UNESCO joins Whisper's #KeepGirlsInSchool initiative

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has partnered with Whisper for the latter's #KeepGirlsInSchool initiative.  

Leo Burnett India has conceptualised a film for the same which shows the journey of a schoolgirl. The film goes on to illustrate how her education comes to a halt because of a lack of period education and protection.   

Chetna Soni, senior director and category head, P&G Indian Subcontinent, Feminine Care, said, “Whisper believes in empowering girls and women to unleash their confidence and ensure that nothing comes in the way of achieving their dreams. With this mission, we continue to challenge the barriers surrounding menstrual hygiene through education and multi-stakeholder engagement to advocate for change. Our latest campaign under #KeepGirlsInSchool seeks to drive awareness around the impact of girls dropping out of school so nothing can come in the way of girls fulfilling their dreams and achieving their full potential. We believe we all have a role to play to widen the impact. We are joining hands with an expert organisation - UNESCO, along with our own action as well as that of consumers to make a change.”  

She added, “Since the past 30 years Whisper has worked at the grassroots level to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene. We’ve educated more than 4 crore girls on periods and their hygienic management through our mother-daughter menstrual hygiene awareness program. We are committed to empowering girls with puberty education and quality protection and pledge to impact another 2.5 crore girls over the next three years.”  

Eric Falt, director and UNESCO representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, said, “During puberty and the start of menstruation, a girl’s confidence and self-esteem can be affected in many different ways, sometimes even leading to her dropping out of school. UNESCO and Whisper are on a mission to change that. The #KeepGirlsInSchool initiative builds on our strong commitment to ensuring everyone’s fundamental right to education. Investing in girls’ education is an investment for society as a whole.”  

Rajdeepak Das, CEO and chief creative officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett, said, “Every year, not only 2.3 crore girls drop out of school in India because of lack of period education it also means the country loses talented doctors, engineers, teachers or nurses because periods come in the way of their future. Our campaign this year, Whisper Keep Girls in School, not only advocates awareness but also encourages everyone to join our efforts and help make a difference in the lives of these girls. Narrated through a poignant story of a girl and how we can help her achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor, we hope that our campaign will mobilise everyone and help us #KeepGirlsInSchool.”  

CREDITS   

Creative agency: Leo Burnett India
Chief creative officer: Rajdeepak Das
Executive creative director: Sonal Chhajerh
Associate creative directors: Prateek Dhas, Dipayan Purkayastha
Art directors: Twinkle Gandhi, Akshaya Deshpande 
Executive vice president: Maninder Bali 
Brand services director: Andrea D’Souza
Brand services associate: Aparajita Deshpande 
Associate vice president: Noor Samra 
Brand strategy director: Anjali Kamat 
Production house: Opticus Inc
Director: Sandya Daisy Sundaram 
Executive producer: Sharan Thomas 
Producer: Sanjay Shetty 
DOP: Arnab Gayan