Mothers, fathers and babies are in need of affordable shelters for protecting the most vulnerable infants from threats due to extreme poverty: malaria, accidental hits in off-grid villages, animal attacks, suffocation due to co-sleeping. Sure! Kokono was born out of my field studies in Development Countries, where travelling on the field I noticed how there is little available for childcare, which is not just drugs or treatments. Can you tell us more about your vision and how you came up with the idea? It contributes to the issue of health but also touches gender empowerment and sustainable development. We thought it was a perfect name as our crib is orange and it looks like an empty pumpkin 😊 Kokono means “empty pumpkin” in a local tribe’s dialect (Acholi). Lucia Dal Negro, CEO and founder of the project, tells us a little bit more about it… With no second thoughts, we’ve decided to team up and support the initiative, and we’ve also donated some toys to bring some Grapat joy where it’s most needed. Last year, we came across this amazing project called Kokono by De-LAB, to create reusable cradles for Ugandan kids that protect them from malaria and other health risks, but also thought out to generate local employment and empower mothers and families.

Kokono baby