International Day of the Girl Child, a meaningful occasion dedicated to recognising and addressing the unique challenges girls face worldwide, will be observed on 11 October. This day highlights the importance of empowering girls and upholding their fundamental human rights.

Unilever, through its brand Dove, together with the Department of Basic Education and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), will be hosting an International Day of the Girl Child event at the Midrand High School, Halfway Gardens, Gauteng Province, on 17 October 2025.

The event will be attended by Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, and Ms Hulisani Ravele, Dove Self-Esteem Ambassador under the theme: “The girl I am. The change I lead.”

To celebrate and uplift South African girls during International Day of the Girl Child, their voices will be amplified to showcase their potential and drive meaningful social impact. As part of the commemoration, the #ChangeTheCompliment campaign will be launched, which is a call to rethink how we speak to and about our girls. The Dove Self-Esteem Project has reached 137 million young people in 153 countries, with free self-esteem and body confidence education.

Mr Likho Bottoman, Director for Social Cohesion and Equity in Education, said that “the DBE will be dedicating the entire month of October to the empowerment of girls by observing International Month of the Girl Child. Together with our partners, we are challenging everyone to go beyond “pretty” and celebrate girls for who they truly are: their personalities, values, achievements, and character, not just their appearance. Let’s give girls more reasons to be confident and reclaim their power by Changing the Compliment”.