Throughout Rwanda, girls are denied opportunities afforded to their male siblings – their path, their destinies are often pre-defined: from good daughter to good wife to good mother. We wanted to change this and enable every Rwandan girl to choose their own path but could only do so by bringing the parents and gatekeepers along with us.
The first youth brand in Rwanda, Ni Nyampinga is made for girls, by girls. Positive, inspiring, educational and entertaining, it's a multimedia editorial platform spanning magazine, radio and mobile.
In Ni Nyampinga’s first brand campaign we took stories of girls who have smashed preconceptions and surpassed all expectations – to inspire and connect girls across the nation.
To align girls’ progress with the progress of Rwanda.
The more our girls prosper, the more our country prospers.
We gathered heroes from across the nation to share their story. From Rwanda’s first female airline pilot, to pop-stars, designers, radio DJs and community saving clubs – we celebrated their achievements and the people that had helped them get there. Our headlines echo the Togetherness that underpin our approach, with each one linking to an area specific to each individual's story. For example, 'Together we soar' for our pilot and ‘Together we make it’ for our sewing and saving club.
Our challenge was to reach girls in an 87% rural country, where SIM ownership is illegal for girls under 16 and where internet penetration is limited to 8.7% of the nation.
So, we built a community the old fashioned way. We began the conversation with an all-encompassing out of home and poster campaign celebrating our heroes' achievements. Our heroes told their stories via long-form radio ads, and we used the largest distribution network in the country - Ni Nyampinga’s own ambassadors – to take the campaign to every community, bringing parents, elders and school leaders on-board as we went.
Phase two of the campaign sees us celebrate the stories we have gathered in response to the launch campaign and share these for all to hear. Proudly showing it’s not just a few women who are changing their course but girls in your village, community and district.
The final phase further connects girls with the ambition and success of our heroes by celebrating them as murals on the walls of the schools where they studied - inspiring the next generation.
We are also working with tech companies in Rwanda to see how we can digitally connect girls to Ni Nyampinga and each other, progressing education, conversation and the nation at the same time.
calls and texts received....
...within the first two weeks we received from girls wanting to share an inspiring story of their own – and that was before we had even asked! An overwhelming response.