NEW YORK, APRIL 12, 2023 – Girl Effect has been named as a 15th Annual Shorty Awards finalist for Bol Behen, a chatbot connecting girls to healthcare in India.

“Bol Behen” is Girl Effect’s sex and relationships chatbot in India. She is a digital big sister to provide girls with a private, online space where they can access trusted, non-judgmental advice about sex, STIs, contraception and relationships. Bol Behen – colloquial Hindi for ‘Speak, Sister’ – is designed to boost girls’ confidence to speak up about health concerns, improve her experience through increased knowledge and to direct girls to access services.

The Shorty Awards honor the best work in digital and social media by the most creative and influential brands, agencies, organizations, and individuals whose work has excelled in creativity, strategy, and effectiveness.

As finalists, Girl Effect can win the Audience Honor, which depends on your vote. Help spread the word and vote for our campaign before April 26th!

Sneha Chaturvedi, India Country Lead, said: “Every time an adolescent girl from a vulnerable background has a question about her health – we want her to turn to Bol Behen and leave the chatbot feeling confident about making a decision related to her health and body. Not only that, our ambition is that by supporting girls to understand the value of their health as adolescents, they will be primed to act and seek out support from doctors for themselves and their families in the future.”

The 15th Annual Shorty Awards winners will be announced on May 24, 2023. Winners and honorees are chosen by the Real Time Academy (RTA) – a panel of prominent experts and leaders in digital and social media who have been hand-selected on the basis of their deep industry knowledge, professional reputation, and outstanding achievements, including previous Shorty wins.