OTTAWA, Ontario, Oct. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jacaranda Health has been awarded the prestigious Rotman Innovation of the Year Award for 2025 in recognition of its outstanding impact on maternal and child health across East Africa. The CAD $10,000 award, presented annually by Grand Challenges Canada, recognizes global health innovations that have significantly saved or improved lives.
“We believe all mums should experience a dignified pregnancy and childbirth, and all newborns deserve a safe start in life. By harnessing the power of AI and digital health solutions, we are bringing this vision closer to reality,” said Ottawa-based Sathy Rajasekharan, Jacaranda Health’s former Co-CEO, who accepted the award on the organization’s behalf. “Grand Challenges Canada has been a steadfast partner walking alongside us on this journey and has played such an important role in helping us achieve this impact.”
Since 2016, Jacaranda Health has reached 3.4 million new and expecting mothers and measurably improved the lives of more than 484,400 women and children in Kenya. Their work has driven measurable increases in antenatal care attendance, access to family planning, and child immunization rates, and is estimated to have saved around 6,700 lives through timely risk detection and referral.
The award was presented by the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State for International Development, and Grand Challenges Canada CEO Dr. Karlee Silver at the “Made in Canada” showcase event in Ottawa, where Members of Parliament, officials, innovators, and Grand Challenges Canada’s Board celebrated Canadian innovations that are having a global impact. “Here in Canada and around the world, the right ideas, at the right time, with the right support can change countless lives,” said Secretary of State Sarai.
At the heart of Jacaranda’s impact is PROMPTS, an AI-enabled digital tool that harnesses the power of AI and accessible mobile technology to deliver maternal health at scale. Mothers ask questions and get prenatal advice and care via SMS in their local languages, and PROMPTS uses large language models (LLMs) to provide information, answer questions, and refer mothers for care in local health facilities when their pregnancies are at risk. Another Jacaranda Health program, MENTORS, focuses on building local capacity to sustain large-scale improvements in maternal and newborn care.
Grand Challenges Canada, in partnership with the Government of Canada, has supported Jacaranda Health from the beginning of its journey, providing investment and tailored support to help them expand at each stage.
“AI and digital innovation are transforming maternal and newborn health where the need is greatest,” said Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada. “With support from the Government of Canada, we have been able to invest in bold innovations like Jacaranda Health that are showing how digital technology can improve care for millions of women, ensuring safer births and healthier beginnings. We are proud to invest in these solutions and celebrate their remarkable impact.”
Jacaranda Health partners with governments to deploy scalable solutions that strengthen public health systems and improve care where it is most needed. They have expanded their programming into eSwatini and have plans to expand into West Africa.
The Rotman Innovation of the Year Award was created in 2020 as part of Grand Challenges Canada’s 10th anniversary, in honour of the late Joseph Rotman, the Founding Chair of Grand Challenges Canada. Previous recipients of the award include:
- Hewatele, a Kenyan-owned social enterprise that produces medical-grade oxygen for rural healthcare facilities
- Ubongo, a Tanzania-based nonprofit and Africa’s leading producer of children’s edutainment
- Fresh Life, a Kenya-based social enterprise that improves sanitation through access to toilets and safe waste treatment
- Max Foundation for their ‘Healthy Village’ approach, which creates lasting change for children and communities in Bangladesh
- Community Empowerment Lab (CEL), in recognition of its transformative work in scaling Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) across Uttar Pradesh, India
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Aziz Froutan
Bilingual Manager, Strategic Communications & Engagement
aziz.froutan@grandchallenges.ca
+1-437-228-3166
About Grand Challenges Canada:
Grand Challenges Canada backs Bold Ideas with Big Impact®. As one of the world’s leading impact-first investors and a global innovation platform, we envision a world where innovation helps everyone thrive. We identify, invest in, and help scale solutions that improve lives in underserved communities across low- and middle-income countries and Canada. From seed to scale, we provide flexible support and work alongside innovators to learn, adapt, and grow their impact. Learn more at http://www.grandchallenges.ca
About Jacaranda Health:
Jacaranda Health envisions a world where all mothers experience pregnancy and childbirth safely and with respect, and all newborns get a safe start in life. They partner with governments to deploy affordable and scalable solutions through government hospitals to sustainably improve the quality of care and maternal and newborn outcomes. Learn more: https://jacarandahealth.org.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ce5f20ce-df6d-4a47-b684-7ca8e364f738
