As we head into the colder months in Africa, millions of refugees face a bleak future, with limited capacity to avoid the impacts of the harsh weather.
In order to help, Twitter has announced a new partnership with UNHCR, which will see Twitter working with British group Kniterate on an integrated campaign, where Twitter users will be able to contribute to the creation of scarves for refugees, simply by re-tweeting a message.
Humanity is the thread that binds us together.
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 29, 2019
We’re teaming up with @TwitterForGood and @Kniterate to turn that thread into a unique scarf and #KnitForRefugees.
The names of 500 people who RT this tweet will be woven into it. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/0xs3G7bi1l
As explained by Twitter:
"Currently around 14 million Syrians and Iraqis are displaced in the [North African] region: The needs in the region remain significant. Last year, UNHCR was able to reach 3.6 million Syrian and Iraqi IDPs and refugees with winterization assistance. But urgent funding is needed to ensure that life-saving winterization assistance is in place before freezing temperatures grip the region, exposing tens of thousands of families. For many, this will be the ninth consecutive winter in displacement."
By re-tweeting the above message, users will have the potential of having their Twitter handle added to the scarves, with each re-tweet also helping to boost the campaign message, and increase awareness of the issue.
The campaign will be rolled out across multiple regions, kicking off in the UAE, and extending further as we move towards the Winter months. It's an innovative way to encourage participation, and boost awareness, which will hopefully see more funds raised for the cause.
From a campaign perspective, the initiative also highlights the way in which social media can be utilized to boost brand awareness and promotion through simple acts of sharing - which require little commitment from the user, but can have a big impact on reach and response. If you're looking to run a similar campaign, it's worth considering how Twitter is using the motivator of social proof, giving users an opportunity to link themselves to a cause they believe in through re-tweets, which subsequently enables UNHCR to boost campaign awareness.
Given that Millennials and Gen Z are more highly connected to causes, and motivated to engage based on social awareness, it may be worth considering how you can use that to advantage, not only to help boost your brand, but also to help amplify relevant causes that relate to your mission and audience.