JOHNSON’S® NEW campaign umbrella is #ChooseGentle – because at the brand they believes that ‘Gentle has the power to transform.’
JOHNSON’S® wants to encourage moms to help us start a movement where we all #ChooseGentle in everything we do. From gentle skincare to small and big acts of kindness that help other moms and children experience the world as a kinder, gentler place. Whether this means listening in a non-judgemental way, offering a lift or a play date or reaching out to under-privileged moms in need, we can all help transform the world we live in with One Million Acts of Gentle.
Walking the Walk – #ChooseGentle
In their quest to make the world a gentler place, JOHNSON’S® continues to help support the Paediatric Burns Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital’ mothers2mothers and MomConnect, amongst others. Recently, our proudest achievement is the success of the JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project – we exceeded our goal of improving the lives of 3 million babies by 2020!
JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project in conjunction with Unjani Clinics
Skin is the largest organ of the human body. When it comes to baby skin, its care is even more essential to overall baby health and development. Understanding the importance of baby skin health, JOHNSON’S® baby launched the JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project in 2017, answering the plight of millions of mothers across South Africa with no access to medical necessities and healthcare.
The importance of baby skin health
The skin of a newborn baby is 30% thinner and therefore far more fragile than adult skin. Newborn babies have developing immune systems and their skin acts as their first line of defence against infections and disease. Unfortunately, skin conditions are often overlooked and ignored since they are not considered life-threatening.
The JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project makes a difference
With the aim to educate mothers and caretakers about effective and nurturing skincare, the JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project launched a mass awareness campaign in partnership with Unjani Clinics. Unjani nurses strengthened health systems in low-income communities by establishing and running their own clinics within their communities, thus providing reliable and professional healthcare to all.
THE FACTS
The JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project started off with the goal of improving the lives of 3 million babies by 2020. Within 2 years, the JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy skin project has reached this goal. In addition to providing primary healthcare to South African communities, JOHNSON’S® Baby has involved people through engaging events and exciting competitions throughout this period. Some examples of these have been:
Community Involvement:
- Engaging with community members through Baby Massage and Exercise classes with the main objective to educate moms on how to best take care of their babies’ skin and overall wellness.
- In 2017, JOHNSON’S® Baby expressed strong support for the Unjani Clinics in their service to the community on Arbor Day, by planting and creating vegetable gardens to uplift and assist the community.
Special Days and Events:
- World Baby Day – Engaging with moms in maternity wards at local clinics. Mapaseka Koetle helped us distribute JOHNSON’S® Baby Hampers.
- Mandela Day clean up – The JOHNSON’S® Baby volunteers spent 67 minutes for Mandela Day cleaning up a day-care centre in Sinothando near an Unjani Clinic, where they prepared a warm meal for the children and presented them with books, educational posters, chairs and toys.
- Father’s Day event – JOHNSON’S® Baby hosted a Father’s Day workshop with the main aim to educate young fathers about the importance of taking care of their children’s skin. Siphiwe Tshabala and Fumani Shilubane were present at the event. They both discussed the topic of albinism and how to take care of extra sensitive skin.
- Heritage Day – The main objective was to celebrate the cultural diversity in childcare and motherhood. Actor, Kagiso Modupe, spoke to mothers and caregivers around the cultural myths and misconceptions around skincare for babies and encouraged fathers to become more aware of these practices. Moms and caregivers were given vouchers and JOHNSON’S® Baby hampers.
- Nurses Day – The main objective for this day was to bring awareness to the amazing work the Unjani Nurses are doing in their communities. We treated them to a lunch to celebrate them and show our appreciation for all the work they do within the project.
- Christmas Giveback – The Christmas giveback took place on the 12th of December 2017 in Villa Lisa, Boskburg. The event was a huge success, a total of 36 mothers were in attendance. Both mom and baby were given a Christmas gift and a JOHNSON’S® Baby product hamper.
Random Acts of Kindness:
- The JOHNSON’S® Baby Team randomly selects mothers on Mom and Baby platforms to gift with a JOHNSON’S® Baby Hamper.
Competitions
For the past 2 years during Pregnancy Awareness Week a competition was held to encourage expecting moms to show off their baby bumps along with a short summary of their pregnancy. In 2019, they were awarded with a JOHNSON’S® Baby Hamper and were treated to a lunch hosted by Scandal actress Mapaseka Koetle.
Touching Lives through the JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project
The JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project has been an inspiring endeavour and a testament to the potential that our communities possess. Ultimately, the JOHNSON’S® Baby Healthy Skin Project is about helping people and making a difference in their lives.
Here is what Sister Cathy Seakamela had to say about her experience as an Unjani nurse who set up her own clinic: “When I got the opportunity to be part of the JOHNSONS® Baby Healthy Skin Project I accepted. I am changing people’s lives every day and we are on our way to improving the lives of over 3 million babies by 2020!”.
JOHNSON’S® Baby believes in healthy skin for happy, healthier babies.
Help us deliver One Million Acts of Gentleness – ‘OMAG’
With your help, we have challenged ourselves to commit to providing One Million Acts of Gentleness in South Africa. No matter how small or big, please share each gentle act with us and #ChooseGentle.
Together, we can make South Africa a gentler place and encourage others to join our gentle movement!
