UNICEF creates virtual child 'Sofia' using 500 photos of real children in conflict
There are currently 250 million children around the world living in countries affected by conflict, and half of the 19.5 million refugees globally are children. A new awareness campaign hopes to shine a light on them all -- by focusing on one.
UNICEF Sweden has created "Sofia," a 3D-animated child using 500 photos of real children from emergency areas. The images were provided by Getty Images, the campaign's visual partner, and animators from the films Planet of the Apes and Avatar worked with creative agency Edelman Deportivo to bring her to life.
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"We have created Sofia to give a face to all the children that aren’t visible to us," Per Westberg, deputy executive director of UNICEF Sweden, said in a statement.
"We have created Sofia to give a face to all the children that aren’t visible to us."
"Sofia is a symbol for all the orphan children, all the children that have been forced to leave their homes due to conflicts, who have stopped growing because of lack of nutrition and who dream of going to school."
UNICEF decided to call the child Sofia because it was reported as the "most popular" name across the world last year.
The animation released this week marks the first of three videos in the organization's #FörSofia spring campaign, according to Swedish news outlet Resumé.
"Meet Sofia," the video opens. "She is the children that no one sees, in the disasters no one talks about. This is her story."
While the video's not-quite-human animation may instill feelings of the uncanny valley, and it runs the risk of perpetuating an idea that there is a single refugee experience, the most compelling part is when Sofia says, "I'm not real. I'm the face of all the children suffering from emergencies no one talks about."
Then, images of refugee children and those in conflict areas populate the screen.
In addition to awareness, the campaign aims to inspire people to become donors to UNICEF, as "world parents."
"Sofia is representing all the children you are helping when you are a world parent," Westberg said. "UNICEF supports the children, through long-term development projects and through acute support when disasters occur. We are distributing our efforts according to needs, and the most exposed children will get help first."
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Topics Social Good
Matt Petronzio was the Social Good Editor at Mashable, where he led coverage surrounding social impact, activism, identities, and world-changing innovation. He was based at the New York City headquarters from January 2012 to April 2018, and previously worked as the assistant features editor.
