PSI Pad
DEMONSTRATING HOW MENSTRUATION IS NATURAL
PSI Pad
DEMONSTRATING HOW MENSTRUATION IS NATURAL
The Challenge
We were entrusted with an opportunity to change the life and fate of the girl child through the PSI Pad Campaign. The goal was to achieve the following;
- Position menstrual hygiene as an entry-point to knowledge and uptake of other Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) programs such as, GBV and HIV prevention
- Leverage menstrual health as a trigger for open communication and discussion on ASRH issues among parents (especially mothers)
- Encourage the community to accept menstruation as a normal reproductive health process
- Explore linkages between community and private sector to find ways to raise donations for pads for disadvantaged adolescent girls.
Execution
Key insights from immersions conducted with adolescent girls (AGs) and their influencers (mothers, teachers, shopkeepers) in some urban and rural areas, showed Menstruation is viewed as taboo, associated with sexual activity and not openly discussed. Mothers only talk to Adolescent Girls (AG) about menstruation at the very onset of their cycle and often use the occasion to threaten the girls about sexual activity and pregnancy. Male harassment at site of purchase by male shopkeepers, men and boys was reported while schoolboys jeer AG if they leak.
We went with the Big Idea “Let’s talk about it.” with a culture-shocking, silence-breaking visual that had both male and females from different backgrounds holding out stained pads. The idea was to open the subject up for discussion, “As a girl becomes a woman, her period is a normal stage in her life. As she owns her womanhood, she must be supported and not shamed. This is her time”. The call to action “Let’s talk about it” didn’t leave anything to chance, there was fire on the mountain and someone had to respond…
The Challenge
We were entrusted with an opportunity to change the life and fate of the girl child through the PSI Pad Campaign. The goal was to achieve the following;
- Position menstrual hygiene as an entry-point to knowledge and uptake of other Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) programs such as, GBV and HIV prevention
- Leverage menstrual health as a trigger for open communication and discussion on ASRH issues among parents (especially mothers)
- Encourage the community to accept menstruation as a normal reproductive health process
- Explore linkages between community and private sector to find ways to raise donations for pads for disadvantaged adolescent girls.
Execution
Key insights from immersions conducted with adolescent girls (AGs) and their influencers (mothers, teachers, shopkeepers) in some urban and rural areas, showed Menstruation is viewed as taboo, associated with sexual activity and not openly discussed. Mothers only talk to Adolescent Girls (AG) about menstruation at the very onset of their cycle and often use the occasion to threaten the girls about sexual activity and pregnancy. Male harassment at site of purchase by male shopkeepers, men and boys was reported while schoolboys jeer AG if they leak.
We went with the Big Idea “Let’s talk about it.” with a culture-shocking, silence-breaking visual that had both male and females from different backgrounds holding out stained pads. The idea was to open the subject up for discussion, “As a girl becomes a woman, her period is a normal stage in her life. As she owns her womanhood, she must be supported and not shamed. This is her time”. The call to action “Let’s talk about it” didn’t leave anything to chance, there was fire on the mountain and someone had to respond…
Results
We created positive “talkability” around the brand and managed to get people to start talking about menstruation in the home, on social media and in the communities. It no longer became a taboo subject but a subject that is now discussed freely with no holds barred.
However when the campaign was launched, as expected there is a large community that felt that it was controversial but we certainly managed to achieve the desired results.
Results
We created positive “talkability” around the brand and managed to get people to start talking about menstruation in the home, on social media and in the communities. It no longer became a taboo subject but a subject that is now discussed freely with no holds barred.
However when the campaign was launched, as expected there is a large community that felt that it was controversial but we certainly managed to achieve the desired results.