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Since the onset of the pandemic, the economic meltdown and the Beirut blast, education has become unavailable for over one million children in Lebanon, creating a countrywide crisis and making an already difficult future, even less bright.
In partnership with ‘Teach A Child’, a non-profit organization that helps provide financial support for hundreds of children across Lebanon, Horizon FCB Dubai created a media blackout by playing on the ‘unavailable screens’ notification that comes on a blank screen-- a situation the region is familiar with due to content rights issues and privacy settings.
This influencer-fueled digital campaign grabbed people’s attention, turning the frustration of not being able to access one’s favorite content into an efficient metaphor to show just how troubling the education situation is in the country.
The campaign ends with a call to action to raise donations because this is the first step to ensuring the children of Lebanon have access to education, so they can have a brighter future.
Maya Es-Said, ‘Teach A Child’ Vice-President commented: “Hope starts with an educated nation capable of change and development. Denying access to education robs children of their rights, promotes exploitation, decreases chances of decent employment, and traps individuals in a poverty cycle that is detrimental to their growth and development. Given the alarming situation in Lebanon today, we see a greater need for ‘Teach A Child’. As such, we’re doubling our efforts to continue our work building resilience through education and saving our children & country from the scares of illiteracy.”
Mazen Jawad, CEO at Horizon Holdings added: “quoting Nelson Mandela, “education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world” and this is the only weapon that a nation like Lebanon needs to rise again. This is a Never Finished cause that we’re all responsible for everywhere in the world.”
Reham Mufleh, General Manager at Horizon FCB Dubai said: “one of the great privileges of being in advertising is the ability we have to raise awareness about a worthy cause, one that we believe in. This is exactly the opportunity we had with ‘Teach A Child’, making sure we can tell the world our story and raise donations to give every child the education they deserve.”
‘Teach A Child’ is a non-profit organization that provides access to education for underprivileged students across Lebanon, by covering all the expenses related to their education without any discrimination. The NGO aims to school every deprived child in Lebanon, maintain the support for its current students, expand funding to increase the help for university and vocational education and advocate for compulsory education in Lebanon.
Established in 2011, ‘Teach A Child’ supports today 935 students enrolled in universities and in vocational institutions.
