March 21st is Mothers Day in Syria. On this day we made it possible for Syrian refugees to get in touch with their moms in their home country. We invited them to call our ”Mothers Day Hotline” to leave personal messages for their mothers. Then we re-packaged these messages as ”radio-ads”, bought media space on Syrian radio and broadcasted these messages all over Syria. Crossing the boundries of war by an activation that made it possible to reach the unreachables.

March 21st is Mothers Day in Syria. On this day we made it possible for Syrian refugees to contact their mothers in Syria.

We invited them to record messages containing a mothers day greeting by calling our Mothers Day Hotline. The Hotline was communicated directly to newly arrived refugees by posters, and on relevant social media groups and information sites targeted at refugees. And the messages started dropping in. For obvious reasons commercial radio in Syria is on a decline. So, we managed to buy media space from the Syrian radio station Fuse Fm, an independent station also popular among the target group, Syrian moms. A lot of media space. We re-packaged and produced our Mother´s day greetings as ”radio-ads” for commercial radio. Over 150 radio spots were then broadcasted in the commercial breaks on Syrian Mother´s Day, and the entire week leading up to it. On radio. In Syria.

Over 150 radio spots were broadcasted in Syria on Mothers day and during the week leading up to it. The campaign also got a lot of media attention with feature articles in Fast Company, Huffington Post, Newsweek and almost every major newspaper in Sweden wrote about it. And emotional interviews with Syrian refugees who sent personal messages to Syria were broadcasted on TV4, Swedens biggest commercial tv-network. Putting a spotlight on Refugee Phones and how they help people to reach out, no matter what. And above all, putting a spotlight on the possibility to take part of the project as a refugee from Syria. The campaign highlighted how humanity can reach across any border and put a boot in the side of xenophobia. From phone to air, and from heart to heart. It reminded everybody of our shared bonds of family and humanity in these troubled times.