UNICEF India Launches First-Ever Innovation Fund to Protect Children

New Delhi, India- UNICEF India launched the country’s first-ever Child Protection Innovation Fund (CPIF) to support creative, tech-driven solutions that help safeguard children. The fund focuses on four key areas: strengthening the child protection workforce, improving access to social protection schemes, supporting adolescent girls, and promoting online safety.

After a call for entries from UNICEF intervention states, in May 2025, three standout ideas were shortlisted: SponsorSmart, BalMitrabot, and SurakshyaNet. These innovations provide diverse approaches to protecting children through the use of digital tools.

A panel of experts selected SponsorSmart as the winning solution based on the defined criteria. Jury members from leading organizations including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Bosch Global Software Technologies and United Nations Office at Vienna evaluated entries for scalability, feasibility, sustainability, and ethical considerations, while ensuring children’s voices were central in the design process.

SponsorSmart is a WhatsApp-based platform that simplifies the process of applying for child sponsorships. Its smart prioritization engine ensures that the most vulnerable children are identified fairly and transparently. Families can submit documents digitally, avoiding multiple office visits and saving up to three days of lost wages. The platform also helps child protection officials by reducing paperwork, enabling them to spend more time directly supporting children directly.

With a USD 50,000 grant, SponsorSmart will be piloted in three districts in Assam, helping Child Welfare and Protection Committees to identify and assist vulnerable children more quickly and efficiently. 

The solution will be designed as an open-source Digital Public Good, adaptable across India and internationally. When scaled across Assam State, the initiative is estimated to benefit more than 35,000 children. The solution will be designed to be configurable to other social protection schemes, highlighting the potential for even greater impact. 

“This is a big step forward in how we use technology to protect children,” said Jairus Ligoo, UNICEF India’s Child Protection Specialist. “Digital tools like SponsorSmart can help us reach children faster, reduce delays, and make systems more responsive to their needs.”

The CPIF is built on three pillars—Convene, Catalyze, and Converge—bringing together government, private sector, and civil society to scale up successful ideas and drive lasting change. 

“This is just the beginning,” added Dennis Christian Larsen, Chief, Social and Behaviour Change, UNICEF India. “We’re building models that can grow into nationwide reforms, combining technology and governance to protect every child.”