Russia-Ukraine war: Tent Partnership, War Child, others mark one-year anniversary

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022. Since then, many brands and companies have closed offices in Russia and ceased operations within, and with, the country. Today, Ad Age is taking a look at some of the recent creative efforts to aid Ukrainian refugees and share stories from Ukraine with people around the world. 'Never Alone' “Never Alone,” a short film released by the Disasters Emergency Committee, highlights the U.K. nonprofit's work helping the people of Ukraine. The DEC is a collective of five leading U.K. aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas. Over the last year, the DEC’s member charities have provided millions of people affected by the conflict, both in Ukraine and in neighboring countries, with shelter, food, psychological support and money to buy essentials. The film was shot in areas affected by Russian attacks over the span of three days. Created by the creative agency Don’t Panic and produced by Stink Films, it features an all-Ukrainian cast. Set to “Infra 5” by composer Max Richter, the cast recites the lyrics of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry & The Pacemakers, speaking of the camaraderie that Ukraine has felt, both inside the country and from around the world. “We wanted to make the British public feel the difference their donations have made and then to invite them to go online and see how their kindness and donations are helping. The money raised has played a significant role in helping people affected by the conflict in Ukraine,” said DEC CEO Saleh Saeed in a statement. “But this crisis is far from over, and whatever comes next, donations to our appeal will continue to support people whose lives have been shattered.”Also see: Ogilvy Italy and Emergency’s short film is a plea for peace 'To Whom It May Concern' The Tent Partnership for Refugees, a network of more than 300 major multinational companies committed to hiring refugees, announced the launch of its Tent European Business Summit. The summit will be co-hosted by current and former CEOs of PepsiCo, ISS, Unilever and Microsoft Poland. Taking place in Paris in June to mark World Refugee Week, business leaders from major companies across Europe and the U.K. will announce pledges to hire tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine and other parts of the world. The charity's new 75-second video highlights Ukrainian refugee women and their barriers to employment to further rally the business community. The video, which features illustrations and voiceovers from several Ukrainian female artists, showcases the strength, skills and resilience of Ukrainian refugees as they seek to rebuild their lives. “European governments have stepped up to welcome Ukrainian women fleeing the war but businesses must now do their part to help them find jobs and provide for themselves. This is the most important step in helping refugees integrate into their new communities,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, Tent founder and Chobani CEO, in a statement. “I urge other business leaders across Europe to step up, reduce barriers and hire Ukrainian refugee women. They will strengthen your workforce and deserve to not just survive, but thrive as they rebuild and restart their lives.” 'The WikiTruth' Publicis Groupe has developed new work for Ukrainian Witness, a media project created to capture the ongoing events in Ukraine. Initiated by Vitaliy Deynega, founder of the international charitable fund Come Back Alive, the project produces regular content on social media, chronicling warzone stories, and has garnered more than 14 million views on YouTube. “The WikiTruth” begins with “The first casualty of war is the truth,” and starts addressing the issue of information during the war in Ukraine. After Russian bots started deleting pictures from Russian Wikipedia pages, Ukrainian Witness began collaborating with Wikipedia editors around the world to make sure the truth was being spread. Friendly Faces Creative agency Mother wants to help displaced Ukrainian children in the U.K. feel more welcome with its Friendly Faces sticker packs. Each pack depicts popular Ukrainian cartoon characters from “Mavka. The Forest Song,” which recently appeared on the BBC’s “Hey Duggee”—and “The Cossacks” from a series of animated short films, alongside encouraging Ukrainian phrases. The packs are available to order for free online. The Undeniable Street View Formed in partnership with a collective of Ukrainian organizations, including United24, Voices of Children, Nova Ukraine and Vostok-SOS, The Undeniable Street View is touted as the first interactive viewfinder of a live war zone. The viewfinder was made from over 62 miles of raw street-view footage shot by a team on the ground in Ukraine. People can see the neighborhoods of six Ukrainian cities and regions that have found themselves on the front line of an illegal invasion. Anyone from around the world can witness up close the destruction of the streets of Kyiv, Irpin, Kharkiv, Izyum and Cherigiv and Sumy. Visitors to the site can switch between what these neighborhoods used to look like before the invasion and what they look like now. The images are meant to help those outside Ukraine “understand the consequences of Russian aggression and the need for accountability,” Nova Ukraine's Igor Markov said in a statement. LullaBombs A collaboration between children’s charity War Child and agency Mother hopes to draw attention to how war robs children of the most basic of human needs: sleep. As opposed to soothing lullabies, LullaBombs uses authentic recordings of war sounds captured in conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Ukraine, to highlight the experiences of the millions of children living in a war zone and the sounds they are forced to listen to. The LullaBombs machine has three sound settings, each a real soundscape from modern-day warfare. LullaBombs were made available in six colors reflecting the flag colors of the conflict-affected countries where War Child conducts its work—Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Ukraine and Yemen. Read more about LullaBombs Instead of being housed in a classic nursery design, the LullaBombs machine comes in a repurposed landmine, made from recycled metal. It has a built-in light feature that projects explosions and searchlights onto the ceiling to represent the night-time experiences of children affected by war around the world. “The campaign portrays the stark differences in children’s experiences across the world, and jars people into realizing the harsh realities for so many children living through conflict,” Oleksandra Yarova, communications officer from War Child’s Ukraine Response Team, said in a statement. “As a Ukrainian, and mother to a 9-year-old boy who had to flee our home in search of safety, I know first-hand how truly damaging war is—particularly for children.” 'The Body in the Woods' Independent TV has announced the upcoming release of “The Body in the Woods,” a 40-minute documentary by international correspondent Bel Trew. The documentary focuses on the search for missing people during the war. It opens with the discovery of a body of a young man found murdered beside an abandoned Russian camp in the woods outside Kyiv. “One of the cruelest legacies of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the desperate search by Ukrainian families to locate their missing and dead. Many may never be found. Making this documentary for Independent TV has been a harrowing but crucial journey to tell and preserve those stories,” said Bel Trew in a statement. “The Body in the Woods” will be released on March 1 at the Independent TV hub (independent.tv), and The Independent’s smart TV app and mobile app. A trailer has been released. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here

Anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine marked with outreach campaigns

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