We worked with Reelmedia and UNICEF to produce a powerful social experiment highlighting the struggle of Somali children to access clean water. To bring the reality of the drought in Somalia to a Western audience, we set up a water stall on a busy street — but instead of price tags, the bottles were labelled with the number of kilometres Somali children typically walk each day to find water.
To buy the water, customers were asked to walk the same distance on a treadmill next to the stall. Hidden cameras captured the public’s reactions — from initial confusion to genuine shock and empathy when they realised how difficult it is for Somali children to access water. The moment when customers learned that after all that effort, Somali children often receive unsafe and contaminated water hit particularly hard — leaving many speechless.
The film struck a chord globally:
It was viewed by over 30 million people on UNICEF’s social media channels.
The campaign was recognised with two Lovie Awards — prestigious honours celebrating the best in European internet content across video, advertising, and social media.
Reactions from participants — including disbelief at the distance and frustration over the unsafe water at the end — helped drive engagement and deepen understanding of the crisis.