The media update team chatted to Roanna Williams, executive creative director at Joe Public, about the campaign, and the effect that it has had.

What led Joe Public to connect One School At A Time (OSAAT) with the Always ‘Keeping Girls in School’ programme?

OSAAT believes in the power of education to help eradicate socio-economic issues. The Always ‘Keeping Girls in School’ programme also wants to keep girls in school through essential puberty education, motivation, access to educational resources, and donations of Always sanitary pads.

It was a perfect fit to approach Always to bring their programme to OSAAT to further empower their girls. This means that the girls do not have to miss school, and they can be confident about themselves and their future.

Why is this an important issue for Joe Public to address?

One of the agency’s values is to contribute to the growth of our country.

Education is vital to this growth, which is why OSAAT is one of our beneficiaries.

What are the effects on girls not having access to sanitary pads while they attend school?

When girls don’t have access to sanitary pads, it drastically affects their confidence and self-esteem. The ineffective, unhygienic alternatives don’t offer adequate, guaranteed protection for menstruation, which is why girls would rather stay away from school than suffer any potential embarrassment in front of their peers.

Missing school results in them falling behind in their schoolwork, or missing important exams, and this has a negative impact on their grades.

Where do you start when approaching a campaign in the public interest like sanitary pads?

An impactful, hard-hitting insight in any public awareness campaign is always the starting point.

In this case, it was the shocking reality of what makeshift sanitary products look like to these girls, in comparison to those who have access to proper sanitary pads.

When working with sensitive causes, seeking to promote public awareness and action, what do you have to keep in mind?

Always keep the end result of your campaign in mind.

Also keep in mind that people need to benefit from and be empowered by whatever you are doing.

What inspired the mimicking of Always’ packaging for the campaign, including the choice of leaves, sand, and newspaper as the pack variants

We mimicked their sanitary pads packaging as this piece was a direct mailer to Always. We needed to grab their attention and create impact, so amending their own packaging proved very effective.

Sand, leaves, and newspaper are the substitutes these girls use as sanitary pads. Mimicking the Always packaging and replacing the actual sanitary pads with these alternatives brought the harsh reality these school girls live to life. It also demonstrated what sanitary pads look like to these girls.

What has the impact of the direct mailer been, and what will be happening in the future because of it?

The direct mailer achieved exactly what it set out to do. Always has introduced their ‘Keeping Girls in School’ programme to OSAAT not only this year, but annually going forward as well.

The girls commented on the positive impact of the sanitary pad donation, and the empowering, educational talks they attended. They realise their school attendance, confidence, does not have to be affected by this normal, biological process.

For more information, visit oneschoolatatime.co.za

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