Girls rewrite their futures in ActionAid’s new campaign

ActionAid has launched I’ll Marry When I Want, a powerful campaign created by independent agency DUDE Milan to raise awareness of child marriage — a global issue that has affected more than 640 million women and girls worldwide. The campaign aims to highlight the loss of childhood and the fight for freedom and choice faced by millions of young girls.

The campaign positions itself as a manifesto of freedom, amplifying the voices of girls who refuse to accept imposed destinies. Through vibrant imagery and storytelling, it calls on the public to support ActionAid’s mission to end child marriage through education, empowerment, community action and political advocacy.

Inspired by a Malawian girl’s poem

Launching across Italy, the campaign draws inspiration from a poem written by 13-year-old Malawian girl Eileen Piri, who experienced the impact of early marriage in her community. Her words gained international recognition after being shared by activist Memory Banda during a TEDx talk, and now form the narrative foundation of the campaign.

At the heart of I’ll Marry When I Want is a film directed by South African filmmaker Zee Ntuli, known for exploring social and identity-based themes in his work. Set to the song Selfish Soul by Sudan Archives, the film captures the energy of young girls playing freely — and symbolically destroying the objects that represent forced marriage. Wedding dresses are crumpled, chairs overturned, and white bridal shoes trampled into the mud, transforming rebellion into empowerment.

Real girls, real stories

Filmed in Uganda’s Namutumba District — one of the regions with the highest rates of gender-based violence and early marriage — the campaign features students from Buwongo Primary School, supported by ActionAid through its child sponsorship programme. The girls appear as themselves, representing the realities they have witnessed and lived.

Lorenzo Eusepi, General Co-Secretary, ActionAid: “Child marriage does not only destroy childhood, but also the dreams, aspirations and opportunities of an entire generation of girls. With this campaign, we want to amplify their voices and remind everyone that change begins with the right to make a choice. Every girl must be able to say: I will marry only when I want.”

A story of strength, not fragility

Lorenzo Picchiotti, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, DUDE Milan: “Non-profit communication often focuses on compassion and portrays fragility. With this campaign, we wanted to tell a different story, one of strength. Girls who play, break, and rebuild, claiming their freedom with both lightness and power. Here, girls’ empowerment is vision, it’s play, it’s the ability to say no to an imposed destiny, with strength, energy, and beauty.”

To extend the campaign’s reach, DUDE Milan developed a digital and static display component featuring the young protagonists in scenes of joyful rebellion. The campaign will appear across ActionAid Italy’s social channels and paid media, including connected TV, cinema and digital PR, featuring a 60-second film, shorter cuts and teaser formats.

www.actionaid.org

www.dude.it

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