Lifebuoy Shampoo / Punjab Government Ministry of Education: I Am A Little Girl

Lifebuoy Shampoo and the Ministry of School Education Punjab have partnered and made a real impact on girl-child education, empowering them to fulfil their potential through inclusive school experiences and opportunities. There is only 7% of female representation in the school curriculum. Lifebuoy Shampoo's groundbreaking campaign 'Mein Choti Si Aik Ladki Hoon' (I am a little girl) has created a movement and inspired policy-makers to revise the curriculum to a more balanced syllabi -for the first time in Pakistan's history. To kick off the initiative, Lifebuoy Shampoo and GREY Pakistan revisited Jameeludin Aali's iconic children's poem, which is told from a male perspective. The original poem has been part of the school curriculum through the ages to encourage and motivate all children. Zehra Nigah, a much-loved and critically acclaimed Pakistani literary figure, has rewritten the poem through a female lens, aiming to inspire young girls to also dream big. The poem has made a big impact in addressing the imbalance of gender content and the lack of female inclusivity. The collaboration with the Punjab Government Ministry of Education has driven positive long-term change at the grassroot level, with the newly updated poem becoming a part of the national curriculum at government-funded schools. The roll-out to date has included more than 4000+ government schools along with 1000+ Zindagi Trust schools. The film created by GREY Pakistan shows everyday school life from the experience of a young girl whose thoughts are summed up when she reads the original male-intentioned poem in front of the school. She is made fun of as everyone notices how the male gender roles are clearly defined in society whilst the poem is being read out by a girl. As the story-telling progresses, we see a patriarchal society’s prejudiced effect on the young girl and her mother. The young girl is visibly disheartened, prompting her mother to rewrite the poem. The girl is later seen as inspired, motivated and encouraged as she can now relate to the words she recites. This poem marks the beginning of a much larger movement. Further initiatives include comic books created by female artists (distributed to schools nationwide) and an anthem that showcases a few of the many professions that girls can aspire to enter.