MSF has worked with the London-based advertising agency McCann Erickson (on a pro bono basis) to develop two cinema ads that aim to raise awareness about the work of MSF whilst trying a fresh approach to charity advertising.
Both ads, ‘Girl’ and ‘Boy’, feature a locked-off shot of a rundown building in a barren environment and use real audio recorded in MSF field clinics and hospitals, in order to reveal the stark human suffering which MSF medics respond to every day. The stories of the individuals who are being treated are relayed solely by captions. Each ad has stripped away the voices and other clues as to the physical location of the story specifically to demonstrate the universal human need for medical and humanitarian care that MSF provides.
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The second ad, ‘Girl’ will run for three weeks from November 13th before films rated 15 and above. The production of the ads and the screenings in cinemas have all been donated free of charge to MSF.
The story told in ‘Girl’ is representative of what’s happening to thousands of women worldwide every year. In 2008 MSF medical teams helped 101,858 women deliver their babies. Many of these women and children would have died if MSF had not been there. In some countries, women-only teams of medics ensure that care is provided even in contexts where women’s access to healthcare is problematic, such as areas of rural Pakistan and Somalia.
Sexual violence is sadly all too common in many of the places where MSF works. In 2008, MSF provided care to 15,145 victims of sexual violence in 117 different locations. While no community can be said to be free from rape, there are some countries where it appears to be particularly prevalent: over half the cases of sexual violence MSF treats are in Democratic Republic of Congo and a fifth of them are in Liberia. It is not only in Africa where sexual violence is a particular issue. In Guatemala, for example, and Papua New Guinea, our teams witness extremely high levels of sexual violence against women.
MSF medical teams can provide a high level of care to the survivors of rape wherever we work. If a patient seeks medical care within 72 hours of the attack and there is a possibility that the attacker may be HIV then the patient can be prescribed a course of medication known as post-exposure prophylaxis which drastically reduces the chance of them contracting HIV as a result of the attack. MSF medical teams also treat for any physical wounds, provide emergency contraception and can treat any sexually-transmitted diseases. Counseling for survivors of sexual violence is offered in many locations.
“The use of audio without language encourages the viewer to consider the common emotions that all we humans share rather than focusing on the differences between us,” explains MSF’s head of communications, Polly Markandya. “It reflects the fact that we respond only on the basis of medical need and human suffering, rather than considering politics, race or religion.”