Myriam Sidibe - United Kingdom

Profile

"My goal is to do good with each bar of soap we sell" says hygiene and handwashing specialist Myriam Sidibe. "Every second, mothers across Africa and Asia trust Lifebuoy to protect their families’ health and hygiene. The more soap we sell, the more lives we potentially save."

Myriam manages Lifebuoy soap marketing campaigns throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East. "Our campaigns promote Lifebuoy products and encourage better hygiene practices by washing hands with soap," she explains.

Promoting better hygiene practices

As an example, Myriam points to Lifebuoy's 'Swasthya Chetna' (Health Awakening) campaign in India. Launched in January 2002, it is the world's single largest rural health and hygiene educational programme. It aims to reduce the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases by educating people about basic hygiene habits, including washing hands with soap. By 2006, the campaign had reached about 80 million people in 28 000 villages.

As Myriam explains, this kind of social engagement benefits society and Lifebuoy. "In India, diarrhoea is the second largest cause of death among children below the age of five. Over 1 million lives are lost each year to diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections. Handwashing with soap can reduce instances of these diseases by nearly half."

"It may sound simple, but persuading people to change their behaviour and start handwashing with soap is challenging. You need a sound understanding of consumers' habits, lifestyles and environment. People are more likely to listen to a trusted brand like Lifebuoy. After all, we have been talking about hygiene in India for over 110 years."

Some of Lifebuoy's hygiene marketing campaigns are run in partnership with organisations such as UNICEF and the World Bank. Working in partnership is important because resources and expertise can be pooled. "It also means we improve our access to national governments and other NGOs. We are continually learning more about working with each other and our respective roles in improving hygiene practices."

Myriam believes Lifebuoy is in a unique position to make a real, long term and sustainable impact on people's lives, and is working hard to ensure this vision is shared by Lifebuoy's partners. "If you consider our strengths – our expertise, geographic reach and resources - Lifebuoy is one of the few brands really able to influence people's behaviour through its hygiene education campaign. Globally, more than 1.6 billion people use Lifebuoy, many in the world's poorest countries. In rural villages in India, one in seven purchases of a branded item is a Lifebuoy product." Furthermore, explains Myriam, "our work is self-sustaining. As a successful business we can achieve this without being dependent on aid or external funding."

Background

Myriam's background is in public health. She has a degree in environmental engineering and a Masters in water and environmental management. Her varied career has taken her from southern Africa, Kenya and East Timor to Burundi. She has worked for the International Rescue Committee relief organisation installing sanitation systems in refugee camps, national health ministries, UNICEF and the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program.

In 2006 she completed a Doctorate in Public Health specialising in handwashing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "Making kids aware of handwashing has always been a passion." She spent six months working for Unilever on a part time basis before joining full time in September 2006.

"My role is fantastic", she says. "I couldn't have dreamt of a better job. It's unique and changes constantly. Because so much of our work is pioneering it can be extremely difficult, but also extremely rewarding."

Myriam knows there isn't a short term solution to improving hygiene practices. "We want to achieve as much good as we can, but it takes time to change old habits. We need to invest in long-term programmes that motivate people into changing their behaviour. Looking ahead," she says, "our biggest successes are yet to come. In 2009 we will re-launch our programmes with a renewed focus on better hygiene practices."