UNICEF Partners YBR as Advocates of Positive Change

Mary Nnah

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Lagos-based marketing communications agency Yellow Brick Road (YBR), is launching a campaign to mobilise Nigerian millennials as a force for positive change in the country.

The Every Child in School campaign, which coincides with the run up to the 2019 elections, encourages millennials to become advocates for poor children by calling on the government to commit more money to primary education in the 2019 budget.

Research reveals that more than 10 million primary school age children in Nigeria do not attend school. That number makes Nigeria number one in sub-Saharan Africa – and the world – for the number of out-of-school children.

The vast majority of these children are out of school because their families cannot afford to send them to school. Although the Nigerian government passed the Universal Basic Education Act in 2004, under-investment and uneven implementation have left millions of children without access to adequate primary education.

Director of Strategy for YBR, Nnenna Onyewuchi, said this was an issue of vital importance as children who do not receive basic primary education have limited opportunities.

“For children with innate talents, a lack of education can close the door to fulfilling their potential. How can you become an award-winning writer if you never learn your ABCs?

“How can you build the next great technological innovation if you never learn basic mathematics? When millions of children miss out on a basic education, an almost unimaginable amount of potential is wasted,” she noted further.

UNICEF believes that, if properly empowered, millennials can be a powerful voice to induce the government to invest more in primary education – giving all Nigerian children the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Hence, YBR and UNICEF have developed a campaign that will not only educate and inform, it will also provide millennials with tools and resources to become effective advocates for children living in poverty.

The campaign development began in May 2017, with an extensive research project covering Lagos and Abuja.

The research included a large quantitative study, focus groups and in-depth interviews. Respondents included millennials, policymakers, civil society organisations and the media.

The research provided the agency with rich insights into millennials’ perceptions and attitudes to the government, issues of child equity and their own role in society.

It also yielded important information about the most effective ways to reach and positively influence the government.

The solid grounding enabled YBR to develop a multi-pronged, multi-channel campaign that includes both traditional and non-traditional elements.

Eva Hinds, Communication Specialist with UNICEF in Nigeria said, “We are delighted to be working with YBR, who have proven to be a very worthy communications partner on a project that has spanned many disciplines – from research to strategy to campaign development and then deployment.

We are confident that the campaign will serve as an opportunity for millennials and Nigerians of other generations who care to effect change in their country and have their voices heard.”

YBR is working with MediaReach OMD as its media partner on the campaign. “We have been fortunate to partner with some excellent agencies from other marketing disciplines to develop a very insightful and hopefully impactful campaign.

“We are very thankful to UNICEF for trusting us as the lead agency on what is no doubt a very important and topical issue for the future of our children in particular and Nigeria in general,” added Kaliko Olowole, Managing Director of YBR.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, they m work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.