Mothers2Mothers: Don't Buy It
#DONTBUYIT was an award winning experiential, digital and print campaign to drive awareness for mothers2mothers, a health charity working across 10 sub-Saharan African countries who provide health care to families in need. With no budget, m2m needed to reach girls in Africa (and beyond) to break the cycle of misinformation surrounding sexual health, HIV, and pregnancy common among young people in Ghana. These deeply imbedded myths contribute to challenges such as high rates of HIV and unintended pregnancies, which in turn hold young people back from achieving their full potential.
The girls we were intending to reach had very few opportunities to engage in group discussions surrounding sexual health myths, as they are likely to be influenced by family, institutions, and partners who are often the perpetrators of the myths that we wanted to bust. We needed to find a place where we could talk to them on their own terms away from their normal influences, ensuring they recognise us as a trustworthy, single source of truth. Our aim was to create a space that will be engaging and attract adolescent girls to visit, whilst also being newsworthy enough to attract the news media to report our story sympathetically to a far wider audience.
For this campaign a unique stall was set up in the bustling Makola Market in Accra for one week that sold nothing but the truth. The stall displayed a range of #DONTBUYIT branded products carrying myth-busting messages and was run by the charity’s Mother Mentors who were on hand to offer help and advice, offering ongoing services both in-person and through mothers2mothers WhatsApp chatbot.
Using the hashtag #DONTBUYIT, we amplified activity in the region and to a wider, international audience, and a dedicated website provided next steps for worried girls and prompts for businesses to get involved with sponsorship. This creative strategy has had a huge impact on sexual health myths and has saved lives in Ghana. It has completely revolutionised the way m2m now operates, how they show show support for the community and how they connect with adolescent girls.
From a single stall in one marketplace, we reached homes nationwide, helping young girls separate myths from facts. In just 7 days we went from talking to hundreds to reaching over 6 million girls across Ghana. We’ve inspired 4,980 to actively seek advice and receive life changing health services. That’s a 155% uplift in brand engagement in just 7 days. Media coverage is still continuing, including a one-hour documentary aired on Ghana’s biggest TV channel, and the stall was discussed in government at ministerial level.
Copyright © 2026 Stephanie Bryan-Kinns. All rights reserved.