GE Launches second maternal and child health social entrepreneurship cohorts

The Healthymagination Mother and Child Programme has announced its second cohort of social enterprises that will see those selected receive training and mentorship to tackle maternal and child health in Africa.

The programme launched in March 2016 by General Electric (GE) and Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship in the US seeks to continue boosting regional health innovations.

14 groups have been selected to take part in the programme’s second cohort of social entrepreneurs from Kenya, Benin, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe among other countries, who are currently in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Johannesburg workshop to prepare the second cohorts is being spearheaded by senior Miller Center mentors and GE business leaders to improve the cohort’s business acumen and to ensure they are financial sustainable in the long run.

“The Healthymagination Mother and Child programme will continue to provide them with mentorship and in-depth training, accelerating health innovation and furthering our goal to increase the quality, access and affordability of maternal and child health,” said Robert Wells, Executive Director of Healthymagination.

“This cohort’s impact aligns with the target indicators for United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3. Miller Center is honored such amazing social enterprises applied to this Mother & Child accelerator program,” added Thane Kreiner, Ph.D., Executive Director of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

The kick-off workshop will be followed by a six-month, online programme mentored by Silicon Valley-based executives and local GE business leaders that will close in a “Premier Pitch” event where the 14 organizations will present their respective enterprises to an audience of potential investors in Africa.

“Nurturing a vibrant social entrepreneurship ecosystem is key for sustainable healthcare development and is a major focus area for GE in Africa”, intimated Farid Fezoua, President and CEO, GE Healthcare Africa.

The 14 social enterprises selected for the second cohort of the Healthymagination Mother and Child Programme are: Afya Research Africa, Cedars Diagnostics, doctHERs, Early Reach, Liberian Energy Network, Maternity Foundation, MDaaS, MOBicure, Neopenda, Sevamob, Sisu Global Health, Southlake Medical Centre -under LiveWell, SubQ Assist and Totohealth Tanzania.