ODE TO STRANGERS
Client: ALIMA USA
Year: 2024
As an African-based NGO, ALIMA relies on individuals who understand that human connection transcends personal acquaintance, time, and distance. Strangers who know they can impact the lives of people , no matter how far away.
In our 2024 campaign, we are paying homage to these strangers, hoping to inspire new ones to do the same.
My role: Independent Creative Director/Creative Producer
Together with: Neda Azarfar
Partners: Motionauts, MassiveMusic, Rohan Daniel Eason & Nazar Works
We gathered four real stories of mothers aided by a stranger that stepped in during their most challenging times.
Their emotional audio tales were brought to life by artist Rohan Daniel Eason and animated by Motionauts.
Each story reflects challenges faced by ALIMA mothers but set in different times and places worldwide.
Zurich, Switzerland, 1985
An Iranian refugee mother and her two young daughters are separated in a crowded station. A man she has never met (and will never see again) risks his job to help them.
This story reflects the reality of many mothers from Sub-Saharan Africa who live in conflict zones who are displaced and separated from their children.
Anambas, Indonesia 1979
After the Vietnam War, millions of refugees fled to Indonesia. This film tells the story of a mother who went into labor while stranded on one of these remote islands. Isolated and caught in a fierce storm, she thought no one could hear her—but she was wrong.
Thousands of women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa live in medical deserts, lacking access to essential support. ALIMA’s mobile clinics travel across the continent to identify these cases and deliver timely aid.
Sao Paulo, Brazil 1985
This story took place in the streets of one of the world’s largest cities. A mother made a mistake that could have cost her toddler’s life if another woman hadn’t intervened.
A lack of wellness education often leads to harmful advice passed down by family members and unscientific traditions. ALIMA addresses these issues by educating mothers across Sub-Saharan Africa, empowering them to become allies in their community’s well-being.
The other two stories were simpler assets, audio bites from the mother’s stories played against an animated cover with an original illustration that reflects the context,
Massaki, Cameroon 2022
A story from an ALIMA mother living in a medical desert who, thanks to strangers overseas who donated to the organization, managed to access healthcare and save her daughters.