What the Health Co-Creation Fund Is Doing Now 

What if one good idea — tested, tweaked, and led by local people — could quietly change a whole neighborhood? You don’t need to imagine: that’s happening right now with the AL for Health Co-Creation Fund, and the stories are warm, messy, and full of promise. Read on — it’s short, upbeat, and you’ll want to come back for the showcase. 

First up: Team H2ENERGIES. They’ve built a public website to share learning and are finishing a second cook-stove prototype in Zimbabwe. Instead of casting a wide net, they chose a smart pilot: a three-day workshop with 10 local women, filmed user journeys, and pre/post surveys to capture real usability and indoor-air impact. Little cohort, big insights — we’ll be watching this data. 

Team Primetel is doing something powerful in Monduli: community health workers have reached 1,300+ people, school clubs have engaged 700+ students, and seven families affected by a recent accident are already in therapy. They’ve added a counselling psychologist, upgraded their USSD with a self-diagnostic feature, and are rolling out a chatbot to make mental-health support accessible without internet. Big win: Primetel was accepted into the Commission for Skilling Mental Health, opening new doors for partnership and scale. 

Team Health On Wheels started community clinic days and quickly learned the most important lesson of all — listen. When cost turned out to be a real barrier, the team pivoted to free, high-value services (think HIV testing and immunizations) and school awareness sessions to build trust. This phased approach means people meet the service on their terms, and sustainable uptake follows. 

Team Mama Imara is creating immediate, life-changing moments. They cleared school fees for a Grade 9 teen mother so she could sit her exams, while running trainings in hairdressing, baking, soap-making, kitchen gardens, and weekly wellbeing check-ins. The mix of skills + psychosocial support is already helping participants earn and feel steadier. 

Team KIRA is focused on menstrual health and inclusive learning: they reached 20 girls with sanitary pads and plan to scale to 80 once the team completes reporting and collects participant feedback. They’ve translated ACN course content into French (with translator Deborah Luzolo supporting the process), tackling language barriers head-on. Practical hiccup? Vendors sometimes don’t give receipts — the team is using signed transaction logs and bank statements to keep things transparent. 

Across the Fund, two things stand out: inclusion and learning. Teams combine in-person workshops, USSD tools, printed materials, web resources, and translation to meet people where they are. They test first, measure what matters, and adapt fast. 

Want to see more? Mark your calendar: the third touch base is on September 3, 2025 (teams refining pitches), and the public final showcase — with external judges and funders — is on September 25, 2025. We’ll spotlight the top teams and share impact stories. 

If you’re part of our network or just curious: follow us on the AL for Health website and social channels, send a short testimonial or a 1-minute video, or drop a photo — these make a huge difference for storytelling and support. Got a partnership idea or want to learn more? Reach out to the coordination team. 

Thanks for reading — small pilots, real people, big heart. Stay tuned: the best is yet to come. AL for Health Team