In celebration of Women's Day, Gillette South Africa has created a film that tells the story of Gogo Nozizwe, who raised her grandson Akhona by herself. The film pays tribute to South African women like her who are raising a new generation of men.

"This campaign and this partnership are inspired by our Gillette brand purpose — to groom the next generation of men," says Mosala Phillips, brand director of Procter and Gamble (P&G) South Africa.

"All around South Africa, women like Gogo Nozizwe are doing exactly that. This Women's Day, we want to pay tribute to them and all they do and use our voice as a brand to spark a conversation about the role that we all have to play in shaping a new generation of South African men. [We also want to] drive positive change through our actions," Phillips adds.



"We loved the 'The best men can be' campaign [that] Gillette created earlier this year, as it spoke so directly to the work we do at The Character Company," says Jaco van Schalkwyk, founder and CEO of The Character Company.

"We reached out to congratulate Gillette on the message and to tell them about what we do. Never in our wildest dreams did we see a partnership with a global brand like Gillette manifest, and we can't think of a better Women's Day initiative,” van Schalkwyk adds.

"Not only has the brand helped us highlight how powerful male mentors are, they have [also] donated and volunteered passionate male role models from P&G to volunteer their time. Volunteers are the cornerstone of our programme, and we're hoping this partnership attracts many more 'MENtors' to our cause," concludes van Schalkwyk.

Gillette has encouraged readers to do the following to support the campaign:
  • Donate to their cause to help create a supportive environment for mothers, and shape the next generation of men.
  • Volunteer their time to 'MENtor' the young boys from The Character Company
For more information, visit www.gillette.com. You can also follow Gillette on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.