Together for Her is the regional SWEDD+ social and behaviour change campaign supporting communities across West and Central Africa to help girls stay in school, delay child marriage and pregnancy, prevent violence, and strengthen women’s autonomy and opportunities.
The regional strategy
Launched on 16 June 2025, the Together for Her regional strategy provides the common framework guiding social and behaviour change efforts across SWEDD+ countries. Developed with the support of UNFPA, the World Bank and regional partners, the strategy helps countries align around shared priorities while adapting activities and messages to their own national realities, languages and social contexts.
The strategy was designed around internationally recognized Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) best practices. It moves beyond traditional awareness campaigns by combining community engagement, interpersonal communication, youth participation, multimedia storytelling and social norm change approaches into one integrated regional framework.
The strategy promotes:
- Audience-centred and evidence-based communication
- Community dialogue and local ownership
- Engagement of influencers such as parents, religious leaders and teachers
- Positive role models and peer influence
- Gender-transformative approaches
- Behaviour-focused messaging rather than information alone
- Integration of services, referrals and legal awareness
- Monitoring and learning to strengthen measurable impact
Rather than creating isolated communication activities, the strategy encourages countries to build entire ecosystems for social change by linking communication efforts with schools, safe spaces, health services, youth engagement and community leadership.
About the campaign
Across West and Central Africa, millions of girls and women continue to face barriers that limit their education, health, safety and opportunities. Child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence and unequal social norms continue to shape the lives of many families and communities. Through SWEDD+, countries across the region are working together to change this reality. Together for Her is designed to support lasting transformations in attitudes, behaviours and community norms - helping girls stay in school, strengthening women’s autonomy, and creating safer and more supportive environments for women and girls.
From awareness to behaviour change
Rather than relying on awareness messages alone, the campaign promotes dialogue, participation and local ownership. Through schools, safe spaces, community discussions, media content and youth engagement, communities are encouraged to reflect on the opportunities available to girls and women and the barriers that continue to limit them.
The campaign addresses issues linked to:
- Girls’ education
- Child marriage
- Menstrual health
- Family planning
- Gender-based violence prevention
- Women’s economic empowerment
- Positive masculinity and family engagement
Particular emphasis is placed on engaging fathers, husbands, boys, traditional leaders and religious leaders as allies for change.
Across SWEDD+ countries, mentors, teachers, health workers and community actors are helping families understand the benefits of keeping girls in school, delaying marriage and pregnancy, supporting girls’ health and promoting more equal decision-making within households and communities.
Stories, voices and community experiences
Together for Her places community voices at the centre of the campaign. Through multimedia storytelling, the initiative highlights the experiences of girls, women, parents, mentors and local leaders working to create change in their communities.
The Aisha animation series follows relatable characters navigating issues affecting girls and women, helping spark conversations on education, health, dignity and social expectations. Beneficiary videos and field stories further document the transformations taking place across SWEDD+ communities — from girls returning to school to fathers supporting their daughters’ education and women gaining greater confidence and autonomy.
Watch the Aisha series
Campaign tools and resources
Together for Her provides countries and partners with practical communication and community engagement tools designed for local adaptation and implementation.
Available resources :
- Regional strategy
- Key messages
- Visual discussion guides
- Participatory theatre scripts
- Youth engagement tools
- Faith leader guides
- Posters and campaign visuals
- Videos and multimedia content
A collective movement for girls and women
Together for Her is ultimately about building a regional movement for social change - one that places girls and women at the centre of development and recognizes that lasting progress depends not only on policies and services, but also on changing the social norms that shape everyday life.
Through dialogue, storytelling, local leadership and community engagement, the campaign seeks to create environments where girls can learn, women can decide, and communities can thrive together.