UKRAINE WELCOME TEXT – UNSEEN

CHALLENGE

The illegal war has forced 14 million Ukrainians to flee, mostly women and children. Human traffickers were waiting to exploit vulnerable Ukrainians into slavery as soon as they landed in what was intended to be, a safe place.

Working with anti-slavery charity, Unseen UK, we recognised getting safety information to people the moment they arrived in a new country is crucial.

SOLUTION

Every Ukrainian refugee has had to leave much of their world behind, but they do have a phone. And that is what led to our solution: A life-saving Text.

Just like the one we get when we turn our phone on in a foreign country. But this time the text would contain information and advice that would help stop a life of slavery before it could start. This simple idea had significant executional challenges. We had to get the telecoms providers on board to automatically send out the text the minute a Ukrainian mobile was turned on upon arrival.

Through an open letter from Unseen, a call to arms on social media and with the help of more than 25 human rights groups and public support including MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, we persuaded all the major Ukrainian Telcos to send the message.

RESULTS

At our campaign’s launch, the two largest Telcos in Ukraine, Vodafone and Kyivstar, began sending our Welcome Message to Ukrainian refugees as soon as they arrived in the UK. Based on the success achieved in the UK, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has taken our Ukraine Welcome Text Europe-wide.

Now, Ukrainians receive our text message the minute they enter any of the 60 member-states. Together, we have also created a pan-European website for Ukrainians to access support, no matter where they are in the continent. 

An incredible, life-changing idea that is still saving millions of Ukrainians from a life of slavery.