A winning generation
Putting a face on numbers
We visited the outskirts of Mzimba with our pragmatic calculations and dreadful statistics, and so arrogantly one might say, knowing the true costs of teenage pregnancies and the lack of sexual rights.
An awful amount of youngsters are affected by the lack of comprehensive sexual education, lack of a resourceful health system and the lack of the right facilities to deal with all this in their local communities. Knowing this might be sufficient to make one want to strive for a much needed change.
An unfinished edit of parts of our documentary from Malawi
“The statistics, the graphs and the surveys conducted might be a convincing approach for the thorough reader. Eitherway, nothing could tell this story like the individuals who are affected by it.”
In a nutshell
We can explain, draw lines and throw facts. This is an important step to create an overview, but must not be mistaken as the means of telling a story. You can know a lot about someone by knowing their income, their address or even the most personal details of their life. However, the only way to really know someone’s joy and struggle, is by hearing them present their own story, on their own premises.
Teenage pregnancies are the biggest challenge we seek to address. This is a complex issue to tackle.
Gathering stories
To understand and create the change necessary, we think it is important to look into the eyes of the boy who is demanding the knowledge he needs to become a successful student, a thriving entrepreneur and a confident father. We had to sit down with him and hear, “what change is it that you want?”
To find our arguments for raising our cause, we have to meet with the girl who is 17 years old with her beautiful newborn daughter, fearful of what the future might bring for the two of them. She invited us to her home, and we asked her, “how is the community tending for their losing generation?”
As healthcare-students it was of great importance to observe how the formal health sector does an incredible job with what little they have. Clinicians and nurses thoroughly explained how teenage pregnancies and lack of sexual education put an immense toll on the already exhausted health care system. We were astonished by the competence between these concrete walls, and the incredible relationships formed between patients and professionals.
During our visit we experienced a generation of young people striving for a better future, with the willingness to take part in the shift their country needs. There is no doubt in our minds that their opportunities are held back by economical and cultural forces out of their control, but there is no justice in calling them a “losing generation”, as the numbers might indicate. They have been losing for a long time, but what the statistics hardly present is the tireless optimism found in this young people. The stubborn fight, fought by the competent health care professionals, knowing the challenges and the possible solutions. This needs to be addressed and lifted up!
This is a winning generation, and we want to support their strive for a better future!
“It is essential that boys and girls receive sexual education, contraception, access to safe births and safe abortions. It is also about the right and opportunity to decide over ones body and sexuality. This will reduce illness and death among young mothers and children in Malawi. Healthcare for children and teenagers is important! Not only in Norway, but in the whole world. I am so happy that my future colleges in MedHum and Save the Children dedicate themselves in a project this important. That is why I said yes when I was asked to be the High Protector for the largest humanitarian activity run by Norwegian students, for 2020.”
Creating outlines for a campaign
Campaigning comes in many different forms. As long as it gets the message out there, we are all for it! (This particular stunt was paid for by the Norwegian Medical Association!)
We do believe that we have succeeded with raising awareness around important issues in former campaigns. Thus, we think there is a strong foundation to build an even greater movement around the campaign of 2020. The issues we are faced with this time really resonated in all of us, making it of great importance to pass our message out into the general population.
Most importantly, there is no doubt that we depend on our partners to make great campaigns happen. We are always looking for unexplored opportunities to do fundraising, and our hope is to recreate earlier success in an optimized figure, as well as following those ideas that are yet to be explored.
This time we want to collaborate to make a unique sweater, which, by its design and quality, represents the teenagers of Malawi, with great integrity.
Wearing a piece of garment which represents someone’s story, is a great gesture, as well as a comprehensive way of showing one’s support.
A bet on who could eat a grilled mouse in Malawi turned into a microcampaign on Facebook, and raised 20.000 NOK in a day. Unconventional methods can be quite profitable at times!
Sweatercampaign 2.0
1 week of thoroughly planned promotional activity.
Celebrities, NGOs, schools and businesses promoting our message in SoMe
Interactive online content that thoroughly tells the story we are “selling” through the campaign
Sale through Livid Jeans online, with all our activity directing followers there
How we are going to limit the sale in time can be discussed
National/local/regional media appearance
A limited pre-sale on 50-100 items per city held in advance of the campaign, drawing attention to the campaign, as well as making the sale exclusive
Trondheim, Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø, as well as 2-4 cities in Eastern-Europe
Posters and “teaser elements” distributed all around the cities and faculties the night before campaign drop
All these are ideas, and will be discussed further
2018
Roughly 2000 items sold (sweaters and T-shirts)
Shipping to 25 countries
Over 400.000 NOK profit, straight to the program
Sales had to be shut down after 1 week, due to lack of capacity
The search for a design
A minimalistic approach - with or without text.
The garment is supposed to be something that you would want to wear, yet something sustainable which lasts for a long time and represents the people who’s cause we are raising.
These are just ideas, and we would love your feedback! When we have created something that we all are happy with, we will take this to our graphical designer, to make printable designs.
