Rafiki Mwema
Sussex Royal PR Campaign
the brief
Barefruit is a Corporate Sponsor, friend, office buddy and all round supporter of Rafiki Mwema - a therapeutic safe house in Nakuru, Kenya, for young girls and boys that have suffered horrific abuse. In August 2019, Rafiki was chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as one of only 15 global causes to support for the month, via an Instagram campaign - a mind-blowing achievement. Claire, Barefruit Director and a Rafiki Board Director, got to work on the PR campagin straight away.
our response
Being ‘the Royals’ this campaign was widely covered by media outlets all over the world. Our job was to maximise Rafiki's coverage and raise their profile, all over the world, but specifically in Australia and the UK, where each founder is based. We did this by issuing an immediate press release to Australian and UK media outlets, which coupled with Rafiki’s 70k+ social media following led to a media frenzy of activity!
articles
The Lennox woman who's drawn the attention of the Royals
The heartwarming connection between Duchess Meghan and this small Aussie charity revealed
Royal approval for Berkshire woman's Kenyan charity
Meet the women saving babies and kids from the most horrific trauma
the fruits
4 live TV appearances for founders Sarah Rosborg and Anne-Marie Tipper with an extra special guest, Peter, one of the boys from Kenya that Rafiki Mwema has cared for since he was a young boy. The TV interviews included Today Extra (Channel 9), Studio 10 (Channel 10) and Weekend Breakfast (ABC) in Australia, and the BBC in the UK.
Alongside these high-profile appearances, Sarah and Anne-Marie appeared in numerous magazine and newspaper articles and on ABC Radio.
"The media attention we (Rafiki) received because of the SussexRoyal campaign was amazing and just what we need. We are a volunteer-run charity and rely 100% on this kind of awareness. It was such great timing, as our UK Co-Founder and one of our Kenyan boys arrived in Australia shortly after, so they were able to take part in all the interviews. To have Harry & Megs following our charity will be one of my life highlights. We just need it to convert into donations now!"
Sarah Rosborg
Australian Co-Founder of Rafiki Mwema