UNICEF India Launches Child Protection Innovation Fund to Boost Safety

UNICEF India has launched the country’s first Child Protection Innovation Fund (CPIF), a landmark initiative to support technology-driven solutions aimed at safeguarding children.

The fund focuses on four key areas:

1. Strengthening child protection workers

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2. Increasing access to social protection schemes

3. Supporting adolescent girls

4. Promoting online safety

SponsorSmart: Winning the First Grant

From multiple entries across UNICEF intervention states, SponsorSmart, BalMitrabot, and SurakshyaNet stood out. After expert evaluation, SponsorSmart secured the USD 50,000 grant to pilot its solution in Assam.

SponsorSmart is a WhatsApp-based platform that streamlines child sponsorship processes. Families can submit documents digitally, avoiding repeated office visits and saving up to three days of lost wages. The platform’s smart engine ensures aid reaches the most vulnerable children efficiently, while reducing paperwork for child protection officers, allowing them more time for direct support.

The pilot will be implemented across three districts of Assam and is expected to benefit over 35,000 children.

“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.”

Technology as a Force for Child Safety

SponsorSmart is being developed as an open-source Digital Public Good, allowing adaptation across India and potentially globally. The platform could expand to include other social protection schemes, enhancing its overall impact.

The CPIF follows three principles: Convene, Catalyse, and Converge, bringing together government, private sector, and civil society to scale successful innovations into sustainable change.

“This is just the beginning,” said 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.”

With CPIF and SponsorSmart’s pilot, UNICEF India sets a strong precedent for how innovation and collaboration can strengthen child protection systems and improve children’s lives.