Night of the Refugee

When
September 2010
Client
Refugee Foundation
What
Develop and organise a public event around one of the Refugee Foundation’s core activities. Furthermore, create a media campaign aimed at: a) improving the Refugee Foundation’s name recognition; b) recruiting new donors, and c) rejuvenating the existing donor list. Use social media to reach a young audience.

Background
The Refugee Foundation is committed to the care and support of refugees and displaced persons. The Refugee Foundation also provides emergency assistance in the form of shelter, food and sanitation. In long-running crises, the foundation’s emphasis is on providing medical care and education, or setting up small businesses. Refugees also receive support with returning home and reconstruction. For all these aid projects, the foundation works closely with local people and organisations.

There are currently an estimated 40 million people around the world fleeing war, violence and oppression. In many cases little known about their fate. That's why the Refugee Foundation also champions refugees' rights and publicly denounces the abuses to which refugees are subjected.

Sexual violence in Congo
When BKB and the Refugee Foundation first met, the aid organisation was working on a project for women in Congo who were victims of sexual violence. In the protracted Congolese civil war, rape and mutilation are widespread. This sexual violence has destroyed countless lives. In fact, it has disrupted an entire society. Tens of thousands of women have fled the violence. Few people in The Netherlands were aware of these atrocities or the scale on which they take place.

BKB and fundraiser Delphi came up with an unconventional way to draw attention to the rapes in Congo: The Night of the Refugee, a sponsored 40-kilometre walk in the middle of the night from Rotterdam to The Hague. Why such a gruelling journey at such an unusual time? To remind people that the trials refugees face are typically many times tougher.

Around 450 night walkers braved the chilly autumn showers and raised more than €100,000 for a clinic specialised in providing medical aid to victims of sexual violence.

The walk
At exactly midnight, after a warm-up with former athlete and fitness coach Olga Commandeur, comedian Youp van ’t Hek fired the starting shot from Rotterdam's Erasmus Bridge.

The walkers could rest and have their blisters seen to at a number of points along the route, or join a nocturnal lecture by Maarten van Rossem. Further on was a performance by a Djembe band. In Rijswijk, professor and former diplomat Jan Pronk gave a pep talk and DJ Abrandis' beats kept the weary walkers going. The final 15 kilometres were extremely hard. Early next morning, the first walkers trickled onto the Malieveld in The Hague.

Recruiting through social media
Most of the participants in The Night of the Refugee were recruited through social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Hyves. This is also where the teams were formed. Using their own online social networks, participants raised as much money as they could.

Well-known Twitterers such asFrancisco van Jole (@2525) and former politician Femke Halsema (@femkehalsema) tweeted about the Night of the Refugee.

All the tweets and posts about the sponsored walk included a link to the website, where donors could make a contribution to one of the participating teams. This had a competitive element, because the five teams who raised the most money were given a prominent spot on the homepage.

The Night of the Refugee in the media
The event received a great deal of media coverage. On radio and TV: NOS Teletekst, RTV Rijnmond, Koffietijd (RTL), FunX, BNN, Radio 1 Journaal. In newspapers and magazines: Telegraaf, Trouw, AD, Spits, Metro, De Pers, Parool, Brabants Dagblad, De Gelderlander, LINDA, IS. And online: nu.nl, rtlnieuws.nl, headlines.nos.nl, eropuit.nl, olgacommandeur.nl, 2525.com.

Would you like to see the complete media pack? Send us an email.

Would you like to know more about this project?
Please contact Marleen van der Steen