War and recent earthquakes have left 8.4 million children homeless in the Middle East. Many of them have lost their entire families – and remain orphaned until this day – because adoption is taboo in the Arab world.

Home Centre, as a brand that believes that every child deserves a home – including orphans, wanted to encourage people to adopt or even foster an orphaned child, adoption with a purpose-driven campaign that could earn brand love, and ultimately position Home Centre as a brand that champions a better life for everyone in the region.

Home Centre believes that every child deserves a home. But orphaned children in the Middle East– who have lost everything in their world – are deprived of the chance to have a home, because adoption is taboo in the region.

Since adoption is not talked about in the region, people are not aware of these children, their painful stories, and their desperate need for homes.

Our idea was to tell the untold stories of orphaned children through the one thing they all have in common – their unseen tears, capable of expressing much more than their words ever could.

Because when photographed under a microscope, every tear reveals a unique topography that represents the emotion that evoked that tear.

Since adoption is a taboo in the region, we had to find a way to stop people and get their attention first, before introducing the subject to them.

The abstract topographies of the tears photographed under a microscope was the perfect way to do this. As the imagery intrigued audiences and invited them to understand what it was, the pin dropped – revealing that it was the tear of an orphaned child and narrating the painful story behind it.

The strategy was to get their attention in this way, and then encourage them to consider adoption.

Audiences were reached through an on-ground exhibition in an art district known for galleries and exhibitions, as well as our book that could be taken away at the exhibition or ordered online through the website (which was promoted online on Home Centre's social media channels).

The stories of these orphaned children were told through their tears – as seen when dried and photographed under a microscope (after an 8-hour crystallisation process).

All of these stories were compiled into a book, called 'Unseen Tears', which became a powerful appeal for adoption. The design and typography of the book were inspired by falling teardrops and the emotional breakdown of an orphaned child.

The book was launched on prime-time news, followed by an on-ground exhibition that turned the tear of every child into a poster that told his/her painful story and invited visitors to take a copy of the book.

The stories were brought to life on an interactive website that gave a voice to every child. The website even invited visitors to order a physical copy of the Unseen Tears book and learn more about the importance of adopting a homeless and orphaned child.

The campaign earned media impressions worth $230,000. Around 12,000+ people visited the exhibition in the first week. The website got more than 30,000 unique visitors. But the biggest impact was that 3 kids were adopted as a direct result of Unseen Tears.