What is the name of your organization?
Coya Community Society
What is the name of your solution?
Family Stewards: 2-Sided Link
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Families receive emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical support through a double-sided intermediary connecting them to qualified Family Stewards.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Victoria, BC, Canada
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Canada
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
We aim to solve the lack of holistic support for all parents—regardless of gender—during the perinatal period, which contributes to family breakdown, divorce, and significant socio-economic costs. For Indigenous communities, colonization and residential schools disrupted traditional family structures and interdependent roles, leaving many without culturally relevant care. Part of our innovation is a tech-enabled, double-sided intermediary that connects new parents—through an app—to qualified Family Stewards, ensuring support extends beyond just the birther. In British Columbia alone, 8,500 divorces in 2019 resulted in over $125 million in legal fees, plus $15 million in lost productivity. Nationally, 43,000 divorces cost over $645 million annually, excluding mental health and social service impacts. By offering culturally attuned, preventative care—especially critical for those still healing from colonial trauma—families can reclaim shared responsibilities, reduce reliance on social services, and create healthier home environments. This solution aligns with UNDRIP Articles 21, 23, and 24, which affirm Indigenous peoples’ rights to improved economic and social conditions, self-determination, and holistic well-being. Through this platform, we aim to stabilize families, foster long-term resilience, and restore the rich heritage of interdependent family structures for future generations.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a tech-enabled, double-sided platform that connects families with qualified Family Stewards, making it easier for parents to receive holistic support during pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. By addressing the needs of all parents—regardless of gender—this solution helps mitigate the stressors that can lead to divorce, family breakdown, and adverse child outcomes. At the same time, it creates a sustainable employment model for dedicated birthworkers, who often burn out under the weight of manual scheduling, billing, and communication.
Using an intuitive interface, families can browse Steward profiles, read ratings, book appointments, and securely track billing and communications. In-person hours are recorded via the platform, providing transparent time logs for accountability and compensation. The app also facilitates video and photo-based impact reports, capturing progress and shared moments that help families and Stewards celebrate milestones.
Crucially, the platform fosters culturally informed care, particularly for Indigenous communities who have experienced the disruption of traditional family structures through colonization. By integrating diverse cultural practices and promoting shared caregiving responsibilities, our solution lays the groundwork for stronger, more resilient family units—one digital connection at a time.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution primarily benefits new and expecting parents—of all genders—by connecting them to culturally safe, inclusive care. In our first year, we plan to train 25 Family Stewards who will broaden the scope of traditional birth support to include partners and non-birthing parents, ensuring no one feels marginalized during this transformative time. Each Steward will mentor 10 families, impacting 250 families in total. With each family averaging around five individuals—parents, children, extended kin—our approach will reach 1,250 people, fostering stronger social bonds, healthier relationships, and more resilient support systems.
Additionally, we will engage a diverse network of community professionals for every family, including doulas, midwives, counselors, coaches, physicians, naturopaths, acupuncturists, lactation consultants, and dieticians. This integrated approach ensures that families can access both clinical care and holistic services tailored to their cultural context and unique needs. By bridging these resources in a single, user-friendly platform, our solution empowers families who often face logistical, emotional, and financial barriers when seeking help. Collectively, this creates a ripple effect, strengthening not only the individual family unit but also the wider community, as more parents receive the guidance, companionship, and practical tools necessary for a healthy start in parenthood.
