In the week leading up to South Africa’s National Women’s Day, we got a small number of local, female celebrities in high-profile relationships to suddenly each change their Facebook relationship status to single. This caused a massive buzz online. A relationship status change also increases interactions by 225%* improving our reach at no cost.

The following day, the celebrities posted POWA’s hard-hitting message, revealing the campaign: “I changed my relationship status with one click, but abused women go through a much more difficult process to break free from a partner. POWA is dedicated to helping women through this ordeal”.

*goo.gl/PTSQDb

The POWA ‘More Than a Click’ campaign made national news and ignited nationwide discussion. In total we reached over 4.6 million South Africans and generated over R1 million in free media (6 times POWA’s annual media spend ). POWA’s community of women on Facebook grew by 310%, creating a bigger online support network for those in need, all with no budget.

Many South Africans see domestic violence as a private matter and blame the victims. By using celebrities and the power of social media, we were able to make the issue public; creating much-needed awareness and a more compassionate society.