Mumbai: Whisper, India’s leading feminine care brand, today released a stirring campaign to #KeepGirlsInSchool and prevent them from dropping out when they get their periods. As part of this campaign, Whisper® launched its new film that aims to create awareness on how even today, girls across India drop out of school on hitting puberty. The film brings to light the startling fact that 1 in 5 girls are dropping out of school each year and we don’t even notice. To bridge this gap, Whisper® reinforces its pledge to double the impact of their existing menstrual hygiene education program by reaching 5 crore girls by 2022.
The film, conceptualized by Leo Burnett, sheds light on how girls go missing from school during periods and nobody notices. The film portrays the daily life of schoolgirls, filled with fun and curiosity until they start disappearing one after another. It jolts the viewer with the reality of the grave situation that even today, many girls miss out on school just because they are unaware about managing their periods driving the importance of period education at the right time. The film leaves the viewers with a sense of responsibility to do their bit to make a difference.
#KeepGirlsInSchool video:
Chetna Soni, Category Leader – Feminine Care, P&G Indian sub-continent said, “Whisper® has become synonymous with challenging societal barriers to menstrual hygiene in the country through its path-breaking campaigns and #KeepGirlsInSchool is the latest edition in the brand’s illustrious history. We pioneered breaking period taboos by using our voice in advertising and media through trail-blazing award-winning campaign #TouchThePickle and following it up with revolutionary campaigns like #SitImproper and #WhispersBreakSilence.”
She further added, “In addition to being a leading voice on breaking period taboos; Whisper® has also made a significant impact on-ground. Over the past three decades, we have educated more than 2.5 crore girls in India on menstrual hygiene through our Period Education Program. We pledge to double this impact in the next two years and educate over 5 crore adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene by 2022. This is in line with our efforts to increase awareness and acceptance of healthy menstruation practices, and our vision to achieve 100% menstrual hygiene in India. When we started our journey in India three decades ago, the number of women using sanitary protection was less than 1 crore. Our efforts to create awareness and education have been critical to increasing this number to more than 7 crore women today.”
To spread the message of #KeepGirlsInSchool, Whisper® is joining forces with Bhumi Pednekar, actress and passionate advocate for menstrual hygiene awareness and access. “The cause of keeping girls in school hits home, and feels personal to me, especially with periods continuing to be a taboo topic. I was shocked to learn that lack of period education is leading to 1 in 5 girls dropping out of school each year. Whisper®’s initiative comes at a time when empowering the young women of India with the right knowledge and education is critical for our country’s growth. It is a rare opportunity where each of us can collectively make a difference in the lives of young girls. It truly is time to #KeepGirlsInSchool,” the actress said.
Speaking about the campaign, Rajdeepak Das, Managing Director – India & Chief Creative Officer Leo Burnett South Asia said, “It is shocking to know that even today in India, 1 in 5 girls drop out of school because of period hygiene. We have been partnering with Whisper to not only tell this moving story, but with the #KeepGirlsinSchool initiative we want to jolt people with the reality of these numbers and encourage everyone to join us in our movement to towards achieving 100% menstrual hygiene in the country.”
