OUR COVID STORY CAMPAIGN

Collecting stories from the network – user generated content (UGC)

We designed a list of question and shared them with volunteers on social media or directly through National Societies. Within weeks, we collected hundreds of testimonials, stories, and messages. These stories not only gave us great insights on how the pandemic was shaping the way the entire Movement is working, but also helped us to provide space to learn, share, inspire and explore how we can support each other in tackling this global crisis.

The questions we asked from the volunteers:

• What have you learned from the Coronavirus Outbreak?
• In the context of Coronavirus, what have you done that makes you proud?
• As a volunteer, what is the main challenge during this Covid-19 outbreak?
• What have you seen for the first time because of Coronavirus?
• Can you tell us how hope can rise from Coronavirus response?

…and the volunteers answered to our call.

Within weeks, we received hundreds of stories and testimonies from Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff responding to the Coronavirus all over the globe.

Once the stories were collected on our website, the next step was to read, translate and organise them. In this, the help we got from Northumbria University and British Red Cross was invaluable.

Collecting and sharing the stories on our website generated a lot of traffic in itself. Being able to collect and publish stories in real time on the website created a solid and recurring audience for the Solferino Academy site.

#OurCovidStory page was by far our most popular page, and still is among the most popular ones.

From the beginning our goal was not just to collect, but to share these stories like they had been shared with us. We wanted to both celebrate diversity and highlight the individual experiences of each story, but also to showcase similarities and explore what tied together the hundreds people of responding from around the world.

To do the first, we extracted and showcased short quotes from individual stories. For the latter, we mapped all the stories geographically, reflecting on the variety of contexts in which this crisis occurred but also showcasing the global nature of both the crisis and our response.

Draw me the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement

When the lockdowns and other pandemic prevention measures started to transform our work and lives, we re-discovered that to communicate clearly about our Coronavirus response we need images – and images we did not have. It became clear that going back to basics was the way forward, so we responded to the lack of images through a 37,000 years old innovation: drawing.

With irreplaceable help from Designit, we started to illustrate our Covid stories and articles and also to cover our virtual think tanks through graphic recordings.

Volunteers make the world go around

Innovation and transformation in real time

Not only did we want to share what we’ve learned, but we also wanted to give back by providing places and opportunities for global collaboration and the thinking/doing transformation shaking the whole Movement – and the humanitarian world.

Some of these ideas and initiatives took simple forms as guidelines, articles and think pieces, while others were shaped into think tanks and various virtual conversations. No matter the form, our goal was to connect and unite RCRC leaders, staff and volunteers in fighting the pandemic, transforming the ways we work and to better anticipate and prepare for what comes next. 

Capacity building tools

Innovations in COVID Series

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked numerous conversations, initiatives and innovations, and we wanted to keep those conversation going. To showcase the best health-related innovations across the RCRC network and to learn from each other, we published 6 stories of Innovation in health in the COVID response with high-quality content gathered and written by our own experts. These pieces were accompanied by illustrations from DesignIt’s artists. 

When artists document your virtual meeting, the meaningful remains

Examples of graphic recordings (in three languages)

Connecting globally through virtual Think Tanks 

Some 3,000 staff and volunteers from over 100 National Societies joined our virtual Think Tanks. These Think Tanks provided a unique opportunity to convene a global cross-section of volunteers and staff across the Red Cross Red Crescent network. In these often quite intense virtual conversations we’ve been sharing experiences and exploring innovations, insights and ways too be more fit for future - all this during a fast-paced Covid-19 emergency response.

From our high-level Think Tanks aimed specifically to Red Cross and Red Crescent leaders, we've also been able to share the insights with the IFRC Governing Board to impact decisions on COVID-19 and Strategy 2030. 

A brand new brand

This campaign has also been an opportunity to rebrand and shape the Solferino Academy's visual identity with the help of Designit. Designit's talented team did not just help us build our new website, create our new beautiful logotype and full brand guidelines with us but was also involved in our activities. Together we were able to reshape Solferino Academy's brand while working on one of our biggest campaign, in the middle of a pandemic, making this a textbook example of a creative and innovative collaboration.

Discover our external partners

Other supporters

The Solferino Team