Serving as a platform for justice.
How often have you heard a nonprofit talk about giving a marginalized group of people a voice?
Personally, I’ve lost count.
When I was assigned the task to help international nonprofit World Renew and their matching partner One Days Wages raise $200,000 for community development initiatives underway in Bangladesh, I spent a lot of time with the staff on the ground discussing the unique benefits of World Renew’s model in that context: what did the communities themselves have to say about the programming and its value?
What emerged from that inquiry was a realization about gender justice: communities who were a part of this programming prioritized better nutrition, education, income opportunities, leadership roles, and health care for women. They also actively encouraged young girls and their families to wait for marriage until after those girls had the chance to pursue higher learning— in opposition to cultural trends that see many girls getting married prior to age 13. As a result, these entire communities flourished.
From that realization, the Just Girls campaign was born: a social media initiative launched for Giving Tuesday. Utilizing illustrated gifs to educate World Renew’s audience on the impact of World Renew’s programming for girls and footage I helped acquire in Bangladesh, Just Girls created a context where the women of Bangladesh could share their businesses, crops, dreams, and progress directly with donors who could further that programming. So many stories emerged during our shoot that I worked with the videographers to cut social media shorts so audiences could meet more of these women.
As I worked on the video script to capture the full range of passions and talents, prioritizing the words of the women themselves and the way they wanted to be portrayed became my top priority. It wasn't about giving anyone a voice. It was about listening to what women were already saying. Together, we told a story I never would have uncovered on my own.
The campaign deeply resonated with World Renew audience. The story of these women? It speaks for itself.
Work Pulled from the “Just Girls” Campaign
Creative Director: Katy Stafford
Copywriter: Katy Stafford
Videographers: Banks Nash and Connor King
Art Director: Julie DeVries
