Girl Effect

Girl Effect was founded by the Nike Foundation in 2004, Girl Effect builds youth brands across multiple channels including mobile platforms to inspire and equip girls to make informed choices about their health, education, and economic future. Using social & behaviour change communication (SBCC) approaches, Girl Effect develops evidence-based SBCC campaigns linked to girl-focused brands to build her agency and motivate the adoption of safe behaviours. We work in thematic areas key to adolescents’ well-being, including health, education, and economic empowerment. Through our global and national offices, we work in partnership with health service-providers and on-the-ground girl networks. We leverage our national and global sector experts to design and disseminate content through our girl-focused brands, driving positive impact in an innovative and scalable way.

Girl Effect applies a gender transformative approach, which includes the creation of girl-centred brands that are linked to multi-channel SBCC campaigns. Every element of our brands are made by girls for girls. They are built to be engaging and inspiring, and encourage girls to engage and interact with our content through multiple channels. Through this, our brands work as an umbrella for various formats and products that make up the full SBCC ecosystem. As a girl’s relationship with a brand grows, her trust and perceived relevance of content and messaging is strengthened.

Ni Nyampinga: Our Rwanda Brand

Although Rwandan girls are valued by their families and communities, their paths to adulthood are often predetermined: she is a daughter in the home of her parents one day, a wife in the home of her husband the next. Through partnering with Government and civil society, Girl Effect seeks to help change gender norms and inspire girls in Rwanda to reach their full potential. We do this through our multi-platform youth brand, Ni Nyampinga.

Operating in Rwanda since 2011, Ni Nyampinga (meaning ‘Beautiful girl inside and out who makes wise decisions’) is Rwanda’s first youth brand, designed for girls by girls. Through its various platforms, Ni Nyampinga aims to promote healthy behaviors and shift negative gender norms to enable girls to reach their full potential by giving them the information and confidence they need to thrive.

Ni Nyampinga consists of multiple platforms. These include a magazine, radio drama, interactive radio talk shows, a network of over 700 student clubs, digital platforms, and ambassadors in all 30 districts of Rwanda. To date, Ni Nyampinga has promoted behaviours related to sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), broader health and hygiene practices, COVID-19 prevention, mental health coping strategies, nutrition, economic empowerment and education.