ZATHU MALAWI

CASE STUDY SUMMARY:

Context:

In Malawi, girls between the ages of 15 and 17 are nine times more likely to contract HIV than boys the same age*. Harmful gender norms – forced and early marriage, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence etc. – reinforce gender inequality and lead to a disproportionate number of HIV cases amongst girls. In 2017, alongside PEPFAR Dreams (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), Girl Effect saw the opportunity to use the power of mass media and brand storytelling to tackle the social norms that reinforce gender inequality and lead to such high levels of HIV and AIDS.

Problem:

Messages of ‘girl empowerment’ were everywhere in Malawi, on government billboards, in schools and in newspapers. But the narrative of empowerment was empty. It was focused on assets such as education and jobs and lacked a deeper connection to girls having the confidence to make their own decisions and to society believing in their ability to do so. As for boys, because the public attention was excessively focused on girls, they felt ostracised. They believed that girls were moving forward at their own expense. Our key challenge was to reframe the value of girls without exacerbating further these existing tensions - i.e. girls’ empowerment being commoditised and girls being resented by boys.

Through our ethnographic research, we discovered that though girls and boys had been raised apart all their lives, there was a nascent but growing aspiration for collective involvement and mutual support between them. This desire stemmed from the deep-seated belief that together they could achieve more than when apart.

Strategy:

Unlike all the HIV programs which had been targeting their efforts solely on girls and indirectly exacerbating girls and boys' divisions further, we decided to take a bold and disruptive approach: rally boys to girls’ cause and focus on their shared aspirations**. Our media brand platform became : Strength in Unity.

Creative work:

We launched a media program made of a radio drama and talk show, roadshows and events and always-on digital content. We branded this new media program “Zathu” which means in Chichewa Togetherness. This media show highlighted that girls and boys can build positive, NON-sexualised friendships; challenged the deep-rooted belief that girls are less valuable than boys; and equipped youth with tools to shape a more equal Malawi.

Finally, to embed this progressive message in local culture and ensure its longevity, we created a mixed-gender music group made up of young girls and boys: Zathu Band — the first of its kind in the country.

Far more than mere entertainment, the band became a living symbol of deep cultural change. By embodying Malawi’s “new sound” — a reflection of emerging gender norms — it carried the movement across the country, reaching even the most remote communities.

Results:

• Zathu reached 2/3rd of the nation (6.7m) within 6 months of launch.

• 45% of the nation has consumed Zathu (4.5m) in 2018.

• 86% of people who listened to Zathu agreed that the brand has taught them females should be treated equally to males.

• 91% said Zathu helped make them feel more in control of the issues that affect their lives.

• 93% of girls and 89% of boys said Zathu has helped them improve their friendships with the opposite sex.

(Source: 2018 Zathu Brand Surveys)

Recognition & awards:

• Shorty Social Good Award Winner (2018) - Zathu propelling a rising generation to forge a more equal Malawi

• AIDS Award Winner (2018) - Zathu’s breakthrough HIV prevention strategy

Note: I was Senior Brand Strategist at Girl Effect and headed the brand, content and media strategy launch of Zathu working directly with the Brand Portfolio Director, and a local team of Content, Gender, and M&E specialists, as well as agencies (Roofhouse Ogilvy Malawi and Lake of Stars).

* PEPFAR; ** It was a first for Girl Effect which until now had solely targeted girls via its media programs.