of girls, boys and adolescents in Latin America, from the need to build a society that gives them all the opportunities to turn their dreams into a reality, develop all their capacities and reach their maximum potential. Impactus Ventures also responds to the concern of the founding team to respond to these problems in a manner consistent with the trends and benefits of investment in childhood projects. To learn more visit: https://impactus.ventures/ or follow us on LinkedIn (/ company / impactus-ventures /), Twitter (@ImpactusV) or Instagram (impactus_ventures)
About FEMSA Foundation
In FEMSA Foundation our goal is to create positive impacts on people and communities through social investment projects for sustainability. We make a better future for all by working in three strategic areas: the promotion of efficient resource management for sustainable development, the promotion of the integral development of early childhood and the dissemination of Latin American art and culture.
For more information, visit us at www.fundacionfemsa.org or follow us on Facebook (/ FundacionFEMSA) and Twitter (@FundacionFEMSA).
About +Global by Mustakis Foundation
+ Global is a community promoted by the Mustakis Foundation, which seeks to detect, articulate, empower and internationalize agents of change in Chile -and the world-, who face the great challenges of the present times in a radical way in order to build a better society. Through alliances, challenges and incentives, + Global is a network of agents that work for global change with effective execution in the local territory.
+ Global creates alliances interested in co-building a global impact strategy, in order to challenge agents of change and contribute to a common cause.
For more information, visit: www.fundacionmustakis.org or follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fundacionmustakis), Instagram @fundacionmustakis, Twitter @fundmustakis, LinkedIN + Global Mustakis (https: //www.linkedin. com / groups / 12484182 /)
About Fundación para la Confianza
Fundación Para la Confianza is a Chilean social organization that has been promoting human rights for more than 10 years, especially those of children and adolescents. To do this, it offers psychological and/or legal guidance, training to professionals, builds prevention protocols and also investigates and influences public policies related to this group.
For more information, visit: www.paralaconfianza.org or follow us on, Instagram @paralaconfianza, Twitter @paralaconfianza, LinkedIN (https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundaci%C3%B3n-para-la-confianza/)